Population
Lake Charles
81,679
Gastonia
81,632
Median Income
Lake Charles
$56,864
Gastonia
$60,554
Home Value
Lake Charles
$204,000
Gastonia
$250,000
Rent
Lake Charles
$1,090
Gastonia
$1,145
Crime Rate
Lake Charles
6.13
Gastonia
8.49
Cost of Living
Lake Charles
96.4
Gastonia
107.3
Avg Temp
Lake Charles
N/A
Gastonia
N/A
Unemployment
Lake Charles
5.5%
Gastonia
5.2%
How Similar Are Lake Charles & Gastonia?
Gastonia is Lake Charles's #20 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lake Charles
81,679
Gastonia
81,632
Both cities have similar populations — Lake Charles at 81,679 and Gastonia at 81,632.
Violent Crime
Lake Charles
6.13
Gastonia
8.49
Gastonia has a 28% higher violent crime than Lake Charles.
Property Crime
Lake Charles
24.70
Gastonia
35.14
Gastonia has a 30% higher property crime than Lake Charles.
Political Leaning
Lake Charles
69.0%
Gastonia
62.1%
Both cities lean Republican, but Lake Charles has a stronger Republican lean (10% difference).
Unemployment
Lake Charles
5.5%
Gastonia
5.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Lake Charles
$56,864
Gastonia
$60,554
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Lake Charles
$204,000
Gastonia
$250,000
Gastonia has a 18% higher home values than Lake Charles.
Education
Lake Charles
19.6%
Gastonia
18.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Lake Charles
47.4%
Gastonia
55.2%
Gastonia has a 14% higher demographics than Lake Charles.
Cost of Living
Lake Charles
96.4
Gastonia
107.3
Gastonia has a 10% higher cost of living than Lake Charles.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lake Charles and Gastonia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lake Charles
0
Gastonia
Lake Charles leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lake Charles leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLake Charles has a fair market rent (1br) of $928 vs $1,538 in Gastonia (40% lower). Lake Charles has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,217 vs $1,686 in Gastonia (28% lower). Lake Charles scores 105.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 125.9 in Gastonia.
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 — Lake Charles leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a vacancy rate of 8.7% compared to 20.7% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles has a median property tax of $692 vs $2,355 in Gastonia (71% lower). Gastonia has a median home value of $250,000 vs $204,000 in Lake Charles (18% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Gastonia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a poverty rate of 14.3% compared to 23.2% in Lake Charles. Gastonia has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 4.8% in Lake Charles. Gastonia has a government sector of 42.6% 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 — Lake Charles leads
Source: FBI UCRGastonia has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.17 in Lake Charles. Gastonia has a property crime clearance of 23.8% compared to 9.3% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.64 compared to 1.23 in Gastonia.
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 high school diploma or higher of 39.7% compared to 37.2% in Gastonia. Lake Charles has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 18.4% in Gastonia.
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 1x the size of Gastonia (81,632). Lake Charles skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 37.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lake Charles
Gastonia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 5 vs Lake Charles: 3 for with emergency services. Lake Charles: 4.0 vs Gastonia: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.1% in Lake Charles. Gastonia has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 4.8% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles has a drive alone of 81.4% compared to 77.7% in Gastonia.
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.