Best PlacesSouth Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge ranks 3,486th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
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.
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge ranks high
- Cheap childcare$676 a month, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 73% of neighborhoods
Where South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
A household needs to earn about $99,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $86,962, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge'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 South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge.
Who works in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, and how
Work in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 89% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, month by month
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge sees roughly 108 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 South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
The nearest airport, Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 56 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
Schools across South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge average a C, better than 33% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Mayfair Laboratory SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Woodlawn ElementaryB · 44% proficient
- Wildwood Elementary SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Top middle schools
- Woodlawn Middle SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Westdale Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Liberty High SchoolB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge 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 South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge suits
Families
Schools land around the 33rd percentile and crime safety beats 72%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 73% of neighborhoods, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 8% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 56% of neighborhoods, health care access beats 81%, and it is quieter than 67%.
Common questions about living in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
Is South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge ranks 3,486th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a strong job market, and health care access, and lowest on state infrastructure and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $384,270. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $86,962 median income, cost of living beats 73% of neighborhoods.
Is South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge safe?
Yes, South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge is safer than 72% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $437 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 43. That works out to about 108 pleasant days a year, more than 56% of neighborhoods.
Is South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge good for families?
Schools beat 33% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 72%, and childcare runs $676 a month.
Compare South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge 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.
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge 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.