Baton Rouge, LA vs Lake Charles, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 249.6% more per capita than Lake Charles ($31,334/person difference). Baton Rouge, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
73/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Baton Rouge
Lake Charles
Total Spending
$9.9B
$1.0B
Spending / Capita
$43,886
$12,552
Total Revenue
$19.3B
$533.9M
Revenue / Capita
$85,687
$6,477
Total Debt
$0
$322K
Debt / Capita
$0
$4
Population
225,500
82,430
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Baton Rouge$1,820
Lake Charles$0
Fire Protection
Baton Rouge$1,140
Lake Charles$240
Highways & Roads
Baton Rouge$589
Lake Charles$204
Parks & Recreation
Baton Rouge$758
Lake Charles$737
Health
Baton Rouge$2,058
Lake Charles$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Baton RougeLake Charles
| Sales Tax | $488 | $38 |
| Income Tax | $2,296 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $949 | $10 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,751 |
| Other | $7,610 | $1,431 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
Baton RougeLake Charles
| Police | $1,820 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,140 | $240 |
| Highways & Roads | $589 | $204 |
| Public Welfare | $2,691 | $543 |
| Health | $2,058 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $4,729 | $1,466 |
| Parks & Recreation | $758 | $737 |
| Housing | $7,045 | $2,714 |
| Sewerage | $236 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,413 | $1,918 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,735 | $435 |
| General Admin | $4,492 | $0 |
| Other | $14,181 | $4,296 |
B
Baton Rouge, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
B
Lake Charles, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 73/100
Good fiscal health