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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Baton Rouge are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Baton Rouge for 2022:
What's the best suburb of Baton Rouge? Central ranks as the best suburb of Baton Rouge for 2022 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.
Note: 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 larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Louisiana:
The 10 Best Baton Rouge Suburbs To Live For 2022
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 $90,183 a year, which is the highest in the Baton Rouge region. And only 2.47% are out of work. Homes average more than $240,200 each.
/10
Population: 29,235
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $90,183
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Central: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Zachary is the second best 'burb we looked at near Baton Rouge for 2022.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.72% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 17,699
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $89,712
Unemployment Rate: 5.9%
Poverty Rate: 6.8%
More on Zachary: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Here in Addis, 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 Addis.
/10
Population: 5,635
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $79,590
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 9.6%
More on Addis: Real Estate | Data
Brusly ranks as the 4th best suburb of Baton Rouge for 2022.
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: 2,690
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $69,327
Unemployment Rate: 12.3%
Poverty Rate: 16.0%
More on Brusly: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Coming in as the fifth best is Denham Springs.
Denham Springs gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Baton Rouge area, where houses sell for an average of $167,500. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 9,908
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $67,921
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%
Poverty Rate: 6.3%
More on Denham Springs: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Walker 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 5.56% which is 3rd best in the area.
According to online reports, Walker is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Baton Rouge area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 6,278
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $73,115
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Poverty Rate: 8.9%
More on Walker: Real Estate | Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Port Allen.
Port Allen 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 4.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 4,883
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $55,219
Unemployment Rate: 7.2%
Poverty Rate: 11.1%
More on Port Allen: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Gonzales 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 8.9% of people lack insurance, good for 11th in the area.
/10
Population: 10,932
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Income: $52,232
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Poverty Rate: 16.9%
More on Gonzales: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is 'Everything Better In Baker?'
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: 13,233
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Income: $64,455
Unemployment Rate: 7.7%
Poverty Rate: 10.3%
More on Baker: Real Estate | Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is St. Gabriel.
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.
/10
Population: 7,374
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $52,103
Unemployment Rate: 6.7%
Poverty Rate: 9.6%
More on St. Gabriel: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Baton Rouge for 2022
Figuring out the best suburbs around Baton Rouge was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- 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
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.
FYI: 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 15 suburbs to evaluate around Baton Rouge.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 15 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Baton Rouge." We're lookin' at you, Central. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or 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 2022
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.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Baton Rouge, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Baton Rouge Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central, LA | 29,235 |
| 2 | Zachary, LA | 17,699 |
| 3 | Addis, LA | 5,635 |
| 4 | Brusly, LA | 2,690 |
| 5 | Denham Springs, LA | 9,908 |
| 6 | Walker, LA | 6,278 |
| 7 | Port Allen, LA | 4,883 |
| 8 | Gonzales, LA | 10,932 |
| 9 | Baker, LA | 13,233 |
| 10 | St. Gabriel, LA | 7,374 |
| 11 | Plaquemine, LA | 6,589 |
| 12 | New Roads, LA | 4,500 |
| 13 | Donaldsonville, LA | 8,424 |
| 14 | White Castle, LA | 2,260 |
| 15 | Jackson, LA | 4,941 |
