Central, Louisiana

Population

Growing. Up 2.5% since 2020.

30,313

people, the 11th-largest of Louisiana's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Louisiana's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

77.2%

of 6,379 jobs located in Central are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 3.1%.

3.1%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.5%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 106% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,309

a month. Louisiana's median is $1,064.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,068 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in East Baton Rouge Parish.

• $1,010 Tract 40.19
• $2,078 Tract 40.26

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

$846–$1,269

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,309 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

62% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 1,392 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 1% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 62% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.1–0.5% to the 12,372 homes here.

14–64

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 33% more than Louisiana's.

$288,700

median home value in Central.

• $288,700 Central
• $216,500 Louisiana
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year