NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Lake Charles, LA

Metro Market Score 58.2 (Challenging), ranked #266 of 330 metros. 290 establishments, 1,563 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for real estate and rental and leasing in Lake Charles are tougher than average. The 58.2 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, mixed growth signals, and an already crowded field. Rank: #266 of 330 metros.

Industry Concentration

77.0

LQ: 1.00

Rank #254 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

77.0

$65,051 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 42.4

Employment growth index

Rank #191 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

12.3

YoY wage change index

290 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Lake Charles

290

Establishments

+15.5% YoY

1,563

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$65,051

Average Annual Wage

+0.0% YoY

1.00

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Louisiana

#4 of 8

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

Louisiana state rank

#34 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

-1.3

better than median (59.5)

Lake Charles vs Louisiana Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to Louisiana overall. The state ranks #34/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Lake Charles	LA Statewide
Overall Score	58.2 Challenging	44.5 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#266 of 330 metros	#34 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 Administrative and Support Services 51.6

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other Louisiana Metros

Hammond 19.4 #23/330 Monroe 20.5 #25/330 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington 42.6 #166/330 Shreveport-Bossier City 59.5 #272/330 New Orleans-Metairie 71.4 #323/330 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux 73.0 #325/330 Lafayette 77.6 #330/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Lake Charles's 58.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Cleveland, OH 58.1 #265/330 Spartanburg, SC 58.0 #264/330 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 58.0 #263/330 Greensboro-High Point, NC 58.0 #262/330 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 58.6 #267/330 Charlottesville, VA 57.3 #261/330 Champaign-Urbana, IL 59.2 #268/330 Wildwood-The Villages, FL 59.2 #269/330 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 57.0 #260/330 Pittsburgh, PA 59.5 #270/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering Louisiana

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Mississippi 30.0 #8/51 Arkansas 30.5 #12/51 Texas 41.4 #28/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing 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 real estate and rental and leasing sector, the industry concentration component (77.0) 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