HealthyfamiliesA Roadmap to Increase Life Expectancy in Baton Rouge
letter from braf’s
ceo chris meyer
Dear Friends,
At the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, we believe that data and analytics can be a powerful tool for hope and progress, especially when it reveals both where we stand and where we have the potential to go.
This Opportunity Data Project briefing focuses on one of the most telling indicators of community well-being: life expectancy. How long we live reflects more than just access to health care. It reveals patterns of opportunity and inequity, shaped by the places we live, the resources we can reach, and the conditions we face every day.
Unfortunately, life expectancy in East Baton Rouge Parish remains significantly lower than the national average. And within our own community, stark disparities persist. But the story does not end there.
The data also show that improvement is not only possible, it’s achievable. In this brief, we focus on key drivers of premature death that are significantly more prevalent here than in the rest of the country: cardiovascular disease, accidents, homicide, infant mortality, and kidney disease. Together, these five causes account for more than half of all early deaths in our parish.
While preparing for this briefing, we met with health leaders across the parish: hospital leaders, Health District officials, medical researchers, and community advocates for improved health outcomes. Through those conversations, it became clear that our community has the tools, partnerships, and knowledge to meet this challenge. Across Baton Rouge, local leaders are working to expand behavioral health supports, redesign dangerous streets, and build better systems of care. This report builds on those efforts, offering both analysis and a clear, actionable path forward.
By working together across sectors—and by staying focused on the people and neighborhoods most affected—we can help ensure that more children in Baton Rouge grow up to live long, healthy lives. Let this report be a call to action: not one of despair, but of determination.
Sincerely,
Chris Meyer
President and CEO
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Life expectancy in the United States is four years lower than the average for other similar nations.
One of the best ways to examine opportunity in the context of the health in a community is to measure how long people live. Does each successive generation live longer than their parents? Do local people usually live to be at least as old as the average for the rest of the country?
Analyzing trends in local life expectancy can help provide answers to questions like these. Life expectancy is defined as the number of years a newborn baby is expected to live.1
It goes up when more residents live to older ages; and it goes down when diseases or other causes lead more people to die at earlier ages.
Life expectancy can change significantly in short periods of time. As the chart below illustrates, it fell sharply across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.2 Then, in 2022 and 2023, it rebounded almost as quickly.3
Unfortunately, life expectancy in the United States is around four years below the average found in other countries with similar levels of wealth and education.4 Today, the average American is expected to live until around 78 years old, while people in similar countries, like France, Germany, and Canada, have been living until around 82 years old for almost a decade.
Life expectancy at birth from 1980 to 2023
Estimates for the average child born each year
Note: Comparable countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.
Source: The Kaiser Family Foundation.
Life expectancy at different levels of income
Estimates for children born between 2010 to 2015
Source: The Financial Times.
Why do Americans live shorter lives than people in Europe, Japan, and other comparable countries? Data from the United Kingdom suggest that this is not due to higher levels of poverty. U.S. residents at every rung of the income ladder live shorter lives than their English peers.5
Nor is it because of how much we spend on health care or the quality of our medical facilities. The United States spends more per person for health care services than any other high-income country in the world.6 It is also home to many of the best hospitals and health care institutions
on the planet. This means that other factors are likely to blame. In the next sections of this report, we will examine data from East Baton Rouge Parish to better understand some of the key causes of reduced life expectancy in this community.
Life expectancy in East Baton Rouge Parish is four years lower than the average for the United States.
Where you live influences how long you live. In the counties surrounding the ski towns of Vail and Breckenridge, Colorado, residents are expected to live until their mid 80s.7 By comparison, in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and in rural parts of West Virginia, the average person is only projected to reach their late 60s.8
People who live in East Baton Rouge Parish have a life expectancy of around 73 to 74 years, which is approximately four years lower than the country as a whole.9 This is
similar to many other locations across the state, as the map on the nest page illustrates. However, a number of other parishes across Louisiana perform much better, including Bossier, Jefferson, and Lafayette.10
There are also variations in the data when looking across demographic groups in the parish. Asian and Hispanic residents of the parish live 6 to 12 years longer than the parish average, while White residents in the parish live around three years longer than the local average.11
Average life expectancy by county in the United States
Based on data from 2020 to 2022
Source: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
At the same time, some demographic groups face worse realities. Men in East Baton Rouge have shorter life spans than women.12 And, Black residents in the parish live around 3.5 years less than the parish average.13
Life expectancy in East Baton Rouge is much lower than in the nation as a whole because the parish has a larger proportion of premature deaths. Premature deaths are defined as deaths that occur before a person reaches their average expected lifespan.14 We can measure the impact that different causes of premature death have on a community by comparing the typical age of the people who pass away. This calculation is referred to as the “years of potential life lost.”
We can illustrate this some simple examples.
If 10 people who are expected to live to 75 years old die prematurely from “disease X” at an average age of 60, the total years of potential life lost from disease X would be 150. (i.e., 15 years of lost life times 10 people).
If 5 people who are expected to live to 75 years die prematurely from “disease Y” at an average age of 25, the total years of potential life lost from disease Y would be 250 (i.e., 50 years of lost life times 5 people).
Therefore, premature deaths from disease Y have greater years of potential life lost than disease X because the people who passed away from Y were far younger.
Average life expectancy by parish in Louisiana
Based on data from 2020 to 2022
Source: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Five common causes of premature death are far more prevalent in East Baton Rouge Parish than in the rest of the nation.
The most frequent causes of premature death in East Baton Rouge Parish are similar to those in the United States as a whole.15 They include diseases, such as cancer, as well as traumatic events, such as automobile accidents.
Some causes of premature death are actually less prevalent in East Baton Rouge than in the rest of the United States. For example, loss of life due to suicide is worse in other parts of the country. The same is true for respiratory and liver diseases.16
We can also see that premature death rates due to cancer are roughly equal in East Baton Rouge and in the rest of the United States.17 This is likely due to the fact that survival rates for many types of cancer have improved in recent years, so even though the proportion of people diagnosed with cancer is higher in the parish compared to the entire nation, the impact of the disease on early death rates is similar.
Leading causes of premature death in East Baton Rouge Parish
Estimated “years of potential life lost,” 2019 to 2023 average
Note: The years of potential life lost are determined for each person who passed away prematurely. These calculations vary based on the average additional life expectancy of someone in the United States of the same age and sex, e.g., according to the Social Se-curity Administration, an American woman who is 60 years old is expected to live 24 more years, while a man who is the same age is expected to live 20 more years. Cardiovascular disease is combination heart disease and strokes. This table also excludes COVID-19 since local deaths due to this virus declined to less than 40 in 2023 and 2024. Figures are rounded to ease comparisons.
Source: Common Good Labs analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Social Security Administration.
Unfortunately, there are five common causes of premature death that are much more prevalent in East Baton Rouge Parish than in the rest of the country.18
Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of early deaths in the parish and local rates are 60% worse than in the entire United States.
Accidents are the #2 cause of premature deaths in East Baton Rouge and local rates are 80% worse than in the nation as a whole.
Homicide is the #4 cause of early deaths in the parish and local rates are 300% worse than in the entire country.
Infant deaths are the #5 cause of premature deaths in the parish and local rates are 70% worse than in the entire United States.
Kidney disease is the #6 cause of early deaths in the parish and local rates are around 180% worse than in the entire country.
Local efforts to increase life expectancy should begin by focusing on these areas. These five causes are responsible for over half of the premature deaths in the parish and data from the rest of the nation shows that it is very possible for our community to improve in each one.19 If East Baton Rouge improves to reach the U.S. average in these five areas, the premature death rate would decline by around 25% in our community.20
Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of early deaths in the parish; local rates of premature death are 60% worse than in the entire United States.
Source: Common Good Labs analysis of CityStats data.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America.21 In East Baton Rouge, more than 600 people die early deaths each year due to this condition.22 The rate of premature deaths due to this disease is 60% worse in the parish than in the nation as a whole.23
Cardiovascular disease usually develops slowly as fat and cholesterol in the bloodstream form a sticky substance called plaque.24 Over the course of decades, plaque clogs the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, which eventually leads to death from heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and related conditions.25
Local men and women who are over 55 years of age are the most affected by premature deaths due to these causes, though the development of cardiovascular distress can begin as early as childhood.26 As the map on the following page demonstrates, the factors that increase the risk of developing this condition, such as high blood pressure, are prevalent across the entire community.
The most effective strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease are focused on the development of a long-term healthy lifestyle. This includes helping people to reduce smoking and tobacco use, adopt a healthy diet, engage in physical activity, and manage stress.27 Investing in these activities can enable people to avoid heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure later in life. New research also suggests that initiatives providing “healthy food as medicine” as part of holistic medical services for individuals at risk of high blood pressure and obesity should also be considered for adoption in the parish.28 This can be developed in partnership with our strong local healthcare system institutions and research organizations.
Loss of life due to accidents is 80% worse in East Baton Rouge than in the rest of the nation.
Source: Common Good Labs analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
Deaths due to accidents are quite common in the United States, especially among children and younger adults.29 These causes include falls, drownings, unintentional firearm discharges, and suffocation. However, the majority of premature deaths due to accidents come from two categories: drug overdoses and motor vehicle accidents.30
Loss of life due to accidents like these is 80% worse in East Baton Rouge than in the rest of the United States.31 Overdoses make up the largest share of these local deaths. They are nearly two times more common in the parish than in the rest of the country.32 Though the Opioid Crisis has not been as severe in Louisiana as it was in some other states, its impact has still been substantial.33 Deaths due to the use of drugs like heroin and fentanyl more than tripled in Louisiana between 2018 and 2021.34 Notably, opioid deaths have declined in recent years in East Baton Rouge.35
How can the community address this problem? Research suggests that increasing access to health care, addiction treatment, and outreach programs for those dealing with substance abuse can reduce overdose deaths.36
Motor vehicle accidents make up the second greatest share of accidental deaths in our community and are around two times more common in the parish than in the nation as a whole.37 Traffic safety records suggest that these accidents are often linked to people driving under the influence of alcohol.38 Data on premature deaths also indicate that young adults in the community are the most likely to die in these collisions.39
Fatalities due to vehicle accidents are concentrated along specific roads and highways, as the map on the left demonstrates.
More than half of all pedestrian deaths in the parish occur on just five roads: Airline Highway, Florida Boulevard, Nicholson Drive, Plank Road, and Siegen Lane.
Cyclist deaths are also more prevalent along Airline Highway, as well as in the area around LSU.
Motor vehicle driver and passenger deaths occur most frequently on Interstate 12, Airline Highway, Plank Road, and Scenic Highway. They are also common along rural roadways with higher rates of speed in the northern part of the parish.
Evidence shows that traffic calming infrastructure and street design prioritizing the safety of pedestrians and cyclists can bring down the number of traffic fatalities in a community.40 However, the prevention of motor vehicle accidents is often complicated by the fact that ownership and responsibility for roadways is divided between local governments and the state within the parish.
Loss of life due to homicide is 300% worse in East Baton Rouge than in the rest of the nation.
Source: Common Good Labs analysis of data from The Advocate and OpenBR.
Homicide is an American public-health crisis. The murder rate in the United States is more than double the size of that found in similar countries like Canada, France, and Germany.41 In East Baton Rouge Parish, the problem is even worse. The local homicide rate has remained four to five times greater than the rest of the country since 2016.42 In 2024, the city of Baton Rouge had a murder rate higher than New Orleans, Chicago, Baltimore, and nearly every other medium- or large-sized U.S. city.43
Premature deaths due to homicide are above the national average for local children as well as men and women in almost every age group.44
In order to more deeply understand this issue, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Common Good Labs worked with the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney to assemble one of the largest datasets in the United States on educational outcomes and involvement in violence among local children.
Analysis in previous Opportunity Data Project briefs showed that most local violence tends to be committed by a relatively small number of young men and teen boys who share certain characteristics. Roughly 80% of people who committed murder in the parish during the last decade grew up in our community. Around 70% did not complete high school, and 60% lived in neighborhoods where high poverty is persistent during childhood.45
Working with other local leaders, we have identified several strategies that can complement law enforcement efforts to prevent local violence. The most important priority for our parish is to encourage engagement in school among local children through early-childhood readiness, chronic-absence reduction, behavioral health supports, and intensive literacy and math tutoring, all of which are focused on the children who are most at risk.
Data shows that the cost of these efforts is relatively low. For example, effective tutoring programs for elementary-aged children can be delivered for as little as $350 per child. This is far cheaper than the costs of violence, which are estimated at $3.5 million in direct costs for a single homicide in our community.46
Loss of life due to infant mortality is 70% worse in East Baton Rouge than in the rest of the nation.
Source: Common Good Labs analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Infant mortality is defined as death during a child’s first year of life.47 Rates of infant death in the United States remain much greater than in other similar countries, such as the United Kingdom.48 Families living in poverty and those who lack adequate prenatal care are particularly vulnerable in our country.49
Though some infant deaths are due to genetic causes, most are entirely preventable. This includes causes such as complications of prematurity and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and unintentional injuries.50 The health of a baby is also closely related to the health of their mother. When pregnant women suffer from conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, the risk of infant mortality increases.51
Infant deaths are over 70% worse in East Baton Rouge Parish than in the country as a whole and slightly above the average for the State of Louisiana.52 Though the number of these premature deaths has declined in recent years, between 40 and 50 newborns and infants still die each year within the parish.53
The prevalence of infant deaths in the parish is largely due to high rates of local poverty and lack of access to proper maternal health care.54 As the map on the following page illustrates, more than one thousand babies are born into families with incomes below the poverty line each year in East Baton Rouge.
Previous Opportunity Data Project analyses focused on early childhood development have already identified enhanced prenatal health services as an essential strategy for ensuring more children are prepared for kindergarten.55 This can include enhanced educational programs for expectant mothers as well as in-home visitations with nurses before and after a baby is born. Successful programs in these areas have demonstrated significant positive change in other communities and can serve as a model for the parish.56
Premature deaths due to kidney disease are 180% more common in East Baton Rouge than in the rest of the United States.
Source: Common Good Labs analysis of CityStats data.
Kidney disease occurs when structural damage to the kidney organs prevents them from functioning properly. The most common cause of this condition is the presence of type 2 diabetes.57 However, the risk of developing it is also linked to other factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and auto-immune disorders like lupus.58
The large number of local deaths from kidney disease is likely due to the fact that type 2 diabetes is more prevalent among adults in East Baton Rouge than those in other parts of the country.59 As the map on the next page illustrates, the condition is found in relatively high levels across the entire parish. Data suggests that adults over 55 are at the greatest risk of developing diabetes and then going on to suffer from chronic kidney disease or other forms of kidney disorders.60
The most effective ways to prevent early deaths due to kidney disease are to help individuals develop healthy lifestyles and to increase screening rates for high blood pressure and early stage insulin resistance. Once diagnosed, these conditions can be treated via medication.61 Initiatives to expand the reach of educational diabetes prevention programs and to provide consumers with more information on high levels of sugar and salt in certain types of food can also be helpful.62
Conclusion
Increasing life expectancy can be complicated in an area as large as East Baton Rouge Parish. However, the analyses shared in this brief provide a clear roadmap for where local leaders can concentrate their efforts to make the greatest impact. If East Baton Rouge can reach the U.S. average in the five causes discussed in this brief, the premature death rate would decline by around 25% in the community.
It is also important to note that the results of these analyses are consistent with recent Community Health Needs Assessments produced by our local health systems. They are also aligned with the top priorities that residents themselves envision for the parish.
The five causes identified in this brief do more than reduce lifespan. They also significantly impact the day-to-day health of people in the parish. Cardiovascular disease is a chronic condition that often limits daily activities, which can lead to isolation and decreased mental health. Motor vehicle accidents can lead to spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic pain. Gun violence, which is the primary cause of local homicides, can lead to paralysis and other physical impairments, as well as more violence.
Premature deaths also impact those who are left behind. The deaths of infants, as well as other children and young adults, can be especially difficult for their parents, siblings, and friends in the community.
Data on cardiovascular disease, accidents, homicide, infant deaths, and kidney disease also demonstrate that healthy outcomes for local families are interconnected with other components of well-being discussed in previous Opportunity Data Project briefs. Local efforts to increase public safety, improve early childhood development, enhance transportation infrastructure, and strengthen economic mobility will help to increase life expectancy in the parish.
1 Life expectancy (National Center for Health Statistics).
2 Rakshit and McGough, How does U.S. life expectancy compare to other countries? (Kaiser Family Foundation).
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Burn-Murdoch, Why are Americans dying so young? (The Financial Times).
6 Wager et al., How does health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries? (Kaiser Family Foundation).
7 County Health Rankings, 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute).
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Lewis and Burd-Sharps, A Portrait of Louisiana 2020 – City Close-Up: East Baton Rouge (Measure of America).
13 County Health Rankings, 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute).
14 Premature deaths from preventable causes per 100,000 population (The Commonwealth Fund).
15 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 What Is Atherosclerosis? (American Heart Association).
25 Ibid.
26 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
27 Rippe, Lifestyle Strategies for Risk Factor Reduction, Prevention, and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease (American American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine).
28 Lin, Prescribing Food as Medicine Lowers Weight, Blood Pressure, and Blood Sugar (American Academy of Family Physicians).
29 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid.
32 Ibid.
33 Tracking Federal Funding to Combat the Opioid Crisis – Louisiana Case Study (Bipartisan Policy Center).
34 Mental Health in Louisiana (Kaiser Family Foundation).
35 Coffman, Baton Rouge sees annual drop in overdose deaths for first time since COVID. See what changed (The Advocate).
36 Methadone and buprenorphine reduce risk of death after opioid overdose (National Institutes of Health).
37 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
38 Impaired Driving Facts (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
39 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
40 Retting et al., A Review of Evidence-Based Traffic Engineering Measures Designed to Reduce Pedestrian–Motor Vehicle Crashes (American Journal of Public Health).
41 Community Safety: Understanding homicide and gun violence in Baton Rouge (BRAFand Common Good Labs).
42 Disrupting Violent Crime: New approaches for preventing violence in Baton Rouge (BRAF and Common Good Labs).
43 Ibid.
44 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
46 Ibid.
47 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
48 Chen et al., Why Is Infant Mortality Higher in the United States Than in Europe? (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy).
49 Larson, Poverty during pregnancy: Its effects on child health outcomes (Paediatrics & child health).
50 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
51 Wang et al., Maternal pre-pregnancy diabetes and risk of all-cause and cause-specific infant mortality (International Journal of Epidemiology).
52 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
53 Ibid.
54 Kamal et al. What do we know about infant mortality in the U.S. and comparable countries? (Kaiser Family Foundation).
55 Childhood Education: Identifying the roots of educational disparities in Baton Rouge. (BRAF and Common Good Labs).
56 Ibid.
57 Chronic Kidney Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
58 Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
59 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC PLACES database.
60 Common Good Labs analysis of data from the CDC Wonder database.
61 Preventing Chronic Kidney Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
62 Clemens et al., Providing diabetes education to patients with chronic kidney disease: A survey of diabetes educators in Ontario, Canada (Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity).