Calcasieu County · Louisiana · South · 81k residents
Lake Charles, LA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Lake Charles: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Louisiana median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,213/wk. Louisiana's corporate income tax rate is 5.5%. Commercial electricity averages 10.5¢/kWh.
Compare Lake Charles side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,213/wk
Corporate income tax
5.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
29.1%
Commercial electricity
10.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Lake Charles's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
36/100
Steady
Ranks Lake Charles's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $214,300 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $140 |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $893/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,126/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.01% |
| Sales tax | 9.55% |
| Corporate income tax | 5.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,213/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.1% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 29.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $120,940 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $90,690 |
| Wage: General manager | $101,370 |
| Wage: Customer service | $35,080 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $34,690 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $49,960 |
| Wage: Electrician | $63,620 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $28,780 |
| Cost of living index | 83 |
| Groceries index | 97 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $45/mo |
| Gas price | $2.95/gal |
| Healthcare index | 94 |
| Childcare (per child) | $800/mo |
| Median household income | $59,235 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% |
| Population | 81k |
| Crime index | 75/100 |
| School rating | 4.2/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 96/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 215 days |
| July high | 92°F |
| January low | 43°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +3.2% |
| Home price MoM | 0.0% |
| Rent YoY | +14.7% |
| Rent MoM | +1.9% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +0.7% |
| Building permits YoY | -78.7% |
| Ocean coast | 31 mi |
| Big lake | 81 mi |
| Mountains | 306 mi |
| Major airport | 123 mi |
| Ski resort | 591 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Sulphur, LA · 21k
- Opelousas, LA · 15k
- Lafayette, LA · 122k
- Youngsville, LA · 17k
- New Iberia, LA · 28k
Similar size
- Kenner, LA · 65k
- Bossier City, LA · 63k
- Monroe, LA · 47k
- Alexandria, LA · 44k
- Prairieville, LA · 35k
Real listings in Lake Charles
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Lake Charles a good place to run a business?
- Louisiana's corporate income tax rate is 5.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,213/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Lake Charles, LA?
- Lake Charles indexes at 83 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,126/mo and a acs median home value of $214,300.
- How much does a house cost in Lake Charles?
- The acs median home value in Lake Charles is $214,300 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Lake Charles?
- A two-bedroom in Lake Charles rents for about $1,126/mo.