Lafayette, LA vs Lake Charles, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Lafayette spends 139.2% more per capita than Lake Charles ($17,475/person difference). Lake Charles, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
44/100
Budget Balance54
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency2
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
73/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Lafayette
Lake Charles
Total Spending
$3.7B
$1.0B
Spending / Capita
$30,028
$12,552
Total Revenue
$4.6B
$533.9M
Revenue / Capita
$37,974
$6,477
Total Debt
$162.4M
$322K
Debt / Capita
$1,334
$4
Population
121,706
82,430
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Lafayette$615
Lake Charles$0
Fire Protection
Lafayette$1,967
Lake Charles$240
Highways & Roads
Lafayette$355
Lake Charles$204
Parks & Recreation
Lafayette$1,923
Lake Charles$737
Education
Lafayette$1,758
Lake Charles$0
Health
Lafayette$851
Lake Charles$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
LafayetteLake Charles
| Sales Tax | $1,778 | $38 |
| Income Tax | $1,580 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $956 | $10 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,527 | $1,751 |
| Other | $3,792 | $1,431 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
LafayetteLake Charles
| Police | $615 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $1,967 | $240 |
| Highways & Roads | $355 | $204 |
| Education | $1,758 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,573 | $543 |
| Health | $851 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $1,440 | $1,466 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,923 | $737 |
| Housing | $8,621 | $2,714 |
| Utilities | $3,202 | $1,918 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,013 | $435 |
| Other | $6,711 | $4,296 |
D
Lafayette, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 44/100
Below average fiscal health
B
Lake Charles, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 73/100
Good fiscal health