Population
McAllen
143,789
Lake Charles
81,679
Median Income
McAllen
$60,165
Lake Charles
$56,864
Home Value
McAllen
$173,800
Lake Charles
$204,000
Rent
McAllen
$1,017
Lake Charles
$1,090
Crime Rate
McAllen
1.51
Lake Charles
6.13
Cost of Living
McAllen
99.9
Lake Charles
96.4
Avg Temp
McAllen
N/A
Lake Charles
N/A
Unemployment
McAllen
5.5%
Lake Charles
5.5%
How Similar Are McAllen & Lake Charles?
Lake Charles is McAllen's #21 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
McAllen
143,789
Lake Charles
81,679
McAllen has a 43% larger population than Lake Charles.
Violent Crime
McAllen
1.51
Lake Charles
6.13
Lake Charles's violent crime is significantly higher than McAllen's — 75% difference.
Property Crime
McAllen
18.36
Lake Charles
24.70
Lake Charles has a 26% higher property crime than McAllen.
Political Leaning
McAllen
51.0%
Lake Charles
69.0%
Both cities lean Republican, but Lake Charles has a stronger Republican lean (26% difference).
Unemployment
McAllen
5.5%
Lake Charles
5.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.
Median Income
McAllen
$60,165
Lake Charles
$56,864
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
McAllen
$173,800
Lake Charles
$204,000
Lake Charles has a 15% higher home values than McAllen.
Education
McAllen
20.1%
Lake Charles
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
McAllen
43.1%
Lake Charles
47.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
McAllen
99.9
Lake Charles
96.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. McAllen and Lake Charles share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
McAllen
0
Lake Charles
McAllen leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lake Charles leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMcAllen has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,060 vs $1,217 in Lake Charles (13% lower). McAllen has a fair market rent (1br) of $847 vs $928 in Lake Charles (9% lower). Lake Charles scores 86.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 92.0 in McAllen.
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 $3,096 in McAllen (347% lower). McAllen has a vacancy rate of 11.4% compared to 20.7% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles has a median home value of $204,000 vs $173,800 in McAllen (15% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — McAllen leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMcAllen has a work from home of 11.5% compared to 4.8% in Lake Charles. McAllen: 67,352 vs Lake Charles: 39,030 for labor force. Lake Charles has a per capita income of $35,847 vs $29,406 in McAllen (18% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — McAllen leads
Source: FBI UCRMcAllen has a property crime clearance of 24.3% compared to 9.3% in Lake Charles. McAllen has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.64 compared to 6.13 in Lake Charles. McAllen has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.17 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 33.1% in McAllen. McAllen has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.1% 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 ACSMcAllen has a population of 143,789, about 1.8x the size of Lake Charles (81,679). McAllen skews younger with a median age of 34.0 vs 36.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
McAllen
Lake Charles
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMcAllen: 5 vs Lake Charles: 3 for with emergency services. Lake Charles: 4.0 vs McAllen: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — McAllen leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMcAllen has a public transit of 0.5% compared to 0.1% in Lake Charles. McAllen has a work from home of 11.5% compared to 4.8% in Lake Charles. Lake Charles has a drive alone of 81.4% compared to 72.2% in McAllen.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to McAllen, TX
Compare McAllen 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.