NAICS 56

Administrative and Support Services in Lake Charles, LA

Metro Market Score 51.6 (Challenging), ranked #125 of 267 metros. 455 establishments, 5,133 jobs.

Metro Market Score 51.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national administrative and support services average.

💰High-Cost Market📈Rapid Growth

Lake Charles stands out for high administrative and support services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 83.2 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 68.0 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

62.9

LQ: 0.87

Rank #168 of 267 metros

Wage Competitiveness

83.2

$56,707 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 95.1

Employment growth index

Rank #14 of 267 metros

Wage Pressure

68.0

YoY wage change index

455 Administrative and Support Services Firms in Lake Charles

455

Establishments

+10.2% YoY

5,133

Total Employment

+9.7% YoY

$56,707

Average Annual Wage

+9.6% YoY

0.87

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Louisiana

#5 of 7

administrative and support services metros in state

Louisiana state rank

#40 of 51

for administrative and support services entry risk

vs State Median

+4.6

worse than median (46.9)

Lake Charles vs Louisiana Statewide

How this metro's administrative and support services market compares to Louisiana overall. The state ranks #40/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Lake Charles	LA Statewide
Overall Score	51.6 Challenging	43.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#125 of 267 metros	#40 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Lake Charles

Other Services 28.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 36.9 Retail Trade 39.0 Construction 49.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 58.2

Administrative and Support Services in Other Louisiana Metros

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux 41.2 #62/267 Hammond 41.8 #66/267 Alexandria 44.1 #78/267 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington 46.9 #98/267 Shreveport-Bossier City 55.6 #159/267 New Orleans-Metairie 80.3 #264/267

Administrative and Support Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Lake Charles's 51.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Michigan City-La Porte, IN 51.5 #124/267 Sherman-Denison, TX 51.5 #123/267 Battle Creek, MI 51.5 #122/267 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA 51.7 #126/267 Corpus Christi, TX 51.8 #127/267 Iowa City, IA 51.4 #121/267 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 51.8 #128/267 Fairbanks-College, AK 51.9 #129/267 College Station-Bryan, TX 51.9 #130/267 Salinas, CA 51.2 #120/267

Administrative and Support Services in States Bordering Louisiana

State-level entry risk for administrative and support services in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Mississippi 31.3 #8/51 Arkansas 42.0 #29/51 Texas 43.0 #34/51

Browse Administrative and Support Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for administrative and support services across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Lake Charles's administrative and support services sector, the wage competitiveness component (83.2) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Lake Charles, LA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment