re: Spinoff: Why can't Louisiana be more like Texas economically?

Significant cities are pretty much a must have for the south (using that term liberally) to move up in these metrics.

Texas has 2 elite business cities, 2 other major cities.

Louisiana has one major tourism/cultural city that isn't a huge business generator. Thus, they're huddled with/slightly above states like Alabama, which lacks NOLA for culture/tourism but has a more powerful business city in Birmingham (over BR) and adds Huntsville. NOLA keeps them above Mississippi, which essentially has no significant business driver other than Memphis, and significantly below GA and NC (Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh).