East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana


East Baton Rouge Parish is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its population was 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. East Baton Rouge Parish is located within the Greater Baton Rouge area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which are covered by water.

Bodies of water

Cities

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 456,781 people, 181,478 households, and 95,243 families residing in the parish.
The median age was 35.2 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the parish was 42.9% White, 45.2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.7% of the population.
93.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.9% lived in rural areas.
Of the 181,478 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.1% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 204,359 housing units, of which 11.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.0% were owner-occupied and 42.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.2%.

2019 American Community Survey

As of the 2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 5.7% of residents were foreign-born, 8.3% spoke a language other than English at home, 61.2% of the parish population was employed, and 45,760 businesses operated in the parish; among those businesses, 19,537 were minority-owned and approximately 4,637 were veteran-owned.
Of the 164,346 households recorded by the survey, 6.6% of residents were aged 5 and under, 77.2% were aged 18 and older, and 13.7% were 65 and older; the median age of East Baton Rouge was 34, up from 32 at the 2010 U.S. census.
The survey also reported a median household income of $54,948 and 194,326 housing units; the home-ownership rate was 59.8%, the median value of an owner-occupied unit was $194,000, the median gross rent was $933, and males had a median income of $55,862 versus $38,817 for females.

2010 census

In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 45.9% Black and African American, 49.5% White American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. About 3.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latin American of any race.
In 2010, for every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.

Racial / Ethnic Profile of places in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Education

Primary and secondary education

Most sections of the parish are zoned to schools in East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Baker residents attend the City of Baker School System. Zachary residents and residents of unincorporated areas around Zachary attend the Zachary Community School Board. Central residents, and those of a section of Brownfields, as well as some other unincorporated areas, attend the Central Community School System schools.
The State of Louisiana also operates the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and Louisiana School for the Deaf.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge operates Catholic parochial schools.

Other education

is the public library system. The parish is in the service area of Baton Rouge Community College.

Government

The city of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge have been run by a consolidated government since 1947, which combined the city of Baton Rouge government with the rural areas of the parish. The city and parish are served by the metropolitan council and the mayor-president.
The parish courthouse in Baton Rouge is one of 26 public buildings constructed by contractor George A. Caldwell in the 1930s.
In 2010, the 19th Judicial District Court moved into the new courthouse on North Blvd.
The Jetson Center for Youth, a former juvenile prison operated by the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, is located near Baker in an unincorporated area.

Politics

Since 1980, East Baton Rouge Parish has been a bellwether in presidential elections, voting for the winner of the presidency in all but three elections but not necessarily the winner of Louisiana. In the 2008 presidential election, the parish voted for Democrat Barack Obama, who won 51% of the vote and 99,652 votes. Republican John McCain won 48% of the votes and 95,390 votes. In the 2008 Senate election, Democrat Mary Landrieu, who kept her seat as a U.S. Senator, won 57% of the vote and 110,694 votes in East Baton Rouge Parish. Republican John Neely Kennedy won 41% of the vote and 80,222 votes. In the 2004 presidential election, East Baton Rouge Parish cast the majority of its votes for Republican George W. Bush, who won 54% of the votes and 99,943 votes. Democrat John F. Kerry won 45% of the votes and 82,298 votes.
In 2016, John Kennedy lost East Baton Rouge Parish in his otherwise highly successful U.S. Senate race against Democratic Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, who prevailed 52-48%. By a nearly identical margin, Democrat Sharon Weston Broome defeated Republican Bodi White to claim the Baton Rouge mayor-president position to succeed Democrat Kip Holden. In 2024, Republican Sid Edwards defeated Weston-Broome to retake the mayoralty of Baton Rouge.

Law enforcement

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office employs approximately 850 deputies, making it one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state of Louisiana. Notable past sheriffs include politician Philemon Thomas; baseball player Terry Felton became a captain in the department after retiring from sports.
Other law enforcement agencies in the parish include:
  • Baton Rouge Police Department
  • Baton Rouge City Constable
  • Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Police Department
  • Baker Police Department
  • Baker City Marshall
  • Zachary Police Department
  • City of Central Police Department
  • Louisiana State University Police Department
  • Baton Rouge Community College Police Department
  • Southern University Police Department
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 1
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 2
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 3
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 1
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 2
  • East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 3

    National Guard

The 769th Engineer Battalion a unit of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in East Baton Rouge Parish. Two companies of this battalion deployed to Iraq in 2007–2008. Another company-sized unit, the 927TH Sapper Company, deployed to Afghanistan in 2008–2009. As of 2011, yet another company, the 926TH Mobility Augmentation Company located in Baker has been alerted for overseas deployment. The 769th Engineers have two other companies, the 922nd Horizontal Engineer Company located in Gonzales, Louisiana, and the 928th Sapper Company located in Napoleonville, Louisiana.

Healthcare

Major hospitals include:
Emergency Medical Services in EBR Parish are provided by East Baton Rouge EMS and Acadian Ambulance.