East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

East Baton Rouge Parish (; ) is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its population was 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. East Baton Rouge Parish is located within the Greater Baton Rouge area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of , of which (3.2%) are covered by water.

Bodies of water

Amite River
Bayou Manchac
Comite River
Mississippi River
Thompson Creek

Major highways

25px Interstate 10
25px Interstate 110
25px Interstate 12
25px U.S. Highway 61
25px U.S. Highway 190
25px Louisiana Highway 19
25px Louisiana Highway 30
25px Louisiana Highway 37
25px Louisiana Highway 42
25px Louisiana Highway 64
25px Louisiana Highway 67
25px Louisiana Highway 73
25px Louisiana Highway 327
25px Louisiana Highway 408
25px Louisiana Highway 409
25px Louisiana Highway 410
25px Louisiana Highway 415
25px Louisiana Highway 423
25px Louisiana Highway 426
25px Louisiana Highway 427
25px Louisiana Highway 946
25px Louisiana Highway 948
25px Louisiana Highway 958
25px Louisiana Highway 964
25px Louisiana Highway 1209
25px Louisiana Highway 1248
25px Louisiana Highway 3006
25px Louisiana Highway 3034
25px Louisiana Highway 3064
25px Louisiana Highway 3164
25px Louisiana Highway 3246

Adjacent parishes

East Feliciana Parish (north)
West Feliciana Parish (northwest)
West Baton Rouge Parish (west)
Iberville Parish (south)
Ascension Parish (southeast)
Livingston Parish (east)
St. Helena Parish (northeast)

Communities

Cities

Baker
Baton Rouge (parish seat and largest municipality)
Central
St. George
Zachary

Census-designated places

Brownfields
Gardere
Merrydale
Monticello

Former census-designated places

Inniswold (absorbed into the city of St. George after the 2020 U.S. census)
Oak Hills Place (absorbed into the city of St. George after the 2020 U.S. Census)
Old Jefferson (absorbed into the city of St. George after the 2020 U.S. Census)
Shenandoah (absorbed into the city of St. George after the 2020 U.S. Census)
Village St. George (absorbed into the city of St. George after the 2020 U.S. Census)
Westminster (absorbed into the city of St. George after the 2020 U.S. Census)

Unincorporated communities

Baywood
Greenwell Springs
Port Hudson
Pride

Demographics

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|246,341

|240,961

|227,445

|206,664

|style='background: #ffffe6; |191,355

|67.27%

|63.39%

|55.09%

|46.95%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |41.89%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|114,741

|132,402

|164,853

|198,590

|style='background: #ffffe6; |205,552

|31.33%

|34.83%

|39.93%

|45.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45.00%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|505

|619

|793

|923

|style='background: #ffffe6; |773

|0.14%

|0.16%

|0.19%

|0.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%

|Asian alone (NH)

|2,368

|4,955

|8,534

|12,290

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,388

|0.65%

|1.30%

|2.07%

|2.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.15%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|22

|54

|86

|style='background: #ffffe6; |106

|0.01%

|0.03%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|Other race alone (NH)

|2,171

|1,146

|427

|616

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,564

|0.59%

|0.30%

|0.10%

|0.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|3,328

|4,728

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,492

|0.81%

|1.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.73%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|6,306

|5,421

|7,363

|16,274

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,551

|1.72%

|1.43%

|1.78%

|3.70%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.69%

|Total

|366,191

|380,105

|412,852

|440,171

|style='background: #ffffe6; |456,781

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 456,781 people, 161,536 households, and 95,243 families residing in the parish. The 2019 American Community Survey estimated 443,763 people lived in East Baton Rouge, up from 440,171 at the 2010 United States census. Of the population, 5.7% were foreign-born, and 8.3% spoke a language other than English at home. There were 164,346 households and 45,760 businesses operating in the parish.

At the 2019 census estimates, the racial and ethnic makeup of East Baton Rouge Parish was 46.8% non-Hispanic white, 46.1% Black and African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian alone, 1.8% some other race, and 1.9% two or more races; Hispanic and Latin Americans of any race made up 4.2% of the total population.

In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the parish was 45.9% Black and African American, 49.5% White American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. About 3.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latin American of any race.

Of the 164,346 households at the 2019 American Community Survey, there were 6.6% of people aged 5 and under; 77.2% were aged 18 and older, and 13.7% were 65 and older. The median age of East Baton Rouge was 34, up from 32 at the 2010 U.S. census.

The State of Louisiana also operates the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired and Louisiana School for the Deaf.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge operates Catholic parochial schools.

Other education

East Baton Rouge Parish Library is the public library system. The parish is in the service area of Baton Rouge Community College.

Government

The city of Baton Rouge and the Parish of East Baton Rouge have been run by a consolidated government since 1947, which combined the city of Baton Rouge government with the rural areas of the parish. The city and parish are served by the metropolitan council and the mayor-president.

thumb|Baton Rouge Governmental Building and former Courthouse (St. Louis Street)

The parish courthouse in Baton Rouge is one of 26 public buildings constructed by contractor George A. Caldwell in the 1930s.

In 2010, the 19th Judicial District Court moved into the new courthouse on North Blvd.

The Jetson Center for Youth, a former juvenile prison operated by the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, is located near Baker in an unincorporated area.

Politics

Since 1980, East Baton Rouge Parish has been a bellwether in presidential elections, voting for the winner of the presidency in all but three elections (it voted for George H. W. Bush in 1992, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024) but not necessarily the winner of Louisiana. In the 2008 presidential election, the parish voted for Democrat Barack Obama, who won 51% of the vote and 99,652 votes. Republican John McCain won 48% of the votes and 95,390 votes. In the 2008 Senate election, Democrat Mary Landrieu, who kept her seat as a U.S. Senator, won 57% of the vote and 110,694 votes in East Baton Rouge Parish. Republican John Neely Kennedy won 41% of the vote and 80,222 votes. In the 2004 presidential election, East Baton Rouge Parish cast the majority of its votes for Republican George W. Bush, who won 54% of the votes and 99,943 votes. Democrat John F. Kerry won 45% of the votes and 82,298 votes.

In 2016, John Kennedy lost East Baton Rouge Parish in his otherwise highly successful U.S. Senate race against Democratic Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, who prevailed 52-48%. By a nearly identical margin, Democrat Sharon Weston Broome defeated Republican Bodi White to claim the Baton Rouge mayor-president position to succeed Democrat Kip Holden. In 2024, Republican Sid Edwards defeated Weston-Broome to retake the mayoralty of Baton Rouge.

Law enforcement

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office employs approximately 850 deputies, making it one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state of Louisiana. Notable past sheriffs include politician Philemon Thomas; baseball player Terry Felton became a captain in the department after retiring from sports.

Other law enforcement agencies in the parish include:

Baton Rouge Police Department
Baton Rouge City Constable (Ward 1)
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Police Department
Baker Police Department
Baker City Marshall
Zachary Police Department
City of Central Police Department
Louisiana State University Police Department
Baton Rouge Community College Police Department
Southern University Police Department
East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 1
East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 2
East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 2, District 3
East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 1
East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 2
East Baton Rouge Parish Constable - Ward 3, District 3

National Guard

The 769th Engineer Battalion (Combat) a unit of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in East Baton Rouge Parish. Two companies of this battalion deployed to Iraq in 2007–2008. Another company-sized unit, the 927TH Sapper Company, deployed to Afghanistan in 2008–2009. As of 2011, yet another company, the 926TH Mobility Augmentation Company located in Baker has been alerted for overseas deployment. The 769th Engineers have two other companies, the 922nd Horizontal Engineer Company located in Gonzales, Louisiana, and the 928th Sapper Company located in Napoleonville, Louisiana.

Healthcare

Major hospitals include:

Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet
Baton Rouge General Mid-City
Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital
Woman's Hospital

Emergency Medical Services in EBR Parish are provided by East Baton Rouge EMS and Acadian Ambulance.

References

External links

Baton Rouge City and Parish government's website
Visit Baton Rouge
Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary

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Geology and Geological Hazards

Heinrich, P. V., and W. J. Autin, 2000, Baton Rouge 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle. Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
McCulloh, R. P., 2001, Active Faults in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Public Information Series, no. 8, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
McCulloh, R. P., 2008a, The Scotlandville, Denham Springs, and Baton Rouge Faults — A Map Guide for Real Estate Buyers, Sellers, and Developers in the Greater Baton Rouge Area. Public Information Series, no. 13, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
McCulloh, R. P., 2008b, Field Trip Guide to Selected Locations Along the Baton Rouge Fault Trace Spanning the Pleistocene–Holocene Transition in Western East Baton Rouge Parish. Public Information Series, no. 8, Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. -->