Lake Charles, Louisiana Population 2021

78,656

Lake Charles is a city located in Calcasieu Parish Louisiana. With a 2020 population of 78,656, it is the 5th largest city in Louisiana (after New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette) and the 453rd largest city in the United States . Lake Charles is currently growing at a rate of 0.17% annually and its population has increased by 9.26% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 71,993 in 2010. Lake Charles reached it's highest population of 78,656 in 2021. Spanning over 48 miles, Lake Charles has a population density of 1,752 people per square mile.

The average household income in Lake Charles is $66,125 with a poverty rate of 22.80%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $816 per month, and the median house value is $155,700. The median age in Lake Charles is 36.2 years, 34.3 years for males, and 37.6 years for females.

Lake Charles is a city located in the state of Louisiana. The city was founded in 1861 and has become a major center for culture, education, and industry within Louisiana.

Notes of Interest in Lake Charles

Lake Charles is mentioned by the character played by Tom Hanks in the movie Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Actor Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints) was born in Lake Charles, La.
There was a devastating fire in Lake Charles back in 1910. The city rebuilt reasonably quickly and went to work to regain a healthy industry.
The city of Lake Charles boasts a total of 5 public golf courses in addition to a smattering of putt-putt courses for families and children.

Population Growth in Lake Charles

The city grew significantly during the 20th century, reaching a peak population of almost 78,000 residents in 1970. However, this was followed by periods of decline and when population counts did go up, it was minor compared to previous years. However, recent estimates show that the population is up 6.7%. Continuing on this trajectory will bring the city of Lake Charles to its highest population count yet.

Lake Charles Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Lake Charles was:

Black or African American: 47.67%
White: 46.83%
Two or more races: 2.35%
Asian: 1.88%
Other race: 0.75%
Native American: 0.52%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.00%

The current population of Lake Charles, Louisiana is 78,656 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the 2018 population at 78,266.The last official US Census in 2010 recorded the population at 71,993.

Lake Charles, Louisiana Population 2021

2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.

Year	Population	Growth	Growth Rate
2021	210,847	219	0.10%
2020	210,628	219	0.10%
2019	210,409	219	0.10%
2018	210,190	780	0.37%
2017	209,410	1,946	0.93%
2016	207,464	2,189	1.06%
2015	205,275	1,979	0.96%
2014	203,296	1,091	0.54%
2013	202,205	1,095	0.54%
2012	201,110	576	0.29%
2011	200,534	591	0.29%
2010	199,943		0.00%

Lake Charles Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

Race	Population	Percentage
Black or African American	36,840	47.67%
White	36,193	46.83%
Two or More Races	1,815	2.35%
Asian	1,456	1.88%
Some Other Race	576	0.75%
American Indian and Alaska Native	403	0.52%

Lake Charles Population by Race

Lake Charles Population Pyramid $2021

Lake Charles Population by Age

Lake Charles Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Lake Charles Household Types

Type	Owner	Renter
Married	77.5%	22.5%
All	52.4%	47.6%
Non Family	41.2%	58.8%
Male	41.1%	58.9%
Female	40.1%	59.9%

52.4%

Rate of Home Ownership

Lake Charles Households and Families

Type	Count	Average Size	Owned
All	32,710	2.28	52.4
Non Family	14,772	1.23	41.2
Married	10,285	3.07	77.5
Female	6,150	3.22	40.1
Male	1,503	3.3	41.1

3.07

Average Family Size

2.28

Average Household Size

Lake Charles Households by Type

Education Attained	Count	Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade	2,359	4.52%
9th to 12th Grade	4,637	8.88%
High School Graduate	15,292	29.27%
Some College	12,210	23.37%
Associates Degree	3,366	6.44%
Bachelors Degree	8,915	17.06%
Graduate Degree	5,468	10.47%

Lake Charles Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Lake Charles Educational Attainment by Race

Race	Total	High School	Bachelors
White	25,705	23,826	9,552
Black	23,081	18,539	3,640
Hispanic	1,540	1,206	400
Asian	910	755	488
2+ Races	659	584	245
Other Race	479	318	33
Native American	308	261	48

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 92.69%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 53.63%.

Lake Charles Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Average	Male	Female
Overall	$32,301	$42,653	$25,336
Less Than 9th Grade	$18,300	$26,551	$16,086
High School Graduate	$24,688	$31,520	$19,977
Some College	$31,041	$43,178	$24,732
Bachelors Degree	$43,922	$59,205	$36,116
Graduate Degree	$64,632	$87,417	$54,597

$32,301

Average Earnings

$42,653

Average Male

$25,336

Average Female

Lake Charles Earnings by Educational Attainment

Lake Charles Language by Age

Lake Charles Language

92.57% of Lake Charles residents speak only English, while 7.43% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Other Indo-European, which is spoken by 3.76% of the population.

Lake Charles Language

Lake Charles Poverty by Race

Name	Total	In Poverty	Poverty Rate
Black	35,778	11,432	31.95%
White	33,092	3,867	11.69%
Multiple	1,757	706	40.18%
Hispanic	2,330	601	25.79%
Asian	1,422	400	28.13%
Native	403	152	37.72%
Other	546	57	10.44%

22.80%

Overall Poverty Rate

20.31%

Male Poverty Rate

25.04%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Lake Charles

The race most likely to be in poverty in Lake Charles is Multiple, with 40.18% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Lake Charles is Other, with 10.44% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 6.82%. Among those working part-time, it was 24.76%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 29.45%.

Lake Charles Poverty

Name	Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade	32.82%
High School	21.80%
Some College	13.65%
Bachelors or Greater	6.31%

Lake Charles Poverty Rate by Education

Rate	Poverty
Female Unemployed	47.87%
Male Unemployed	44.49%
Female Employed	15.22%
Male Employed	8.23%

Lake Charles Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Lake Charles Income by Household Type

Name	Median	Mean
Households	$42,942	$66,125
Families	$56,289	$82,600
Married Families	$84,005	$110,581
Non Families	$27,526	$44,282

Income by Household Type

Lake Charles Marital Status

Marriage Rates

35.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

38.1%

Male Marriage Rate

32.7%

Female Marriage Rate

Lake Charles Married by Age and Sex

Lake Charles Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Lake Charles Marital Status by Race

Lake Charles Marital Status

4,754

Number of Veterans

4,441

Male Veterans

313

Female Veterans

War	Veterans
Vietnam	1,642
Second Gulf War	981
First Gulf War	907
Korea	307
World War II	179

Lake Charles Veterans by War

Age Group	Veterans
65 to 74	1,272
35 to 54	1,082
75+	1,063
55 to 64	780
18 to 34	557

Lake Charles Veterans by Age

Name	Veterans	% of Total
White	2,820	9.27%
Black	1,793	6.66%
Hispanic	71	4.04%
2+ Races	54	6.74%
Other Race	38	7.41%
Native American	26	8.44%
Asian	23	1.93%

Lake Charles Veterans by Race

Lake Charles Veterans by Education

10.43%

Veteran Poverty Rate

34.01%

Veteran Disability Rate

Lake Charles Veterans by Education

60.3%

Labor Force Participation

56.5%

Employment Rate

6.2%

Unemployment Rate

Lake Charles Employment by Age

Lake Charles Employment by Race

Lake Charles Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

78.62%

Born in Lake Charles

96.60%

Native Born

3.40%

Foreign Born

2.15%

Non Citizen

1.25%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.60% of Lake Charles residents were born in the United States, with 78.62% having been born in Louisiana. 2.15% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Lake Charles Place of Birth

Year	Population	Growth	Annual Growth Rate
2021	78,656	130	0.17%
2020	78,526	130	0.17%
2019	78,396	130	0.17%
2018	78,266	680	0.88%
2017	77,586	1,124	1.47%
2016	76,462	777	1.03%
2015	75,685	1,172	1.57%
2014	74,513	627	0.85%
2013	73,886	221	0.30%
2012	73,665	792	1.09%
2011	72,873	342	0.47%
2010	72,531	774	0.11%
2000	71,757	1,177	0.17%
1990	70,580	-4,646	-0.64%
1980	75,226	-2,772	-0.36%
1970	77,998	14,606	2.10%
1960	63,392	22,120	4.38%
1950	41,272	20,065	6.89%
1940	21,207	5,416	2.99%
1930	15,791	2,703	1.90%
1920	13,088	1,639	1.35%
1910	11,449	4,769	5.54%
1900	6,680	3,238	6.86%
1890	3,442		0.00%

Lake Charles, Louisiana Population 2021

Notes of Interest in Lake Charles

Population Growth in Lake Charles

Lake Charles Demographics

Lake Charles, Louisiana Population 2021

Lake Charles Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

Lake Charles Population by Race

Lake Charles Population Pyramid $2021

Lake Charles Median Age

Lake Charles Adults

Lake Charles Age Dependency

Lake Charles Sex Ratio

Lake Charles Population by Age

Lake Charles Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Lake Charles Household Types

Lake Charles Households and Families

Lake Charles Households by Type

Lake Charles Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Lake Charles Educational Attainment by Race

Lake Charles Educational Attainment by Race

Lake Charles Earnings by Educational Attainment

Lake Charles Language by Age

Lake Charles Language

Lake Charles Language

Lake Charles Poverty by Race

Poverty in Lake Charles

Lake Charles Poverty

Lake Charles Poverty Rate by Education

Lake Charles Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Lake Charles Income by Household Type

Income by Household Type

Lake Charles Marital Status

Marriage Rates

Lake Charles Married by Age and Sex

Lake Charles Marriage

Lake Charles Marital Status by Race

Lake Charles Marital Status

Lake Charles Veterans by War

Lake Charles Veterans by Age

Lake Charles Veterans by Race

Lake Charles Veterans by Education

Lake Charles Veterans by Education

Lake Charles Employment by Age

Lake Charles Employment by Race

Lake Charles Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Place of Birth

Lake Charles Place of Birth

Lake Charles Population by Year