Jobs, pay and daily life in Lake Charles, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Lake Charles is a city in Louisiana with 81,143 residents. The median household earns $59,235 a year and the median rent is $1,109 a month, which is 22.5% of the median household income. It is part of the Lake Charles, LA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 101,690 jobs.
How Lake Charles compares. Among the 80 largest places in Louisiana, Lake Charles is #6 by population, #5 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #58 for remote work (#1 = most), #51 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Calcasieu Parish, is #18 of 64 counties for average pay ($61,711).
Lake Charles has 81,143 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.8% of the population of Louisiana. It covers 47 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,709 people per square mile. The median age is 36.6, 4% younger than the state median (36.6 against 38.0).
The median gross rent is $1,109 a month (rent plus utilities), 4% above the state median ($1,109 against $1,064). Over a year that is 22.5% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $214,300, which is 3.6 times the median household income ($59,235); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 60.9% of households own their home, 10% below the state average (60.9% against 67.4%).
The Lake Charles, LA metropolitan area has 101,690 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $45,700 a year, 10% below the national median ($45,700 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (10,500 jobs, median $37,530); food preparation and serving related (10,290 jobs, median $22,760); sales and related (9,010 jobs, median $32,180). The area is most specialised in construction and extraction (1.8 times) and production (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($101,330) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($75,300). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Calcasieu Parish was 3.9%. 61.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Calcasieu Parish; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 80.2% drive alone, 0.1% use public transit, 2.4% walk, 5.0% work from home. 4.1% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 73% below the state average (4.1% against 15.2%).
29.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 8% above the state share (29.1% against 27.0%). 5.7% of residents were born outside the United States, 16% above the state share (5.7% against 4.9%). The poverty rate is 23.3%, 23% above the state rate (23.3% against 18.9%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 83°F (28.6°C), and the coolest is Jan at 52°F (11.0°C). About 1,655 mm (65 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Aug is the wettest month (195 mm) and Mar the driest (95 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Prien (5 miles, rent 17% higher); Moss Bluff (8 miles, rent 19% higher); Sulphur (9 miles, rent 10% lower); Jennings (33 miles, rent 21% lower). Rent differences are against Lake Charles; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Louisiana (780) →State guide: LouisianaCountry guideCalcasieu ParishLouisiana rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 780 federal postings open in Louisiana (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 2,840 | 1.40 | $27,480 | $20,610 | $35,260 | -16% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,620 | 1.03 | $28,780 | $22,190 | $45,760 | -19% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,460 | 1.11 | $90,690 | $62,570 | $121,680 | -7% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,350 | 0.93 | $22,500 | $18,330 | $30,010 | -28% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,140 | 0.76 | $23,000 | $19,200 | $33,610 | -36% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,140 | 0.93 | $101,370 | $50,230 | $215,680 | -4% |
| Construction Laborers | 2,130 | 2.97 | $45,240 | $30,370 | $66,820 | -4% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,950 | 1.31 | $15,080 | $15,080 | $36,910 | -57% |
| Food Preparation Workers | 1,940 | 3.32 | $23,380 | $17,740 | $35,800 | -34% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | 1,780 | 4.07 | $56,290 | $45,220 | $72,420 | -26% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,690 | 0.87 | $35,740 | $26,040 | $46,120 | -11% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,660 | 0.90 | $34,690 | $28,040 | $41,910 | -7% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,590 | 0.99 | $31,630 | $21,420 | $49,780 | -30% |
| Medical Assistants | 1,510 | 2.83 | $38,550 | $30,440 | $38,550 | -16% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,390 | 1.25 | $40,260 | $24,960 | $60,290 | -15% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,350 | 1.35 | $46,170 | $28,260 | $111,190 | -7% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,340 | 0.99 | $49,960 | $37,210 | $67,780 | -15% |
| Engineers, All Other | 1,330 | 13.19 | $94,810 | $85,540 | $175,870 | -23% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,290 | 0.90 | $28,580 | $21,930 | $40,640 | -22% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,090 | 0.64 | $35,080 | $25,700 | $48,000 | -22% |
These figures are for the whole Lake Charles, LA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $45,700 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.9% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 28.3% |
| Retail trade | 13.4% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 11.3% |
| Construction | 8.2% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 7.6% |
| Manufacturing | 7.0% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 6.9% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.8% |
| Public administration | 4.5% |
| Other services | 4.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.0% |
| Information | 0.9% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Lake Charles lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish | 207,088 | $18,357 million | $88,646 | 88,649 | 6,056 | $61,711 | +1.0% | 3.9% | 85,714 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,194 | 16.1% | $53,333 | 0.96 |
| Accommodation and food services | 11,961 | 15.8% | $27,245 | 1.48 |
| Retail trade | 10,765 | 14.2% | $36,778 | 1.22 |
| Manufacturing | 10,445 | 13.8% | $127,060 | 1.43 |
| Construction | 8,655 | 11.4% | $72,906 | 1.86 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,850 | 6.4% | $56,322 | 0.93 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,686 | 4.9% | $89,529 | 0.60 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,431 | 3.2% | $80,869 | 0.65 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,347 | 3.1% | $74,009 | 0.67 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,758 | 2.3% | $71,715 | 0.49 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,677 | 2.2% | $43,884 | 0.63 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,375 | 1.8% | $63,758 | 1.00 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,302 | 1.7% | $28,473 | 0.87 |
| Educational services | 552 | 0.7% | $41,521 | 0.30 |
| Information | 507 | 0.7% | $59,232 | 0.31 |
| Management of companies | 474 | 0.6% | $64,459 | 0.32 |
| Utilities | 292 | 0.4% | $125,326 | 0.87 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 242 | 0.3% | $63,704 | 0.72 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 102 | 0.1% | $51,412 | 0.14 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 80.2% |
| Public transit | 0.1% |
| Walk | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 5.0% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 4.1% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,235 |
| Income per person | $35,860 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,109 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 22.5% |
| Median home value | $214,300 |
| Homeowners | 60.9% |
| Poverty rate | 23.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 85.9 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $45,700 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 3.00%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 36.6 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 90.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 29.1% |
| Born abroad | 5.7% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 61.3% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.0 | 52 | 140 |
| Feb | 13.1 | 56 | 102 |
| Mar | 16.8 | 62 | 95 |
| Apr | 20.6 | 69 | 115 |
| May | 24.5 | 76 | 128 |
| Jun | 27.8 | 82 | 174 |
| Jul | 28.4 | 83 | 170 |
| Aug | 28.6 | 83 | 195 |
| Sep | 26.3 | 79 | 159 |
| Oct | 21.8 | 71 | 139 |
| Nov | 16.5 | 62 | 109 |
| Dec | 12.6 | 55 | 129 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prien | LA | 5 mi | 7,119 | $87,292 | $1,292 |
| Moss Bluff | LA | 8 mi | 12,482 | $92,036 | $1,324 |
| Sulphur | LA | 9 mi | 20,775 | $61,760 | $994 |
| Jennings | LA | 33 mi | 9,553 | $48,558 | $881 |
| DeRidder | LA | 45 mi | 9,763 | $59,801 | $958 |
| Port Arthur | TX | 46 mi | 55,828 | $46,354 | $1,021 |
| Crowley | LA | 50 mi | 11,422 | $28,642 | $594 |
| Eunice | LA | 51 mi | 9,239 | $35,436 | $799 |
| Beaumont | TX | 56 mi | 113,279 | $56,997 | $1,121 |
| Fort Polk South | LA | 59 mi | 7,869 | $63,800 | $1,202 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
81,143 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,109 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 22.5% of the median household income.
$59,235 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.9% (BLS county, Calcasieu Parish (latest month 2026M09)).
Louisiana. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.