CONTENTS

COMMUNITY OVERVIEW

We have long heard the story of a city divided into north and south. But data show us that a new, more diverse subcommunity is forming in the area east of Airline Highway and south of Interstate 12. This region’s residents align with the overall demographic split of the parish more closely than any other area of East Baton Rouge.

In this microcosm where 48% of the residents are white, 35% are Black, 9% are Hispanic, 7% are Asian and 1% or Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, we can peek at our city’s diverse and thriving future. Residents in this area were more likely to think their neighborhood is going in the right direction, have positive things to say about Baton Rouge, and earn above the median household income than any other region in the parish. 

race/hispanic origin

47.6% / White alone

46.7% / Black or African American alone

0.4% / American Indian & Alaska Native alone

3.5% / Asian alone

1.7% / Two or More Races

6.8% / Hispanic or Latino

UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment in 2023 stayed steady and tied for 2022 as the lowest rate in 20 years.

3.2%

BTR Airport PASSENGERS

The number of passengers flying into or out of BTR jumped 14% year over year, inching closer to pre-pandemic peaks. 

LIBRARY CIRCULATION

Digital downloads, computer logins, and total circulation for the library all saw a year over year increase. Actual digital downloads are likely higher, as the reported value only includes e-books and audio books. Music and other streaming media downloads are not tracked. 

QUALITY OF LIFE

What makes EBR a great place to live?

The unique blend of culture, people, and quality of life help Baton Rouge shine. When asked what makes EBR a great place to live, answers related to culture ranked #1. People and quality of life were next in line, respectively.  

Only 2 in 3 people offered a response when asked what makes EBR Parish a great place to live. The parish has significant room for growing positive perception around life in South Louisiana. 

FRIENDSHIP

How many close friends would you say you have? 

Reducing crime remains citizens' highest concern for the third year in a row. Improving schools and reducing taxes were priorities in 2023, but have been replaced by improving roads and traffic and creating more affordable housing in this year’s survey.  

Which improvements 
could help make 
Baton Rouge more appealing 
to newcomers? 


WHEN YOUR CHILD(REN) GROW 
INTO ADULTS, WHERE DO 
YOU PREFER THEY LIVE?

A majority of parents don’t have a strong opinion about where their children live when they grow up. However, the percentage of parents wishing their children would stay in EBR has more than tripled since 2022.

how do you feel about the following statements about your neighborhood?

(Agree = strongly agree and agree; Disagree = strongly disagree and disagree)

iN THE LAST YEAR, HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH TO ATTEND...

Approximately 7 out of every 10 EBR residents left the parish to seek entertainment elsewhere, indicating that demand is present for sports and performing arts that are not currently met with the parish’s boundaries.

healthy familieS

infant morTality

The infant mortality rate in East Baton Rouge has dipped below 9 per 1000 live births for the first time since we began tracking this. However, East Baton Rouge still has the rate of reported highest infant mortality in the state, accounting for 12.8% of statewide infant deaths in 2023.

smoking rate 

Smoking rates have decreased by nearly 10% in the parish year over year, consistent with decreases seen nationally and statewide. 

chronic illness

Nationally, 6 in 10 adults have at least one Chronic disease. In general, parish residents indicated a higher-than-average diagnoses rate for commonly tracked chronic illnesses

chronic illness profiles

Women who took our survey were disproportionately impacted by chronic illness, with women having a higher prevalence rate for all polled illnesses except for high blood pressure. 

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

direction of the parish

While displeasure with the direction of the parish has remained steady year over year, more citizens have confidence in the parish’s future direction than in 2023.

pace of progress

51% of citizens think the pace of progress in the parish is too slow; this is the third lowest number since we started asking this question in 2009. Residents most displeased with the pace are those making less than $25,000 each year (87%), people who are unemployed (66%) and people who have a high school education or less (65%). 

Clear differences in optimism can be noted in subgroups of this year’s data, particularly among geographic regions, race, employment status, and household size. The most optimistic subgroups are people with four year degrees (50%), households with 2 adults (44%), and white respondents (44%). 

Participation in civic and charitable causes soared year over year. Participation in crime watch groups saw the biggest increase, more than tripling since last year. 

have you volunteered with any of the
 following types of organizations
 in the past 12 months?
would you say you lean 
toward the democratic party, 
republican party or neither?

Despite nearly half of registered voters noting affiliation with the Republican party, only 3 in 10 survey respondents indicated that is their political leaning. Responses for Democratic or non-partisan leaning align with voter registration percentages.

voter change over timE

The chart to the right shows shifts in registered voters as of October each major election year since the inception of CityStats.

While the partisan system is strong in East Baton Rouge Parish, no one party can claim a majority of registered voters. As a percentage of registered voters in the parish, Democrats have decreased by 10% and appear to have largely moved to being unaffiliated with any particular party. 

community trust

would you say that 
people can BE TRUSTED
or that you CAN'T
 be too careful?

Trust is waning in our community, with 42% of respondents defaulting to not trusting others, up from 24% last year.  

Despite having low trust in others, people view their neighborhoods favorably with 68% agreeing or strongly agreeing people are willing to help their neighbors.

The East saw the most signifgant change in the percentage if people who defaulted to outright trust, dropping from the most trusting region last year to the least trusting region this year.

TRUST BY REGION
Can people be trusted?

The most trusting group was people age 65+ (17%), followed by men, Democrats, and college graduates. The least trusting were renters and recent movers (under 5 years).

DO YOU TRUST THE FOLLOWING
INSTITUTIONS TO make 
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH 
A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE?

Nonprofits and Religious Organizations are the most trusted local institutions when it comes to making EBR a better place to live. Local government is the only polled entity that was not trusted by a majority of respondents. Notable differences are observable among subgroups, with trust in businesses and government declining for Black respondents but increasing for white respondents.

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

FINANCIAL STABILITY

In thinking about your current financial situation, how difficult is it for you to pay your bills each month? 

Only 13% of residents have full confidence in their ability to cover monthly bills. 

The percentage of respondents who cited they had a very difficult time paying monthly bills jumped from 22% to 30% year over year. 

A majority of all demographic subgroups struggle to keep up with regular expenses except: 

Those most likely to struggle financially are:

If an unexpected expense of $2,000 arose in the next month, how confident are you that you could cover that expense? 

Unexpected expense

A majority of EBR residents do not feel prepared to weather unexpected expenses.

some positive news

The percentage of respondents who indicated they are somewhat or very confident in their ability to cover a large expense doubled year over year. 

Do you—or does a spouse/partner—have a 401k, pension, or retirement plan? 

retirement

excellent education

 GRADUATION RATES 

High school graduation rates shifted this year for all districts. The most significant movement was a nearly 10% decrease in the graduation rate for schools in Baker with only 6 in 10 students graduating. Baker is also the only school system to not see improvements in their graduation rate when compared to pre-Covid years. Zachary schools continue their meteoric rise, improving on their already strong graduation rates. 

 
 SCHOOL ENROLLMENT*
 DROPOUT RATE

The high school dropout rate has skyrocketed since our last report, with East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools reporting a 51% increase between academic years.

According to U.S. Census data, the percentage of adults with high school diplomas has remained relatively steady despite the increase in dropout rates. 

Pre-k enrollment in Baton Rouge has continued to grow, even as enrollment statewide decreased. However, enrollment has seen notable fluctuations across the years while national and statewide enrollment has remained relatively consistent. The result is an overall downward trend in pre-k enrollment in the parish. 

 pre-k enrollment

*A SPECIAL NOTE FOR THIS YEAR’S DATA: Private school enrollment is now reported through the state department of education. Historical enrollment numbers for private schools in the parish have been updated to reflect this source.  

Only five schools are currently in the state’s Recovery School District. Three of them are in East Baton Rouge Parish: Dalton Elementary School, Lanier Elementary School and Glen Oaks Middle School. Two schools in the parish moved out of the recovery system since our last report, accounting for about 1,000 students.  

STRONG & SAFE

NEIGHBORhOODS

 NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY

In your own personal experience, would you say that the neighborhood where you live is getting better or getting worse as a place to live?

 POLICE RELATIONS

Attitudes towards law enforcement are positive, with a majority of respondents ranking law enforcement as trusted, fair, and good at their jobs.

 

 crime

Violent crime in the parish has decreased for the third year in a row, and overall crime has decreased slightly since last year. However, total crime still exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

 number of murders

East Baton Rouge saw an increase in homicides for the first time in three years. The Parish average remains unusually high, eclipsing the national average of 6.81 murders per 100,000 residents. In Baton Rouge, that would be the same as 31 homicides for a parish our size.

 traffic accidents

The number of reported traffic accidents fell nearly 4% in 2023 and alcohol related traffic fatalities were reduced by 25% or more. In positive news, the number of alcohol related fatalities is the lowest recorded since we began tracking this statistic.

 housING security

Baton Rouge faces a housing deficit, with just over 200,000 units available for a population size that is estimated to need nearer to 250,000. Low turnover suggests that residents who are already housed have secure living situations.  At $1,487, the average monthly rent nationally outpaces Baton Rouge by nearly 40%. Despite lower-than-average rent costs, access to affordable housing remains a concern in the parish.

 home ownership

At least 2 out of 3 people cited financial reasons as barriers to achieving their goal of homeownership. Furthermore, more than 2 in 5 people cited financial barriers as causation for not pursuing homeownership as a goal, further emphasizing the financial insecurity experienced in the parish.

INDICATORs INDEX

  • East: The area of Baton Rouge containing the following zip codes: 70815, 70816, 70817, and 70819. 

    North: The area of Baton Rouge containing the following zip codes: 70801, 70802, 70805, 70806, 70807, 70811, 70812, 70813, and 70814. 

    Outlying: The area of Baton Rouge containing the following zip codes: 70714, 70722, 70739, 70748, 70770, 70777, 70791, and 70818. 

    South: The area of Baton Rouge containing the following zip codes: 70803, 70808, 70809, 70810, 70820, and 70836. 

  • Computer Use (EBR Parish Library):  Number of logins to the library system’s public terminals. 

    Deplanement (BTR Metro Airport): Number of people arriving in Baton Rouge via airplane. 

    Digital Circulation (EBR Parish Library): Downloaded books, audio-books, magazines and other digital media. 

    Enplanement (BTR Metro Airport): Number of people leaving Baton Rouge via airplane 

    Library circulation (EBR Parish Library): Total circulation of physical books, digital media, online books and audio.  

    Median Household Income (US Census Bureau): Median is the amount that divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half with income above and half with income below. Family is a household related through blood, marriage or adoption. 

    Net migration (US Census Bureau): Number of people moving into East Baton Rouge parish minus the number who leave. 

    Unemployment (Louisiana Workforce Commission): Number of people employed in East Baton Rouge Parish and the unemployment rate in EBR.

  • Acres of Public Parks (BREC): Total acreage of parks maintained by BREC. 

    Children’s Future Residency (Survey): Where parents want their children to live as adults. 

    Commute (US Census Bureau): Average one:way commute to work. 

    Drawing Newcomers (Survey): What Baton Rouge could improve to draw people to live in the parish. 

    Friendship (Survey): How many close friends respondents said they had.  

    Miles of Public Trails (BREC): Trails are off:road and the amount does not include on:road bike paths. 

    Poverty Rates (US Census Bureau): Percent of people living in poverty under the federal definition. Federal thresholds for poverty include age of family members and size of family. 

    Why EBR (Survey): What is the best part of living in East Baton Rouge. 

  • Direction of Parish (Survey): Is the parish going in the right or wrong direction? 

    Pace of Progress (Survey): Respondents say whether the pace of progress is “too slow,” “about right,” or “too fast.” 

    Party Affiliation (Louisiana Secretary of State): The democratic, republican, or independent party affiliation of registered voters in East Baton Rouge Parish. 

    Volunteering (Survey): Number of residents participating in common forms of community volunteering. 

  • Interpersonal Trust (Survey): Whether people trust others, proceed with caution, or are distrustful. 

    Trusted Entities (Survey): Which institutions are trusted to make EBR a better place to live. 

  • Financial Insecurity (Survey): Confidence in ability to pay expected and unexpected expenses. 

    Future Earnings (Survey): Whether or not someone expects to earn more in a few years or for their  

    Retirement Tools (Survey): Whether people are preparing for retirement through common financial tools like a 401(k).

  • Graduates (Louisiana Department of Education): Percent of residents with high school degrees and college degrees.  

    High School Graduation Rate (Louisiana Department of Education): Percent of students who complete high school in four years. 

    LEAP tests (Louisiana Department of Education): Percentage of EBRPSS students in 4th and 8th grades achieving a rating of “basic” or above on state standardized testing 

    Pre-K Enrollment (US Census Bureau): Percent of 3 and 4:year:olds enrolled in pre:k programs. 

    Recovery School District (Louisiana Department of Education): Schools under management of the State Department of Education with the goal of reversing chronically low performance. 

    School Enrollment (Louisiana Department of Education): Total enrollment in public school systems and all parish private schools. 

  • Crimes (EBRSO, BRPD, City of BR): Number of violent and nonviolent crimes in the calendar year. 

    Neighborhood Improvement (Survey): Whether people think their neighborhood is getting better, getting worse, or staying stagnant. 

    Page/Rice Cameras (SafeBR): Safety initiative to install and connect security cameras to law enforcement data centers. 

    Police Relations (Survey): Perceptions of police efficacy, fairness, and accountability. 

    Rent (US Census Bureaus, Statista): Amount paid monthly for housing excluding utility expenses. 

    Total Homicides (EBR Coroner): Number of murders in a calendar year. “Homicide” is a medicolegal term that includes all human deaths caused by the actions of another human; some of those deaths may be subject to criminal prosecution, others are not. 

    Traffic Accidents (EBRSO, BRPD, City of BR): Number of automobile accidents in the calendar year. 

  • Chronic Disease (CDC, Survey): Health condition that lasts 1 year or more. 

    Infant Mortality Rate (Louisiana Department of Health): Number of deaths per thousand infants under 12 months of age. 

    Smoking (Louisiana Department of Health): Prevalence of smoking

Percentages: In some instances, percentages of all responses add up to a value that does not equal 100%. This is due to mathematical rounding rules for whole numbers.