Baton Rouge Demographics : Baton Rouge Area Chamber

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Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) encompasses Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Point Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes and is currently the largest metro area in Louisiana, with a 2005 pre-Hurricane Katrina population estimate of 729,000 persons and a 2006 population estimate of 779,000. The Metro area population grew by approximately 74,000 persons or 9.7% from 2000 to 2006. It is a relatively young population with a median age of 33.7 years (national median age is 36.3 years). 85% of residents age 25 and over are high school graduates. Approximately 5% hold associate degrees, 16% hold bachelor's degrees and 9% have advanced degrees. Another 22% have some college credit.

Population Demographics
	2000 Census	2008 Estimate	2013 Projection	1990 - 2000 (% Change)	2008-2013 (% Change)
Total Population	705,973	784,441	804,223	13.20%	2.46%
Population Density (Pop/Sq Mi)	167.5	184.6	190.8	13.20%	3.40%
Total Households	256,637	288,765	303,755	17.90%	5.20%

Population by Gender
Male	345,722 49.00%	380,161 49.00%	389,476 49.10%	13.50%	2.50%
Female	360,251 51.00%	394,973 51.00%	404,452 50.90%	12.80%	2.40%

THE BATON ROUGE AREA POPULATION GROWTH SPIKED AFTER KATRINA AND IS PROJECTED TO ACCELERATE AT A STEADY PACE.

Population by Race/Ethnicity
	2000 Census	2008 Estimate	2013 Projection	1990 - 2000 (% Change)	2008-2013 (% Change)
White	444,961 63.00%	463,748 59.80%	470,272 59.20%	7.50%	1.40%
Black	240,973 34.10%	283,224 36.50%	294,599 37.10%	19.60%	4.00%
American Indian or Alaska Native	1,611 0.20%	1,401 0.20%	1,369 0.20%	50.10%	-2.30%
Asian or Pacific Islander	9,441 1.30%	12,958 1.70%	13,794 1.70%	64.10%	6.50%
Some Other Race	3,259 0.50%	5,350 0.70%	6,654 0.80%	95.30%	24.40%
Two or More Races	5,728 0.80%	8,453 1.10%	7,240 0.90%		-14.30%
Hispanic Ethnicity	11,582 1.60%	17,723 2.30%	18,294 2.30%	32.70%	3.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino	694,391 98.40%	757,411 97.70%	775,634 97.70%	12.90%	2.40

Households by Income
	2000 Census	2008 Estimate	2013 Projection	1990 - 2000 (% Change)	2008-2013 (% Change)
$0-$15,000	52,303 20.40%	43,509 15.70%	40,002 14.20%	-22.0%	-8.1%
$15,000-$24,999	35,531 13.80%	32,178 11.60%	27,800 9.90%	-6.3%	-13.6%
$25,000-$34,999	32,778 12.80%	30,090 10.80%	27,967 9.90%	0.8%	-7.1%
$35,000-$49,999	40,487 15.80%	40,469 14.60%	38,374 13.60%	11.7%	-5.2%
$50,000-$74,999	47,096 18.40%	50,118 18.10%	51,338 18.20%	205.5%	2.4%
$75,000-$99,999	24,669 9.60%	33,463 12.10%	34,779 12.40%	195.2%	3.9%
$100,000-$149,000	16,313 6.40%	31,059 11.20%	37,730 13.40%	302.0%	21.5%
$150,000 +	7,460 2.90%	16,664 6.00%	23,387 8.30%	222.8%	40.30%
Average Household Income	$49,207	$61,456	$70,480	48.90%	14.70%
Per Capita Income	$17,888	$22,688	$25,709	53.30%	13.30%

The May 2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics OES report lists the average annual pay of all sectors in the Baton Rouge MSA as $37,210.

Household Units
	2000 Census	2008 Estimate	2013 Projection	1990 - 2000 (% Change)	2008-2013 (% Change)
Total Housing Units	282,511	310,620	311,647	14.50%	0.30%
Owner Occupied	177,952 63.00%	187,829 60.50%	191,125 61.30%	22.60%	1.80%
Renter Occupied	78,685 27.90%	89,721 28.90%	90,252 29.00%	8.60%	0.60%
Vacant	25,874 9.20%	33,070 10.70%	30,270 9.70%	-11.30%	-8.50%

Employment & Business
	2000 Census	2008 Estimate	2013 Projection	1990 - 2000 (% Change)	2008-2013 (% Change)
Age 16+ Population	537,941	602,436	616,895	16.00%	2.40%
In Labor Force	335,007 62.30%	386,394 64.10%	395,672 64.10%	15.80%	2.400%
Employed	313,875 93.70%	356,925 59.30%	365,768 59.30%	18.80%	2.50%
Unemployed	20,751 6.20%	28,919 4.80%	29,322 4.80%	-15.40%	1.40%
In Armed Forces	381 0.10%	550 0.10%	582 0.10%	-23.60%	5.80%
Not In Labor Force	202,934 37.70%	216,042 35.90%	221,223 35.90%	16.40%	2.40%
Number of Employees (Daytime Population)			374,626
Number of Establishments			29,636
Employees in Blue-Collar Occupations		124,582 39.70%
Employees in White-Collar Occupations		189,293 60.30%

Educational Attainment
	2000 Census	2008 Estimate	2013 Projection	1990 - 2000 (% Change)	2008-2013 (% Change)
Age 25+ Population	428,070	490,651	517,622	16.50%	5.50%
Grade K-8	22,816 5.30%	20,021 4.10%	16,078 3.10%	-41.00%%	-19.70%
Grade 9-12	60,755 14.20%	52,072 10.60%	45,939 8.90%	6.30%	-11.80%
High School Graduate	138,277 32.30%	170,341 34.70%	186,274 36.00%	17.30%	9.40%
Some College, No Degree	92,157 21.50%	105,330 21.50%	109,732 21.20%	33.30%	4.20%
Associates Degree	11,929 2.80%	22,021 4.50%	28,475 5.50%	15.90%	29.40%
Bachelor's Degree	63,353 14.80%	79,353 16.20%	87,125 16.80%	31.80%	9.80%
Graduate Degree	34,080 8.00%	41,522 8.50%	43,999 8.50%	30.00%	6.00%
No Schooling Completed	4,703 1.10%

East Baton Rouge Parish (pop. 434,018) is the central parish of the MSA. EBR parish holds 55% of the MSA population and is the location of 74% of the MSA's jobs. Baton Rouge is the major city within East Baton Rouge parish. It is also home to Zachary, one of the fastest growing cities in the region.

Baton Rouge (pop. 227,188) the capital of Louisiana, was the second largest city (New Orleans being the largest) until Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast/New Orleans region. It is now the largest city in the state and the regional center of business, healthcare and entertainment. Approximately 3.5 million people live within 100 miles of Baton Rouge and over 1 million reside within 50 miles.

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