Population
Lake Charles
81,679
Decatur
57,760
Median Income
Lake Charles
$56,864
Decatur
$59,831
Home Value
Lake Charles
$204,000
Decatur
$190,500
Rent
Lake Charles
$1,090
Decatur
$861
Crime Rate
Lake Charles
6.13
Decatur
6.07
Cost of Living
Lake Charles
96.4
Decatur
92.0
Avg Temp
Lake Charles
N/A
Decatur
N/A
Unemployment
Lake Charles
5.5%
Decatur
5.0%
How Similar Are Lake Charles & Decatur?
Decatur is Lake Charles's #2 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lake Charles
81,679
Decatur
57,760
Lake Charles has a 29% larger population than Decatur.
Violent Crime
Lake Charles
6.13
Decatur
6.07
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
Lake Charles
24.70
Decatur
23.09
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Lake Charles
69.0%
Decatur
75.8%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 9% difference.
Unemployment
Lake Charles
5.5%
Decatur
5.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 10% difference.
Median Income
Lake Charles
$56,864
Decatur
$59,831
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Lake Charles
$204,000
Decatur
$190,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.
Education
Lake Charles
19.6%
Decatur
15.8%
Lake Charles has a 20% higher education than Decatur.
Demographics
Lake Charles
47.4%
Decatur
60.9%
Decatur has a 22% higher demographics than Lake Charles.
Cost of Living
Lake Charles
96.4
Decatur
92.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lake Charles and Decatur are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Lake Charles
0
Decatur
Decatur leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Decatur leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDecatur has a fair market rent (2br) of $961 vs $1,217 in Lake Charles (27% lower). Decatur has a fair market rent (1br) of $776 vs $928 in Lake Charles (20% lower). Decatur scores 89.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 105.9 in Lake Charles.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur has a vacancy rate of 6.9% compared to 20.7% in Lake Charles. Decatur has a median rent of $861 vs $1,090 in Lake Charles (27% lower). Lake Charles has a median home value of $204,000 vs $190,500 in Decatur (7% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur has a poverty rate of 12.8% compared to 23.2% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles: 39,030 vs Decatur: 27,025 for labor force. Decatur has a government sector of 48.6% compared to 38.5% in Lake Charles.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Decatur leads
Source: FBI UCRDecatur has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.93 compared to 6.13 in Lake Charles. Decatur has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.09 compared to 0.17 in Lake Charles. Decatur has a property crime clearance of 28.5% compared to 9.3% in Lake Charles.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Lake Charles leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLake Charles has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 15.8% in Decatur. Lake Charles has a high school diploma or higher of 39.7% compared to 36.3% in Decatur.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLake Charles has a population of 81,679, about 1.4x the size of Decatur (57,760). Lake Charles skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 40.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lake Charles
Decatur
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLake Charles: 4.0 vs Decatur: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Decatur: 4 vs Lake Charles: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLake Charles has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.1% in Decatur. Decatur has a public transit of 0.3% compared to 0.1% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles has a work from home of 4.8% compared to 4.4% in Decatur.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lake Charles, LA
Compare Lake Charles against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.