Lake Charles, LA
Calcasieu County · Louisiana · United States
Home to 20,681 people across 81.728 square miles.
At a glance
70611 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 70611 is
| Coordinates | 30.348118, -93.2036 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Chicago |
| County | Calcasieu County |
| State | Louisiana (LA) |
| Land area | 81.728 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Chicago
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Houston, TX | 135.8 mi |
|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 270.0 mi |
| San Antonio, TX | 323.2 mi |
| Atlanta, GA | 567.0 mi |
People
Who lives in 70611
20,681 residents in 7,796 households, averaging 2.65 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 25.8% of residents, and 71.7% of households are families.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 7,796 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.65 |
| Family households | 71.7% |
| Living alone | 23.5% |
| Median age | 41.6 years |
| Households with internet | 89.7% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 70611
The median household here earns $101,146 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 70611 ahead of 83% of American ZIP codes. 9.5% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $101,146 ±$15,684 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $46,708 |
| Poverty rate | 9.5% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.3% |
| Labor force participation | 58.5% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 30.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 91.4% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 70611
A typical home is valued at $249,400, and median rent runs $1,241 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 84.0% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 2000.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $249,400 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,241/mo |
| Median year built | 2000 |
| Housing units | 8,971 |
| Vacancy rate | 13.1% |
Own vs. rent
Of 7,796 occupied units
| Owner households | 6,551 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 1,245 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 70611 commutes
83.6% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 28.5 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 28.5 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 70611
ZIP code 70611 is assigned to Lake Charles, LA, and falls within Calcasieu County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 20,681 people live inside it.
At 253 residents per square mile spread over 81.728 square miles, 70611 reads as a small-town area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings run above the national median. At $101,146, 70611 sits comfortably in the upper half, ahead of 83% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Lake Charles looks like
Housing in 70611 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $249,400 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,241 a month. Ownership dominates: 84.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, which usually signals an established residential area with relatively low turnover.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 65.3% of housing units here. The median construction year is 2000, making the housing here relatively modern.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 41.6 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.65 people, and 71.7% are family households.
Getting to work takes 28.5 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 83.6% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles is a smaller community, so options inside 70611 may be limited to a handful of independent inns, motels or bed-and-breakfast properties. Travellers often widen the search to the surrounding area, where the choice is greater and prices are usually competitive.
Median rent in 70611 is $1,241 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Houston, TX is about 135.8 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 70611 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 70611 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 70611 offers a compact profile of Lake Charles: 20,681 residents, a median household income of $101,146, 30.0% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 3.3%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 70611 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Lake Charles may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 70611
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Louisiana ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
Other ZIP codes in Lake Charles
Lake Charles is served by 11 postal codes.
More in Calcasieu County
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Questions
Common questions about 70611
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 70611. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).