IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles is a mid-size city of 81,143 people in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It's part of the Lake Charles, LA area. Summer highs average 92°F and winter highs 63°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $214k and rent runs about $1k a month.
81,143people
$214kTypical home
$1,109/moRent
92° / 63°Summer / winter
0"Snow
242Sunny days
126Rain/snow days
Is Lake Charles right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Mid-size city of 81,143
- Part of a metro area
- About 1,709 people per sq mi
- 133 mi to Houston, TX
- In the Lake Charles, LA area
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $214k (≈$1,351/mo)
- Median rent $1,109/mo
- Median household income $59k
- Property tax about 0.4% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 92°F
- Winter highs around 63°F
- Steamy summers (dew point 74°F)
- 242 sunny days a year (110 totally clear)
- 123 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 126 days a year with rain or snow
- Basically no snow
- Snow days are rare
- 1 day a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Above-average violent crime (662 per 100k)
- Above-average property crime (2,405 per 100k)
People
- Median age 37
- 26% of households have kids
- 17% are 65 or older
- 29% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 8% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 5 mi to LCH airport
- 128 mi to IAH (major hub)
- 3 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 70% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1981
- 85% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 33 ft
- 29 mi to the ocean
- 10 mi to a big lake
- 56 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 7 mi to the nearest campground
- 11 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 118 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 32 bars within 25 mi
- 40 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 9 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 2 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 22% of Louisiana districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 13 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 6 mi to the nearest dog park
- 7 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Calcasieu Parish: R+40 in 2024
- Louisiana: R+22 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Moderate hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Moderate wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Very low winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk