Carson, CA vs Lake Charles, LA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Carson

63.8

#1737 nationally

Lake Charles

76.2

#371 nationally

Carson leads in median household income ($103,045 vs $54,761). Lake Charles leads in cost of living index (94 vs 154). Lake Charles leads in average commute (18 min vs 27.6 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Carson, CA	Lake Charles, LA
WhereAtHome Score	63.8 (#1737)	76.2 (#371)
Population	91,139	79,633
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$796,912	$206,355
Median Household Income	$103,045	$54,761
Average Commute	27.6 min	18 min
Walk Score	55	37
Crime Level	11.5	16.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	154	94
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+32.9	R+39.6