While big cities like Baton Rouge offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Baton Rouge. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Baton Rouge without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Baton Rouge are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Baton Rouge area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Baton Rouge for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Baton Rouge? Central ranks as the best suburb of Baton Rouge for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Central, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Baton Rouge ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Louisiana:
The 10 Best Baton Rouge Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 29,603
Median Income: $90,091
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.7%
More on Central: Data
Central is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Baton Rouge area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Central.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $90,091 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Baton Rouge region. And only 1.23% are out of work. Homes average more than $270,700 each.
/10
Population: 7,052
Median Income: $105,635
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 9.4%
More on Addis: Data
Addis is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Baton Rouge for 2025.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 1.49% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
/10
Population: 2,136
Median Income: $106,250
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.7%
More on Sorrento: Data
Here in Sorrento, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Baton Rouge metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Sorrento.
/10
Population: 2,592
Median Income: $89,597
Unemployment Rate: 19.2%
Poverty Rate: 11.0%
More on Brusly: Data
Brusly ranks as the 4th best suburb of Baton Rouge for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Brusly and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 19,637
Median Income: $90,507
Unemployment Rate: 6.8%
Poverty Rate: 7.4%
More on Zachary: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Zachary.
Zachary gets kudos for having the 3rd most expensive homes in the Baton Rouge area, where houses sell for an average of $258,000. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 6,136
Median Income: $76,857
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 10.0%
More on Plaquemine: Data
Plaquemine is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.59%.
According to online reports, Plaquemine is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Baton Rouge area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 9,362
Median Income: $77,418
Unemployment Rate: 5.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Denham Springs: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Denham Springs.
Denham Springs schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 10.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
The schools around here are so bad. I had a health teacher tell me that men can’t get breast cancer. The college my mom goes to is awful too.
I heard that Louisiana has by far the highest murder rate than any other state and that is it is the prison capital of the entire world. It is the most corrupt state.
/10
Population: 6,385
Median Income: $84,912
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 11.9%
More on Walker: Data
Walker is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 12.36% of people lack insurance, good for 12th in the area.
/10
Population: 4,928
Median Income: $59,380
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 19.1%
More on Port Allen: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Port Allen?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 12,748
Median Income: $66,152
Unemployment Rate: 9.0%
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
More on Gonzales: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Gonzales.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Baton Rouge for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Baton Rouge was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Baton Rouge.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 16 suburbs to evaluate around Baton Rouge.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 16 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Baton Rouge.” We’re lookin’ at you, Central.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Baton Rouge suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Baton Rouge ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Baton Rouge are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Baton Rouge but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
Table: Best Baton Rouge Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central, LA | 29,603 | $90,091 | $270,700 |
| 2 | Addis, LA | 7,052 | $105,635 | $242,300 |
| 3 | Sorrento, LA | 2,136 | $106,250 | $218,800 |
| 4 | Brusly, LA | 2,592 | $89,597 | $259,200 |
| 5 | Zachary, LA | 19,637 | $90,507 | $258,000 |
| 6 | Plaquemine, LA | 6,136 | $76,857 | $181,600 |
| 7 | Denham Springs, LA | 9,362 | $77,418 | $188,700 |
| 8 | Walker, LA | 6,385 | $84,912 | $221,500 |
| 9 | Port Allen, LA | 4,928 | $59,380 | $167,700 |
| 10 | Gonzales, LA | 12,748 | $66,152 | $212,800 |
| 11 | Donaldsonville, LA | 6,792 | $24,160 | $175,500 |
| 12 | Baker, LA | 12,322 | $59,451 | $146,700 |
| 13 | St. Gabriel, LA | 6,569 | $60,093 | $248,100 |
| 14 | New Roads, LA | 4,457 | $48,017 | $155,400 |
| 15 | White Castle, LA | 2,278 | $19,314 | $102,000 |
| 16 | Jackson, LA | 3,976 | $37,981 | $121,700 |