East Baton Rouge County · Louisiana · South · 223k residents
Baton Rouge, LA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Baton Rouge: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Louisiana median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,308/wk. Louisiana's corporate income tax rate is 5.5%. Commercial electricity averages 10.5¢/kWh.
Compare Baton Rouge side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,308/wk
Corporate income tax
5.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
36.6%
Commercial electricity
10.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Baton Rouge's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
51/100
Steady
Ranks Baton Rouge's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $234,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $140 |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $903/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,091/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.01% |
| Sales tax | 9.55% |
| Corporate income tax | 5.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,308/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.6% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 42.7/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $101,900 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $81,130 |
| Wage: General manager | $107,140 |
| Wage: Customer service | $38,760 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $34,840 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $54,840 |
| Wage: Electrician | $65,330 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $30,070 |
| Cost of living index | 83 |
| Groceries index | 97 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $45/mo |
| Gas price | $2.95/gal |
| Healthcare index | 94 |
| Childcare (per child) | $800/mo |
| Median household income | $49,994 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% |
| Population | 223k |
| Crime index | 75/100 |
| School rating | 4.2/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 98/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 215 days |
| July high | 91°F |
| January low | 40°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | 0.0% |
| Home price MoM | +0.2% |
| Rent YoY | +2.3% |
| Rent MoM | +0.4% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -0.1% |
| Building permits YoY | +23.6% |
| Ocean coast | 65 mi |
| Big lake | 67 mi |
| Mountains | 330 mi |
| Major airport | 6 mi |
| Ski resort | 559 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Central, LA · 30k
- Zachary, LA · 20k
- Prairieville, LA · 35k
- Hammond, LA · 22k
- New Iberia, LA · 28k
Similar size
- Shreveport, LA · 181k
- Metairie, LA · 140k
- Lafayette, LA · 122k
- Lake Charles, LA · 81k
- New Orleans, LA · 372k
Real listings in Baton Rouge
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Baton Rouge a good place to run a business?
- Louisiana's corporate income tax rate is 5.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,308/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Baton Rouge, LA?
- Baton Rouge indexes at 83 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,091/mo and a acs median home value of $234,700.
- How much does a house cost in Baton Rouge?
- The acs median home value in Baton Rouge is $234,700 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Baton Rouge?
- A two-bedroom in Baton Rouge rents for about $1,091/mo.