| ZIP Codes: | 21 ZIP Codes (14 Standard, 6 PO Box, 1 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 337 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:23 PM |
| Population: | 216,075 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 22019 |
| CBSA: | Lake Charles, LA |
| Land Area: | 1,551 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 59 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 30.2177, -93.2551 |
| Quick Link: |
216,075 residents live across 21 ZIPs covering 1,551 sq mi, served by 9 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 201,930 to 215,718 from 2014 to 2024 — a +6.8% change. 9 ZIPs gained residents, 5 lost.
The parish's wealthiest ZIP 70611 (Lake Charles, $101,844 median) and poorest ZIP 70661 (Starks, $24,917) are 27.5 miles apart — a 4.1× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 3.7× across this parish — from $83,700 in 70661 (Starks) to $308,700 in 70605 (Lake Charles).
Density varies 181× across the parish — from 9 people/sq mi in 70630 (Bell City) to 1,649 in 70601 (Lake Charles).
Educational attainment ranges from 7.7% bachelor's+ in 70668 (Vinton) to 41.8% in 70605 (Lake Charles) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Louisiana, this is the #7 most populous of 64 parishes and ranks #14 for median household income with the #9 fastest decade growth .
Hosts 1 single-entity Unique ZIP: 70609Mcneese State University .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $69,932 across the parish — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
24.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (35,734 of 144,469 reporting). The most-educated ZIPs cluster around Lake Charles.
14 Standard delivery, 6 PO Box only, 1 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this parish.
Median household income spans 4.1× between the wealthiest and poorest ZIPs — a sign of significant intra-county inequality.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70605 | Lake Charles | Standard | 40,482 | $86,015 | 50.0 | 16.2% |
| 70601 | Lake Charles | Standard | 30,872 | $49,992 | 18.7 | -3.8% |
| 70663 | Sulphur | Standard | 27,799 | $64,707 | 100.6 | -0.6% |
| 70607 | Lake Charles | Standard | 27,080 | $60,351 | 158.5 | 4.1% |
| 70611 | Lake Charles | Standard | 22,124 | $101,844 | 84.5 | 9.7% |
| 70665 | Sulphur | Standard | 13,222 | $86,573 | 137.3 | 18.2% |
| 70615 | Lake Charles | Standard | 12,980 | $40,047 | 46.2 | 0.2% |
| 70647 | Iowa | Standard | 12,736 | $71,045 | 181.5 | 45.7% |
| 70669 | Westlake | Standard | 9,552 | $69,106 | 33.4 | -6.1% |
| 70633 | Dequincy | Standard | 8,486 | $67,203 | 189.4 | 16.7% |
| 70668 | Vinton | Standard | 6,169 | $49,455 | 228.7 | -9.1% |
| 70661 | Starks | Standard | 1,861 | $24,917 | 160.0 | -16.1% |
| 70630 | Bell City | Standard | 1,478 | $74,258 | 162.1 | 44.8% |
| 70646 | Hayes | PO Box | 877 | $128,906 | 0.3 | 72.3% |
| 70609 | Lake Charles | Unique | 357 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 70629 | Lake Charles | Standard | 0 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 70664 | Sulphur | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 70612 | Lake Charles | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 70616 | Lake Charles | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 70602 | Lake Charles | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 70606 | Lake Charles | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |