Bossier City, LA vs Baton Rouge, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Baton Rouge, LA outspends Bossier City, LA by a wide margin per resident — $43,886 versus $14,635, a 200% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Baton Rouge, LA edges Bossier City, LA on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Baton Rouge, LA reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Bossier City, LA carries $1,280 per resident. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Bossier City, LA leads with parks and recreation at $1,616 per resident, while Baton Rouge, LA leads with health at $2,058.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 6% of total revenue in Bossier City, LA and 9% in Baton Rouge, LA.
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 66.7% more per capita than Bossier City ($29,251/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 | $60 | $488 |
| Income Tax | $1,039 | $2,296 |
| Intergovernmental | $226 | $949 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,561 | $0 |
| Other | $4,072 | $7,610 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,820 |
| Fire Protection | $346 | $1,140 |
| Highways & Roads | $283 | $589 |
| Education | $64 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $372 | $2,691 |
| Health | $0 | $2,058 |
| Hospitals | $171 | $4,729 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,616 | $758 |
| Housing | $3,326 | $7,045 |
| Sewerage | $231 | $236 |
| Utilities | $2,287 | $2,413 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $1,735 |
| General Admin | $0 | $4,492 |
| Other | $5,940 | $14,181 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.