Best PlacesBaker-Zachary Area, Baker, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Baker-Zachary Area, Baker, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker ranks 4,574th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker's strengths and weaknesses
Where Baker-Zachary Area, Baker ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$676 a month, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
Where Baker-Zachary Area, Baker ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Baker-Zachary Area, Baker home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,023, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Baker-Zachary Area, Baker's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Baker-Zachary Area, Baker.
Who works in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker, and how
Work in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker has more parkland per resident than 93% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Baker-Zachary Area, Baker and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker, month by month
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker sees roughly 107 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 52° | 43° |
| April | 80° | 69° | 59° |
| July | 93° | 82° | 75° |
| October | 84° | 71° | 61° |
Flying in and out of Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
The nearest airport, Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
Schools across Baker-Zachary Area, Baker average a C, better than 34% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Brownfields Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Impact Charter SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
- Park Ridge Academic Magnet SchoolD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northwestern Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Copper Mill Elementary/middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Park Forest Middle SchoolF · 7% proficient
Top high schools
- Zachary High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
- Liberty High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Scotlandville Magnet High SchoolF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Baker-Zachary Area, Baker school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Baker-Zachary Area, Baker against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker
Is Baker-Zachary Area, Baker a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Baker-Zachary Area, Baker ranks 4,574th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on quiet, affordable childcare, and a stable housing market, and lowest on state infrastructure and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Baker-Zachary Area, Baker expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $239,585. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $78,023 median income, cost of living beats 65% of neighborhoods.
Is Baker-Zachary Area, Baker safe?
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker is safer than 38% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $728 per resident a year.
Compare Baker-Zachary Area, Baker with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Baker-Zachary Area, Baker. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Baker-Zachary Area, Baker: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Baker-Zachary Area, Baker: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Baker-Zachary Area, Baker: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Baker-Zachary Area, Baker detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.