Baton Rouge, LA vs Shreveport, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baton Rouge, LA outspends Shreveport, LA by a wide margin per resident — $43,886 versus $17,313, a 153% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Baton Rouge, LA holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 67/100 (grade B) for Shreveport, LA — a 8-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Baton Rouge, LA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Shreveport, LA carries $1,271 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 Shreveport, LA leads with parks and recreation at $1,799.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 9% of total revenue in Baton Rouge, LA and 8% in Shreveport, LA.
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 153.5% more per capita than Shreveport ($26,573/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)
| Sales Tax | $488 | $872 |
| Income Tax | $2,296 | $653 |
| Intergovernmental | $949 | $48 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,867 |
| Other | $7,610 | $3,306 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $1,820 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,140 | $241 |
| Highways & Roads | $589 | $235 |
| Public Welfare | $2,691 | $212 |
| Health | $2,058 | $860 |
| Hospitals | $4,729 | $2,034 |
| Parks & Recreation | $758 | $1,799 |
| Housing | $7,045 | $3,509 |
| Sewerage | $236 | $235 |
| Utilities | $2,413 | $1,995 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $810 |
| General Admin | $4,492 | $0 |
| Other | $14,181 | $5,384 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.