Cities / Louisiana / Lake Charles

Lake Charles, LA

81,143 people

Right Now

Weather

95°F

Clear

Today: Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high 100°F

Air Quality (PM2.5, Lake Charles)

Moderate

Nearest reporting area, 22.4 mi away. Preliminary and may be revised. Source: EPA AirNow.

Active Weather Alerts

Nearest Major Airport

IAH

129 mi — George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Population & People

Population

81,143

Median age

36.6

Median household income

$59,235

Poverty rate

23.3%

Unemployment rate

6.6%

Bachelor's degree+

29.1%

Avg. commute

16 min

Hispanic or Latino

5.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Housing & Rent

Median home value

$214,300

Median gross rent

$1,109/mo

Homeownership rate

60.89%

HUD FMR — 2 bedroom

$1,217

HUD Fair Market Rent (Calcasieu Parish, 9 mi from Lake Charles), 2026. Efficiency $921, 1BR $928, 2BR $1217, 3BR $1459, 4BR $1611. This is a different official figure from Census median gross rent above.

Energy

Louisiana commercial electricity

11.2¢/kWh

Louisiana industrial electricity

6.23¢/kWh

Louisiana residential electricity

12.57¢/kWh

Economy

Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total

340079.8

Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total

259927.1

All-Transactions House Price Index for Louisiana

376.99

Unemployment Rate

4.4%

Source: FRED, Louisiana-specific series.

Nearby Airports

IAH

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

129 mi away

HOU

William P. Hobby Airport

130 mi away

MSY

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

176 mi away

Sources & Data: National Weather Service (weather, alerts), EPA AirNow (air quality), U.S. Census Bureau (population, housing), HUD (Fair Market Rent), U.S. Energy Information Administration (Louisiana energy prices), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Louisiana economic indicators), OurAirports (airport directory).