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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Baton Rouge, LA vs New Orleans, LA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

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

City A
Baton Rouge, LA
Pop. 225,500
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
New Orleans, LA
Pop. 380,408
C
52/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency29
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Baton Rouge
New Orleans
Total Spending
$9.9B
$12.5B
Spending / Capita
$43,886
$32,984
Total Revenue
$19.3B
$12.0B
Revenue / Capita
$85,687
$31,427
Total Debt
$0
$870.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$2,288
Population
225,500
380,408
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Police
Baton Rouge$1,820
New Orleans$0
Fire Protection
Baton Rouge$1,140
New Orleans$1,044
Highways & Roads
Baton Rouge$589
New Orleans$271
Parks & Recreation
Baton Rouge$758
New Orleans$966
Education
Baton Rouge$0
New Orleans$951
Health
Baton Rouge$2,058
New Orleans$507

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Baton RougeNew Orleans
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)

Baton RougeNew Orleans
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
B
Baton Rouge, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
C
New Orleans, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 52/100
Average fiscal health

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