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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Lake Charles, LA vs Shreveport, LA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Shreveport spends 27.5% more per capita than Lake Charles ($4,761/person difference). Lake Charles, LA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Lake Charles, LA
Pop. 82,430
B
73/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Shreveport, LA
Pop. 186,183
B
67/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency77
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Lake Charles
Shreveport
Total Spending
$1.0B
$3.2B
Spending / Capita
$12,552
$17,313
Total Revenue
$533.9M
$7.8B
Revenue / Capita
$6,477
$41,922
Total Debt
$322K
$236.7M
Debt / Capita
$4
$1,271
Population
82,430
186,183
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Lake Charles$240
Shreveport$241
Highways & Roads
Lake Charles$204
Shreveport$235
Parks & Recreation
Lake Charles$737
Shreveport$1,799
Health
Lake Charles$0
Shreveport$860

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Lake CharlesShreveport
Sales Tax
$38
$872
Income Tax
$0
$653
Intergovernmental
$10
$48
Charges & Fees
$1,751
$1,867
Other
$1,431
$3,306

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Lake CharlesShreveport
Fire Protection
$240
$241
Highways & Roads
$204
$235
Public Welfare
$543
$212
Health
$0
$860
Hospitals
$1,466
$2,034
Parks & Recreation
$737
$1,799
Housing
$2,714
$3,509
Sewerage
$0
$235
Utilities
$1,918
$1,995
Interest on Debt
$435
$810
Other
$4,296
$5,384
B
Lake Charles, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 73/100
Good fiscal health
B
Shreveport, LA
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

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