The market.
Who owns the word?
of Louisiana residents reported Cajun ancestry. Census ACS, 2016 to 2020.
people. The count behind that share, out of 4,664,616.
in statewide visitor spending in 2024, sold in part under one name.
In 2006, Louisiana made "Cajun" and "Louisiana Creole" state-owned marks.
Act 124 of 2006 made "Cajun," "Louisiana Creole" and any derivative of either term certification marks owned by the state and enforced by the commissioner of agriculture. In 2008 the federal trademark office refused the state’s bid to register "Cajun" alone. In 2018 the state launched Certified Cajun and Certified Creole labels. The only test is that a product comes from Louisiana.
Visitors spent $537.1 million in Lafayette Parish in 2022. Statewide visitor spending reached $18.5 billion in 2024. In the 2016 to 2020 Census estimates, 55,022 Louisiana residents reported Cajun ancestry: 1.18 percent of the state.