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Brownfields vs Central

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (9.4× in Central) and size (7× in Central).

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Brownfields, LAAn outdoors townLouisiana · 4,261 people
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Central, LAKnown for its schoolsLouisiana · 29,783 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BrownfieldsAn outdoors town
Outdoors#15 most conserved land in LA0.7 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves Health97% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 67%of LA districts All about Brownfields →
CentralKnown for its schools
Schools#17 for schools in LAof 153 towns HealthHealthier than 71%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#26 most conserved land in LA6.6 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves All about Central →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails9.4×
Central has more miles of trail
Central 6.6 miBrownfields 0.7 mi
Size7×
Central is the bigger place
Central 29,783Brownfields 4,261
Jobs per worker2.9×
Central is more of a job hub
Central 0.46Brownfields 0.16
Growth since 2010+14.8 pts
Central has grown faster since 2010
Central +10.1%Brownfields -4.7%
Property tax bill+55%
Tax bills are bigger in Central
Central $1,868Brownfields $1,207
Home values+39%
Homes cost more in Central
Central $288,700Brownfields $207,200
★ What stands out · Report cards

Central places higher on 13 of 19 LA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Louisiana ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
B+BrownfieldsBetter than 67% of districts in the state ACentralBetter than 93% of districts in the state
Health
D−BrownfieldsHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns B+CentralHealthier than 71% of U.S. towns
6Brownfields
13Central

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most remote workersWork · 158 towns #132#26 HealthiestHealth · 163 towns #114#6 Highest graduation rateSchools · 161 towns #153#47 Fewest smokersHealth · 163 towns #103#4 Lowest obesityHealth · 163 towns #99#1 Most activeHealth · 163 towns #91#4 Best schoolsSchools · 153 towns #82#17 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 163 towns #71#3

Left end = #1 in Louisiana. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Brownfields’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $480 more a month in Central

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Brownfields$1,190/mo
Typical home $207K (Census) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $1,651/mo · Housing →
Central$1,670/mo
Typical home $289K (Census) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,309/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,800 a year, between Central and Brownfields.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Brownfields and Central share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BrownfieldsCentralBrownfieldsCentral
Brownfields ↔ Central5.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
38 Brownfields residents work in Central (1.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Brownfields →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BrownfieldsCentral
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F—
July high92°F—
Growing season (days)276d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)79th90th
Outdoors & history
BrownfieldsCentral
Trails1 mi7 mi
Conserved land3.3%2.5%
Settled—2005
Archive photos—2
Famous people born here—2
Community
BrownfieldsCentral
Library hours a week—66 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BrownfieldsCentral
People
Population 4,261Lowest 29,783Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.7%Lowest LA: +2.7% +10.1%Highest LA: +2.7%
Median age 40.4±8.3 6% above LA 40.4±2 6% above LA
Kids under 18 19.1%±6.2Lowest LA: 23.5% 25.9%±2.8Highest LA: 23.5%
Central and Brownfields are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.4%±2.8Lowest LA: 16.7% 18.4%±2.4Highest LA: 16.7%
Central and Brownfields are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.7%Lowest LA: 27% 35.3%Highest LA: 27%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±2.8Lowest LA: 5.8% 5.6%±1.4Highest LA: 5.8%
Central and Brownfields are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,929±$26kLowest 9% above LA $89,554±$13kHighest 47% above LA
Central and Brownfields are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $207,200±$21kLowest 4% below LA $288,700±$18kHighest 33% above LA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,651±$1kHighest 55% above LA $1,309±$101Lowest 23% above LA
Brownfields and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,207Lowest about the LA average $1,868Highest 58% above LA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.5%±12.5Lowest LA: 54.8% 65.2%±4Highest LA: 54.8%
Below poverty line 24.3%Highest LA: 18.9% 5.4%Lowest LA: 18.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.4%Lowest LA: 67.4% 88.8%Highest LA: 67.4%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 6 yrs older than LA 1990Highest 7 yrs newer than LA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 4% above LA 29 minHighest 13% above LA
Work from home 2.7%±3Lowest LA: 8.1% 10.1%±2.7Highest LA: 8.1%
Work in townworking residents 0.8%Lowest 10.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 10.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.16Lowest 0.46Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Baton Rouge (44%)Baton Rouge (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in CentralFew work in Brownfields
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.3%Highest 2.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 6.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 28.1Highest 12.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #82 of 153 in LA#17 of 153 in LA
School district East Baton Rouge ParishCentral Community School District
High school in town None in townCentral High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.1
Louisiana average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Brownfields neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brownfields’s Town Square.

Central neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Central’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Brownfields and Central

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Bordering Brownfields

B
+ Compare
Baker12,253 people · $158K homes
+ Compare
Baton Rouge222,771 people · $235K homes

Towns like Brownfields

W
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Westlake4,743 people · $166K homes
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New Roads4,404 people · $168K homes
G
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Gramercy2,814 people · $225K homes
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Plaquemine6,075 people · $176K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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