Should I Move To
Roughly 82,430 people live in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 24% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,007/mo; the typical household pulls in $54,761. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 51/100 — a C-, putting it at #473 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Lake Charles sits at 76 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,007/mo against $54,761 median household income), housing eats roughly 22% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $191,200.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 92°F in summer, 43°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 62 inches. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality is moderate (AQI 52).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Lake Charles is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 56/100 (grade C) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (99/100); weakest on environmental quality (14/100).
For retirees, Lake Charles is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 63/100 (grade C+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (99/100); weakest on environmental quality (14/100).
For remote workers, Lake Charles is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 65/100 (grade B-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (99/100); weakest on environmental quality (14/100).
For young professionals, Lake Charles is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 58/100 (grade C) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (99/100); weakest on environmental quality (14/100).
Lake Charles, Louisiana pulls a 51/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade C-), currently ranked #473 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Lake Charles's cost-of-living index is 76 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very affordable band — 24% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,007/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 92°F, winter averages around 43°F, with about 62 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 71/100. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car.
Lake Charles has about 82,430 residents, 27% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 36.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Lake Charles head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Lake Charles stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Lake Charles with other Louisiana cities scored on UrbRank.
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