Baton Rouge, LA vs New Orleans, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baton Rouge, LA spends 33% more per resident than New Orleans, LA: $43,886 against $32,984. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Baton Rouge, LA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 52/100 (grade C) for New Orleans, LA — a 23-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Baton Rouge, LA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while New Orleans, LA carries $2,288 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Baton Rouge, LA leads with health at $2,058 per resident, while New Orleans, LA leads with fire protection at $1,044.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in Baton Rouge, LA and 18% in New Orleans, LA.
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 33.1% more per capita than New Orleans ($10,902/person difference). Baton Rouge, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $62 |
| Sales Tax | $488 | $327 |
| Income Tax | $2,296 | $993 |
| Intergovernmental | $949 | $3,013 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,241 |
| Other | $7,610 | $5,501 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,820 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,140 | $1,044 |
| Highways & Roads | $589 | $271 |
| Education | $0 | $951 |
| Public Welfare | $2,691 | $1,197 |
| Health | $2,058 | $507 |
| Hospitals | $4,729 | $5,002 |
| Parks & Recreation | $758 | $966 |
| Housing | $7,045 | $4,479 |
| Sewerage | $236 | $161 |
| Utilities | $2,413 | $4,300 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $0 |
| General Admin | $4,492 | $1,865 |
| Other | $14,181 | $12,243 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.