BATON ROUGE — Louisiana's infrastructure was given a C- overall rating by the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers on its annual report card. 

The report evaluates 10 infrastructure categories across the state: aviation, bridges, coastal areas, dams, drinking water, levees, ports, roads, solid waste and wastewater. None of the state's grades were above a C+. 

The state's aviation and solid waste infrastructure received C+ ratings, while its levees and dams received C ratings and its coastal infrastructure received a C-. Bridges, wastewater and ports were graded at D+, while the state's drinking water and roads were given a D. 

Other southern states like Mississippi and Alabama also received C- ratings, while the national average is a C.

The full report can be found here.

Louisiana's C grade is a half-notch increase from the ‘D+’ grade the state received in 2017.

“We’ve endured our fair share of challenging events in Louisiana, but our communities have always come back stronger,” ASCE Louisiana Section President Katherine Castille said. “The people of Louisiana require infrastructure networks that are as resilient as the people they serve, to keep families safe and businesses operational. The improved grade in this report demonstrates the hard work our public and private sectors have done to modernize our built environment, but we know Louisiana is capable of far better than a ‘C-’ when provided additional resources and a dedicated workforce.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers said that the reliability, maintenance and modernization of state infrastructure is vital to the local and regional economy, public health, safety and security.

"As a coastal state that must endure the challenges of frequent extreme weather events, Louisiana's businesses and residents rely on a modern and resilient built environment that can keep the economy moving and families safe," officials said in a statement.

The findings from the 2025 Report Card for Louisiana's Infrastructure will be used to make policy decisions on where solutions are needed in state infrastructure, the group said.

The report recommends increasing funding across all areas of infrastructure, as well as building more resilient infrastructure as storms continue to batter the coast. The report also recommends prioritizing safety, as well as increasing collaborations with local governments and private companies to solve infrastructure issues