Lake Charles is a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, home to about 81,143 people across 46 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 70601, 70605, 70607, 70609, 70615 and 70629, and parts of 70647 are in Lake Charles too.
Homes sold for a median of $128 per square foot across 4 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 2 of 4 were seller’s markets.
All in Lake Charles
Mostly Lake Charles; also Prien
Mostly Lake Charles
All in Lake Charles
Mostly Lake Charles
All in Lake Charles
Mostly Iowa; part is in Lake Charles
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Lake Charles. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Lake Charles’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)130 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH)6 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Houston, TX135 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Lake Charles; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Lake Charles had 84,872 residents in the 2020 census, up 18% since 2000.
It’s the 6th largest of 487 towns in Louisiana by population.
Calcasieu Parish grew from 30,428 residents in 1900 to 216,785 in 2020.
Calcasieu Parish, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 93°F in summer, and winter lows average 43°F. About 59.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lake Charles, LA weather station (5 miles away).
75,412 jobs at 4,705 businesses in Calcasieu Parish. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
1,606 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Lake Charles’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 165 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 297 |
| Dentists | 91 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 376 |
| Mental health providers | 472 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 137 |
| Optometrists | 21 |
| Chiropractors | 47 |
| Pharmacies | 49 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (24 nearby)
Grocery stores (11 nearby)
Pharmacies (5 nearby)
Libraries (4 nearby)
Museums (7 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (2 nearby)
Counts are within about 4.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1861.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Inc. and others. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. A. Nelson Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 736 | Public | 3.8 mi |
| Barbe Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 179 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Brentwood Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 272 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| College Oaks Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 278 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| Dolby Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 360 | Public | 3.0 mi |
| Fairview Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 518 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Grand Lake ElementaryLake Charles | Pre-K–6 | 351 | Public | 12.5 mi |
| Henry Heights Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 315 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| John J. Johnson II Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–2 | 131 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| Lake Charles Charter AcademyLake Charles | Pre-K–8 | 951 | Charter | 1.0 mi |
| LeBleu Settlement Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 386 | Public | 8.0 mi |
| M. J. Kaufman Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 308 | Public | 3.5 mi |
| Oak Park Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 259 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Pearl Watson Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 219 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Prien Lake Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 639 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| Southwest Louisiana Charter AcademyLake Charles | Pre-K–8 | 852 | Charter | 1.8 mi |
| St. John Elementary SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–5 | 670 | Public | 5.8 mi |
| Combre-Fondel Elementary SchoolLake Charles | K–5 | 426 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| T. H. Watkins Elementary SchoolLake Charles | K–5 | 165 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| T. S. Cooley Elementary Magnet SchoolLake Charles | K–5 | 300 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Ralph F. Wilson Elementary SchoolLake Charles | 3–5 | 92 | Public | 3.2 mi |
| F. K. White Middle SchoolLake Charles | 6–8 | 614 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Oak Park Middle SchoolLake Charles | 6–8 | 388 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Ray D. Molo Middle Magnet SchoolLake Charles | 6–8 | 265 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| S. J. Welsh Middle SchoolLake Charles | 6–8 | 1,011 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| Grand Lake High SchoolLake Charles | 7–12 | 322 | Public | 12.6 mi |
| Alfred M. Barbe High SchoolLake Charles | 9–12 | 1,908 | Public | 4.7 mi |
| LaGrange High SchoolLake Charles | 9–12 | 881 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| Lake Charles College PrepLake Charles | 9–12 | 624 | Charter | 0.8 mi |
| Washington/Marion Magnet High SchoolLake Charles | 9–12 | 597 | Public | 3.8 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Noland Episcopal Day SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–12 | 363 | Episcopal | 2.8 mi |
| Covenant Grace AcademyLake Charles | Pre-K–12 | 72 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 1.6 mi |
| Immaculate Conception Cathedral SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–8 | 351 | Roman Catholic | 2.7 mi |
| Our Lady Queen of Heaven SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–8 | 584 | Roman Catholic | 2.9 mi |
| St Margaret Catholic SchoolLake Charles | Pre-K–8 | 246 | Roman Catholic | 1.5 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Prien and Iowa.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.