Shreveport, LA vs Baton Rouge, 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: Shreveport, LA leads with parks and recreation at $1,799 per resident, while Baton Rouge, LA leads with health at $2,058.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 8% of total revenue in Shreveport, LA and 9% in Baton Rouge, LA.
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 60.6% 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 | $872 | $488 |
| Income Tax | $653 | $2,296 |
| Intergovernmental | $48 | $949 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,867 | $0 |
| Other | $3,306 | $7,610 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $0 | $1,820 |
| Fire Protection | $241 | $1,140 |
| Highways & Roads | $235 | $589 |
| Public Welfare | $212 | $2,691 |
| Health | $860 | $2,058 |
| Hospitals | $2,034 | $4,729 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,799 | $758 |
| Housing | $3,509 | $7,045 |
| Sewerage | $235 | $236 |
| Utilities | $1,995 | $2,413 |
| Interest on Debt | $810 | $1,735 |
| General Admin | $0 | $4,492 |
| Other | $5,384 | $14,181 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.