Baton Rouge vs Lafayette
The short version
- Lafayette is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Baton Rouge area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $234,700 in Baton Rouge and $257,000 in Lafayette.
- Households earn more in Lafayette ($61,915 vs $49,994 median).
- Lafayette is growing faster: +1.6% since 2020 vs -1.7%.
Side by side
| Baton Rouge, LA | Lafayette, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 222,795 | 123,311 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.7% | +1.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,563 | 2,195 |
| Median age | 31.5 | 36.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $49,994 | $61,915 |
| Median home value | $234,700 | $257,000 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,067 | $1,100 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.8 | 87.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.2 | 58.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,100 | $65,400 |
| Homeowners | 48% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 3% | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 10.13% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.0 | 20.0 |
| Work from home | 8% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9.2% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 25.7% | 18.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 62° / 42° | 62° / 44° |
| July high / low | 92° / 74° | 92° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 62 in | 63 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 96 | 91 |
| Nights below freezing | 18 | 11 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.0 | 95.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 36% | 64% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +5.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.4% | +25.3% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Baton Rouge: February to March and November. Lafayette: February to March and November.
Full monthly tables: Baton Rouge weather by month and Lafayette weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,100 in Baton Rouge and $65,400 in Lafayette. Moving from Baton Rouge to Lafayette, you would need about $72,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Baton Rouge and Lafayette
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Baton Rouge and Lafayette.
Which would you pick?
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