BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge is leading the state's other metropolitan areas in job growth over the past 12 months, a study by Leaders for a Better Louisiana shows. 

The July 2026 report shows that the Baton Rouge area has added approximately 7,900 nonfarm jobs between May 2025 and May 2026. This is a 1.8% increase, up from the previous year's 0.3% growth rate. 

In total, Baton Rouge metro's employment reached an all-time high of approximately 440,800 jobs in April 2026, the report says.

Baton Rouge recorded both the largest numerical employment gain among Louisiana's 10 metropolitan areas and the fastest percentage growth among the state's four major metros, the report added.

Employment performance in Baton Rouge increased 1.8%. By comparison, Lafayette increased by only 0.1%, while New Orleans and Shreveport declined by 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively. 

"This is significant and record-breaking news, and I want to thank our economic development partners at Louisiana Economic Development and the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership for their continued work to attract investment, support employers, and expand economic opportunities throughout the Capital Region," Mayor-President Sid Edwards said.