03.15.12 The Baton Rouge metro area ranks No. 1 in the nation in its rate of AIDS cases after ranking second the past two years, according to 2010 data released Wednesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Baton Rouge has a rate of 33.7, which means 33 out of every 100,000 people have AIDS, the data show.

The CDC uses the U.S. Census Bureau's Metropolitan Statistical Area to define the Baton Rouge metro area. It consists of nine parishes: East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, Livingston and St. Helena.

Miami is second with a rate of 30.3; Jackson, Miss., is third with a rate of 29.2; and Baltimore is fourth with a rate of 26.8, according to the CDC data.