Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Shreveport, LA vs Lake Charles, LA

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

Summary

Shreveport spends 37.9% 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
Shreveport, LA
Pop. 186,183
B
67/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency77
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Lake Charles, LA
Pop. 82,430
B
73/100
Budget Balance32
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Compare More Cities