Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Baton Rouge.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Baton Rouge compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 223,699City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $49,944Incorporated place (ACS)36% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 76ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)24% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $224,500City limits (ACS)26% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,044City limits (ACS)23% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.2%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3913% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 936.3annualized per 100k · citywide55% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 5290.3annualized per 100k · citywide71% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 92°F5.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 43°F9.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 61.9 in88% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2516% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Baton Rouge with another city
Baton Rouge (pop. 223,699) sits in Louisiana. Median household income is roughly $49,944, while the ACS housing-cost index sits near 76 — among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs (100 ≈ U.S. average). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $224,500 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Baton Rouge is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Baton Rouge with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Gulf moisture, festival culture, and floodplain risk are everyday considerations. With about 61.9 inches of rain a year, wet-season drainage and mold checks are worth asking about. Plan on roughly 23 minutes each way for a typical commute; Walk Score is about 39. Unemployment recently ran near 4.2%, broadly in line with many large U.S. counties. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~936.3 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Baton Rouge city, 1600000US2205000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN220330000000003 (East Baton Rouge Parish, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013970 BATON ROUGE RYAN AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28