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Demographic Shift in Zip Code 70836: From White to Black Majority (2013-2022)
CATEGORY
Demographics
DATA
Population
Median Income
Racial Distributions
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Demographics
Population
Median Income
Racial Distributions
The zip code 70836 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, experienced a significant demographic shift from 2013 to 2022. In 2022, the area was classified as a "Black Majority" community with a population of 637 and a median income of $89,149. The black population comprised 62% of the total, exceeding the 50% threshold for a racial majority. This represents a substantial change from the area's demographic composition a decade prior.
Over the past decade, this zip code underwent a transformation in its racial composition. In 2013, the earliest year with complete racial data, the area was categorized as a "White Majority" community, with white residents constituting 72% of the population. From 2013 to 2020, the community maintained its "White Majority" status, with a gradual decrease in the white population percentage and a slow increase in black and Hispanic populations.
The most significant shift occurred between 2020 and 2021. During this single year, the community transitioned from a "White Majority" (74% white in 2020) to a "Black Plurality" (49% black in 2021), and then to a "Black Majority" (62% black in 2022). This rapid change suggests a "Transitional Community" status during this period, with the area experiencing a significant influx of black residents and/or outmigration of white residents.
The demographic shifts did not appear to negatively impact the area's economic status. The median income showed a general upward trend over the decade, rising from $69,346 in 2013 to $94,958 in 2021, before slightly decreasing to $89,149 in 2022. This suggests that the incoming black population likely included middle to upper-middle-class families, maintaining or improving the area's economic profile.
The population fluctuated over the years but showed an overall increase from 569 in 2013 to 637 in 2022, with a notable spike to 713 in 2021 coinciding with the major demographic shift.
This demographic shift is significant and relatively uncommon in its rapidity. The maintenance and improvement of median income levels during this demographic shift is noteworthy. It suggests that this change may be part of a broader trend of middle-class black families moving to previously majority-white suburbs, a phenomenon observed in some metropolitan areas across the U.S.
This zip code's transformation from a low-diversity, white-majority area to a black-majority community with improved economic indicators could indicate changing patterns of residential segregation and economic mobility among racial groups in the Baton Rouge area. It may reflect broader trends of increasing diversity in suburban areas and the growth of the black middle class in certain regions.
The rapid nature of this change and its economic implications warrant further investigation into local policies, housing market dynamics, and potential socio-economic factors that may have catalyzed this significant demographic shift in such a short time frame.
