Baton Rouge, Louisiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Baton Rouge, LA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Baton Rouge | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 221,324 | 4,610,276 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2482.7 | 88.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.11% | -0.10% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 32.7 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 88,149 | 1,803,262 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Baton Rouge grew by 2.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 221,324 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Baton Rouge is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 30.1% of residents. That is 8.6 points above Louisiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 66,513 30.1% +8.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 42,616 19.3% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 36,662 16.6% -2.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 32,392 14.6% -2.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Louisiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.5% of the people living in Baton Rouge and men 47.5%.
- Women 52.5% Louisiana 51.1%
- Men 47.5% Louisiana 48.9%
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Economy
Baton Rouge has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Baton Rouge | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,685 | $60,934 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.74% | 3.69% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.7% | 6.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Baton Rouge is about 17% lower than in Louisiana.
Housing
| Metric | Baton Rouge | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $148,635 | $170,446 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,073 | $1,063 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 48.1% | 67.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Baton Rouge is about 11.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,073 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Baton Rouge spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 153 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Baton Rouge | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.3 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.6 | 42.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 153 | 177 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,731 | $5,493 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 8.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 19,317 | 8,275 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,865 | 1,164 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Baton Rouge is 18 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Louisiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Baton Rouge has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Baton Rouge | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.2% | 24.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Health
Baton Rouge has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Baton Rouge | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.6 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.9% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
How many people live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?
About 221,324 people live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 88,149 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 32.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Baton Rouge, Louisiana mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Baton Rouge, Louisiana has 2,483 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 29 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($148,635 against $50,685), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,073 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?
Unemployment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is 8.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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