Central has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
5,842 jobs are based in Central; 12,637 of its residents have a job. Central grades A for jobs and income and C− for walkability. About one in ten stay in Central for work; outside it, Baton Rouge is the main destination (36%, 10 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Central
36% of Central works in Baton Rouge
4,509 working residents, 36%, have their main job in Baton Rouge, 9.9 miles away. That’s 3 times as many as work in Central itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Central
64% of Central residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 45% of the jobs based in Central pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 89% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Central has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Central went from 4,266 in 2013 to 5,842 in 2023, +37%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Central
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Central is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #5 of 161 in Louisiana. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Central’s grade. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Central could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Where the trip to work from Central ends
Where Central clocks in
36% of workers
2% of workers
2% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What Central’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Central, 2013 → 2023: 4,266 → 5,842. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Central’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Central on a workday
On a workday 11,282 residents head out to work, 1,355 work right here, and 4,487 people come in from elsewhere.
About 24,000 people are in Central on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
From Central, about 29 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Central workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,480 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many miles Central commutes
About 15% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The commute in Central is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Central is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns, #142 of 161 in Louisiana. Both inputs place Central near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,883 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.4% of Central households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Central’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Central ranks: 299th of 1,415 U.S. towns of 21,000 to 41,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 158 | Prairieville LA | 35,238 | $105K | 4.6% | 2.4% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 297 | Grafton MA | 21,043 | $131K | 6.3% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| 298 | Rockaway Township NJ | 27,728 | $142K | 4.0% | 5.5% | 6% | A |
| 299 | Central LA | 30,313 | $90K | 5.4% | 2.2% | 11% | A |
| 300 | Champlin MN | 23,125 | $116K | 7.2% | 3.6% | 5% | A |
| 301 | Rockville Centre NY | 25,770 | $152K | 4.7% | 5.8% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,096 | Bayou Cane LA | 21,253 | $74K | 16.0% | 5.0% | 19% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,105 | Slidell LA | 28,341 | $70K | 15.7% | 5.8% | 19% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,415 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Central, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
The towns around Central
The biggest share goes to Denham Springs (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Central workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | – | A | C− | 29 min | $89,554 |
| Denham Springs | 2% | B | B+ | 27 min | $71,569 |
| Brownfields | under 1% | C− | D− | 27 min | $65,929 |
| Monticello | under 1% | B | C− | 31 min | $70,441 |
| Zachary | 2% | B− | C− | 28 min | $84,480 |
| St. George | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Central’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Central: questions
What is the median household income in Central?
$89,554 (±$13,282) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Central?
5.4%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Central?
29 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Central work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Baton Rouge (36%, 10 mi), Zachary (2%, 11 mi), New Orleans (2%, 74 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Central walkable?
Central is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.6 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Central without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Central, from the people who make the trip.
More of Central
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.