Population
Lake Charles
81,679
Tuscaloosa
107,699
Median Income
Lake Charles
$56,864
Tuscaloosa
$48,536
Home Value
Lake Charles
$204,000
Tuscaloosa
$236,600
Rent
Lake Charles
$1,090
Tuscaloosa
$1,005
Crime Rate
Lake Charles
6.13
Tuscaloosa
5.53
Cost of Living
Lake Charles
96.4
Tuscaloosa
91.6
Avg Temp
Lake Charles
N/A
Tuscaloosa
N/A
Unemployment
Lake Charles
5.5%
Tuscaloosa
7.0%
How Similar Are Lake Charles & Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa is Lake Charles's #6 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lake Charles
81,679
Tuscaloosa
107,699
Tuscaloosa has a 24% larger population than Lake Charles.
Violent Crime
Lake Charles
6.13
Tuscaloosa
5.53
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 10% difference.
Property Crime
Lake Charles
24.70
Tuscaloosa
27.31
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 10% difference.
Political Leaning
Lake Charles
69.0%
Tuscaloosa
59.8%
Both cities lean Republican, but Lake Charles has a stronger Republican lean (13% difference).
Unemployment
Lake Charles
5.5%
Tuscaloosa
7.0%
Tuscaloosa has a 22% higher unemployment than Lake Charles.
Median Income
Lake Charles
$56,864
Tuscaloosa
$48,536
Lake Charles has a 15% higher median income than Tuscaloosa.
Home Values
Lake Charles
$204,000
Tuscaloosa
$236,600
Tuscaloosa has a 14% higher home values than Lake Charles.
Education
Lake Charles
19.6%
Tuscaloosa
20.8%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Lake Charles
47.4%
Tuscaloosa
49.6%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Lake Charles
96.4
Tuscaloosa
91.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lake Charles and Tuscaloosa share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lake Charles
0
Tuscaloosa
Cost of Living & Affordability — Tuscaloosa leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDTuscaloosa scores 74.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 86.9 in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa scores 87.1 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 93.5 in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa scores 89.7 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 94.8 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 — Lake Charles leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLake Charles has a median property tax of $692 vs $1,123 in Tuscaloosa (38% lower). Lake Charles has a single-family homes of 70.7% compared to 51.9% in Tuscaloosa. Lake Charles has a owner-occupied of 61.1% compared to 45.1% in Tuscaloosa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lake Charles leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTuscaloosa has a work from home of 7.6% compared to 4.8% in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa: 52,601 vs Lake Charles: 39,030 for labor force. Lake Charles has a unemployment rate of 5.5% compared to 7.0% in Tuscaloosa.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Tuscaloosa leads
Source: FBI UCRTuscaloosa has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.19 compared to 6.13 in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa has a property crime clearance of 37.0% compared to 9.3% in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa has a violent crime clearance of 62.7% compared to 38.9% 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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLake Charles has a high school diploma or higher of 39.7% compared to 34.7% in Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.8% compared to 19.6% in Lake Charles.
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 ACSTuscaloosa has a population of 107,699, about 1.3x the size of Lake Charles (81,679). Tuscaloosa skews younger with a median age of 28.2 vs 36.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lake Charles
Tuscaloosa
Healthcare — Lake Charles leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLake Charles: 4.0 vs Tuscaloosa: 1.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Tuscaloosa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTuscaloosa has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 0.1% in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.3% in Lake Charles. Tuscaloosa has a work from home of 7.6% compared to 4.8% in Lake Charles.
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.