Lake Charles, LA vs Baton Rouge, LA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Baton Rouge spends 71.4% 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
73/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Lake Charles
Baton Rouge
Total Spending
$1.0B
$9.9B
Spending / Capita
$12,552
$43,886
Total Revenue
$533.9M
$19.3B
Revenue / Capita
$6,477
$85,687
Total Debt
$322K
$0
Debt / Capita
$4
$0
Population
82,430
225,500
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Lake Charles$0
Baton Rouge$1,820
Fire Protection
Lake Charles$240
Baton Rouge$1,140
Highways & Roads
Lake Charles$204
Baton Rouge$589
Parks & Recreation
Lake Charles$737
Baton Rouge$758
Health
Lake Charles$0
Baton Rouge$2,058
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
Lake CharlesBaton Rouge
| Sales Tax | $38 | $488 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $2,296 |
| Intergovernmental | $10 | $949 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,751 | $0 |
| Other | $1,431 | $7,610 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
Lake CharlesBaton Rouge
| Police | $0 | $1,820 |
| Fire Protection | $240 | $1,140 |
| Highways & Roads | $204 | $589 |
| Public Welfare | $543 | $2,691 |
| Health | $0 | $2,058 |
| Hospitals | $1,466 | $4,729 |
| Parks & Recreation | $737 | $758 |
| Housing | $2,714 | $7,045 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $236 |
| Utilities | $1,918 | $2,413 |
| Interest on Debt | $435 | $1,735 |
| General Admin | $0 | $4,492 |
| Other | $4,296 | $14,181 |
B
Lake Charles, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 73/100
Good fiscal health
B
Baton Rouge, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health