Baton Rouge, LA vs Kenner, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baton Rouge, LA outspends Kenner, LA by a wide margin per resident — $43,886 versus $10,644, a 312% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Kenner, LA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 87/100 (grade A) against 75/100 (grade B) for Baton Rouge, LA — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Baton Rouge, LA leads with health at $2,058 per resident, while Kenner, LA leads with parks and recreation at $662.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in Baton Rouge, LA and 11% in Kenner, LA.
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 312.3% more per capita than Kenner ($33,242/person difference). Kenner, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $488 | $28 |
| Income Tax | $2,296 | $558 |
| Intergovernmental | $949 | $208 |
| Other | $7,610 | $1,293 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,820 | $187 |
| Fire Protection | $1,140 | $310 |
| Highways & Roads | $589 | $413 |
| Education | $0 | $174 |
| Public Welfare | $2,691 | $505 |
| Health | $2,058 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $4,729 | $373 |
| Parks & Recreation | $758 | $662 |
| Housing | $7,045 | $2,763 |
| Sewerage | $236 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,413 | $1,010 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $0 |
| General Admin | $4,492 | $0 |
| Other | $14,181 | $4,248 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.