Lake Charles, LA
Latest: 2024
Safe Republican — shifted 4.3pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 244K residents — 3 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 66.8% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(13) | 4.9% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 21.8% |
▶Asian(6) | 1.3% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6) | 0.3% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.3% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.8% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 27.6% | 42.6% |
| Catholic | 26.6% | 41.0% |
| Black Protestant | 4.9% | 7.6% |
| Mainline Protestant | 4.4% | 6.9% |
| Other | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Non-religious | 35.3% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+44.3 |
| 2020 | Trump+40.0 |
| 2016 | Trump+37.9 |
| 2012 | Romney+33.1 |
| 2008 | McCain+28.2 |
| 2004 | Bush+18.8 |
| 2000 | Bush+7.9 |
| 1996 | Clinton+16.6 |
| 1992 | Clinton+13.5 |
Lake Charles, LA is a metro area that has a population of 244,027. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+44.3. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 27.1% | 71.4% | R+44.3 | R+4.3 |
| 2020 | 29.1% | 69.1% | R+40.0 | R+2.2 |
| 2016 | 29.2% | 67.0% | R+37.9 | R+4.7 |
| 2012 | 32.5% | 65.6% | R+33.1 | R+4.9 |
| 2008 | 35.0% | 63.2% | R+28.2 | R+9.4 |
| 2004 | 40.0% | 58.9% | R+18.8 | R+11.0 |
| 2000 | 44.8% | 52.7% | R+7.9 | R+24.5 |
| 1996 | 52.1% | 35.4% | D+16.6 | D+3.1 |
| 1992 | 48.4% | 34.9% | D+13.5 | D+6.4 |
| 1988 | 53.1% | 46.0% | D+7.1 | D+13.2 |
| 1984 | 46.6% | 52.7% | R+6.1 | R+17.4 |
| 1980 | 54.2% | 43.0% | D+11.3 | R+20.3 |
| 1976 | 64.6% | 33.1% | D+31.5 | D+56.4 |
| 1972 | 34.4% | 59.2% | R+24.8 | R+34.8 |
| 1968 | 31.3% | 21.4% | D+9.9 | R+6.1 |
| 1964 | 58.0% | 42.0% | D+16.0 | R+23.6 |
| 1960 | 65.9% | 26.3% | D+39.6 | D+48.5 |
| 1956 | 44.3% | 53.2% | R+8.9 | R+23.4 |
| 1952 | 57.3% | 42.7% | D+14.5 | R+24.5 |
| 1948 | 55.4% | 16.4% | D+39.0 | — |
What defines Lake Charles, LA?
Lake Charles, LA has been trending Republican — 11pp redder over the last 4 presidential cycles.
Constituent Counties
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Lafayette, LA
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Alexandria, LA
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Longview, TX
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Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
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Dothan, AL
Small-town rural republican 3
Counties in Lake Charles, LA
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu | 207K | R+39.6 | 23,918 | 56,064 | 81,201 | 82.1% |
| Jefferson Davis | 32K | R+61.1 | 2,699 | 11,478 | 14,358 | 14.5% |
| Cameron | 5K | R+86.3 | 219 | 3,120 | 3,362 | 3.4% |
3 countiesTotal votes: 98,921
Ask the Historian
Explore Lake Charles, LA's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Republican landslide with a 44.3% margin
- Shifted 11.2 points toward Republicans over the last 4 elections
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Lake Charles, LA | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 66.8% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 21.8% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(13) | 4.9% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.8% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(6) | 1.3% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6) | 0.3% | 0.9% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.3% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
64.7%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -6.0pp (vs national 4.5pp). A moderate religious balance between Catholic and Evangelical traditions.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.6% | 42.6% | — | — | |
| 26.6% | 41.0% | — | — | |
| 4.9% | 7.6% | — | — | |
| 4.4% | 6.9% | — | — | |
| 1.2% | 1.9% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.4% | 0.6% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 35.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Lake Charles, LA metro area? 244,027 residents across 3 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 10pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+9 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
244K
Share of U.S. population
0.07%
Voting-age population
73.8%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$66,393
Poverty rate
16.8%
College degree
23.4%
Homeownership
73.8%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
37.6 yrs
Age 18–29
14.6%
Age 65+
16.3%
Foreign born
3.2%
Non-English at home
6.4%
English only
93.6%
Turnout in Lake Charles, LA
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
54.9%
-1.5pp
180,036
1988–2024
How competitive is Lake Charles, LA?
Safe RAvg margin: R+40.7 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+28.2
2012
R+33.1
2016
R+37.9
2020
R+40.0
2024
R+44.3
16.1pp
1
R+36.7
Do voters in Lake Charles, LA split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+40.0 | R+60.9 | 20.9pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 18.8pp
Located In
Lake Charles, LA sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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