Located in America’s Deep South region, Baton Rouge is the third-southernmost capital city in the United States trailing only Austin in Texas and Florida’s Tallahassee.
Nicknames for Baton Rouge include the Red Stick (le bâton rouge in French) and the initials B.R.. The official moniker for Louisiana is the Pelican State. Other nicknames for Louisiana are the Creole State, Bayou State, and The Boot referring to the appearance of Louisiana on a map.
Research website numbeo ranks Baton Rouge in the top 34% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Baton Rouge scored well on index factors such as property price to income ratio (lowest 5%), purchasing power (strongest 22%), pollution (cleanest 30%), climate (best 33%) and traffic commute time (fastest 48%). On the negative side, Baton Rouge rates relatively poorly for safety (bottom 7%) and cost of living (most expensive 50%).
Guinness World Records points to Baton Rouge as the site of a pro stock drag racing event where, on July 18, 2010, a gas-driven piston engine motorcycle reached the fastest speed ever at 197.65 miles per hour (318.08 kilometers per hour).
Examples of major businesses based in Baton Rouge are coffee roaster and distributor Community Coffee; outdoor promotional signage firm Lamar Advertising Company; baseball bat manufacturer Marucci Sports and fast-food restaurant chain Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.
The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth-biggest shipping port in the United States in terms of volume shipped.
From an international trade perspective, Louisiana exported US$63.7 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include refined petroleum oils (24.7% of Louisiana’s global total), soya beans (14.3%), liquefied natural gas (9.4%), light oils and preparations (7.6%), crude oil (6.9%), corn (5.3%), solid residues including soya bean oilcake (2.7%), wheat (1.3%), polyvinyl chloride (1.1%), and miscellaneous organo-inorganic compounds (1%) according to United States Census Bureau data.
The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Baton Rouge was 9.1% at July 2020, up from 5.1% one year earlier.
Capital Facts for Baton Rouge, United States: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge Zoo, LSU Rural Life Museum, LSU Tiger Stadium, Magnolia Mound Plantation, Pete Maravich Assembly Center and The Old Governor’s Mansion
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Baton Rouge, United States.
- Andy Pettitte, World Series champion baseball pitcher (born Jun. 15, 1972)
- Johnny Rivers, rock and roll singer-songwriter (born Nov. 7, 1942)
- Carly Patterson, Olympic gymnastics gold medalist (born Feb. 4, 1988)
- Odell Beckham Jr, professional NFL football player (born Nov. 5, 1992)
- Don Lemon, national news director (born Mar. 1, 1966)
- Shane West, actor & musician (born Jun. 10, 1978)
- Lynn Whitfield, actress & producer (born May 6, 1953)
- Randy Jackson, record producer & TV personality (born Jun. 23, 1956)
- Catherine Dent, actress (born Apr. 14, 1965)
- Donnie Swaggart, preacher (born Oct. 18, 1954)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Baton Rouge resident: Baton Rougean
Population: 216,701 (Baton Rouge) at September 21, 2020
Density: 2,507 people per square mile (968 per square kilometer)
Population: 4,645,180 (Louisiana) at September 21, 2020
Density: 107 people per square mile (41 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$56.316 billion in 2018 (Baton Rouge)
GDP per person : $67,880
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a current basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Baton Rouge: U.S. dollars
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Dilemma X, U.S. Census Bureau metropolitan population estimates July 1, 2016.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Baton Rouge, LA (MSA).
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Unemployment Rate in Baton Rouge, LA (MSA).
Forbes Global 2000, The World’s Biggest Public Companies.
Guinness World Records, Pro Stock Motorbike, NHRA Drag racing, Fastest speed.
Nations Online, Capital Cities of the USA.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, City of Baton Rouge official website.
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade: State by 6-Digit HS Code and Top Countries.
United States Census Bureau, State Population Totals Tables: 2010-2016.
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Seasonally Adjusted Metropolitan Area Estimates.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2015 (Tables Only).
Wikimedia Commons, Baton Rouge city flag.
Wikipedia, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Wikipedia, Baton Rouge metropolitan area.
Wikipedia, Louisiana.
World Population Review, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Population.
Baton Rougeans celebrate Independence Day as a national holiday each July 4.
Baton Rouge occupies a land area measuring 86.45 square miles (223.9 square kilometers). The state capital’s population was 216,701 Baton Rougeans at September 21, 2020.
At the state level, Louisiana’s land area covers 43,601 square miles (112,927 square kilometers) home to a population of 4.6 million dwellers.
Baton Rouge’s population density is more concentrated averaging 2,507 residents per square mile (968 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Louisiana’s land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 107 inhabitants per square mile (41 per square kilometer).
