Calcasieu Parish, LA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 30.23, -93.36.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 38th pct · 1,879th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 68th pct · 21st of 64 Louisiana counties · median $170,587
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 41st pct · 1,782nd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 46th pct · 35th of 64 Louisiana counties · median +2.5%
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 36th pct · 864th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 50th pct · 13th of 25 Louisiana counties · median $1,356
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 89th pct · 335th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 90th pct · 7th of 64 Louisiana counties · median 10,187
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 79th pct · 646th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 71st pct · 19th of 64 Louisiana counties · median $1,033
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 24th pct · 2,323rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 53rd pct · 30th of 64 Louisiana counties · median 3.0
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $201,097 (Sep 2026), +2.2% over one year, -6.2% over five
- 38th pct · 1,879th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 68th pct · 21st of 64 Louisiana counties · median $170,587
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | $201,097 · +2.2% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $1,356/mo (Sep 2026), +18.9% over one year; price-to-rent 12.4
- 36th pct · 864th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 50th pct · 13th of 25 Louisiana counties · median $1,356
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | $1,356/mo · +18.9% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $1,114 a month on $201,097 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,365 a month: 20.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $201,097 × 80% = $160,878, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,114/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,238 × 52 / 12 = $5,365) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $201,097 / ($1,238 × 52) = 3.1
- price-to-rent = $201,097 / ($1,356 × 12) = 12.4
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
88,914 jobs at 6,207 employers (2026 Q1); 0.0% jobs and +1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 89th pct · 335th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 90th pct · 7th of 64 Louisiana counties · median 10,187
- counties in the Lake Charles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Lake Charles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 88,914 jobs · $1,238/wk · 0.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,478 | $1,030 | 0.93 | +2.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,410 | $519 | 1.55 | +4.3% |
| Retail trade | 10,541 | $746 | 1.22 | -1.5% |
| Manufacturing | 10,277 | $2,778 | 1.44 | -1.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,577 | $1,021 | 0.91 | -0.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 3,680 | $1,690 | 0.60 | -1.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,729 | $1,631 | 0.73 | +14.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 2,260 | $1,444 | 0.66 | -2.6% |
| Other services | 1,918 | $1,033 | 0.72 | -4.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,691 | $1,588 | 0.47 | -1.3% |
| Real estate and rental | 1,382 | $1,274 | 1.01 | +2.7% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,303 | $572 | 0.89 | -4.3% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D2 severe drought
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
73 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 3 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 4, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| B. A. Steinhagen Lake | 94 % full · 69k ac-ft | 101 km |
| Toledo Bd Res nr Burkeville, TX | 3,774,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 109 km |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | 85 % full · 2,236k ac-ft | 109 km |
| Sam Rayburn Reservoir | 62 % full · 2,857k ac-ft | 117 km |
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
76 gauges · 0 flooding · 9 with quality panels averaging 39 % · 12 stale
Sites found: 76, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CRMS2418-H01-RT | stage 0.48 ft · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 43 km |
| Sabine Lk site SAB2 nr Sabine Pass, TX | temp 31.2 °C · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 73 km |
| Calcasieu River at I-10 at Lake Charles, LA | stage 2.12 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 11 km |
| CRMS0641 | stage 1.54 ft · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 40 km |
| Sabine Lk site SAB1 nr Groves, TX | temp 31.8 °C · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 57 km |
| Calcasieu River at Cameron, LA | stage 6.40 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 46 km |
| CRMS2166-H01-RT | stage 0.98 ft · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 43 km |
| CRMS0651-H01-RT | stage 1.46 ft · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 33 km |
| Little Bayou D'Inde at Wright Road | no flooding | 3 km |
| Houston River at Anthony Ferry Road | no flooding | 8 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-301213093191701 | depth 79.2 ft · 2016-12-06 | 5 km |
| USGS-301336093183002 | depth 52.3 ft · 2016-12-06 | 5 km |
| USGS-301336093183001 | depth 83.5 ft · 2016-12-06 | 5 km |
| USGS-301300092584503 | depth 59.4 ft · 2017-07-14 | 36 km |
| USGS-300322093452601 | depth 36.8 ft · 2009-03-25 | 43 km |
| USGS-305018093251301 | depth 36.9 ft · 2024-05-22 | 68 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
moderate (0.45)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.27 + 0.2×0.61 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$5.3 bn in deposits at 65 offices of 18 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,083, moderately concentrated. $1.2 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $1.1 bn, grants $51.4 m), $13,733 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $901.1 m · 17.0% share · 6 offices | |
| First Horizon Bank | $740.5 m · 14.0% share · 5 offices | |
| First Federal Bank of Louisiana | $664.6 m · 12.6% share · 9 offices | |
| Calcasieu, LA | $1.2 bn FY2026 · $13,733/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $1.1 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $901,101,000 | 17.0% | 6 |
| First Horizon Bank | $740,535,000 | 14.0% | 5 |
| First Federal Bank of Louisiana | $664,609,000 | 12.6% | 9 |
| Hancock Whitney Bank | $635,749,000 | 12.0% | 5 |
| JD Bank | $515,110,000 | 9.7% | 10 |
| b1BANK | $479,616,000 | 9.1% | 5 |
| Capital One, National Association | $448,125,000 | 8.5% | 2 |
| Lakeside Bank | $283,605,000 | 5.4% | 4 |
| Merchants & Farmers Bank & Trust Company | $103,381,000 | 2.0% | 3 |
| First National Bank in DeRidder | $100,302,000 | 1.9% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 1,083 across 18 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 18 banks with deposits in the county = 17.0² + 14.0² + 12.6² + … (15 more) = 1,083
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $926,455,726 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $137,648,943 |
| Department of Transportation | $44,125,324 |
| Department of Education | $28,317,672 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $25,846,935 |
| Department of Defense | $21,836,247 |
| Department of Agriculture | $10,796,676 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $10,375,357 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $6,221,373 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $6,198,826 |
| Department of Justice | $1,735,806 |
| Department of the Interior | $779,889 |
That is $13,733 per covered job, against 88,914 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.2 bn / 88,914 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $13,733
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Calcasieu Parish, LA: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchCalcasieu Parish, LA's typical asking rent is +18.9% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 8 percent above a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZORI; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: rent.yoyPct = 18.908374176161026 >= 8
arithmetic on Zillow ZORI; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteCalcasieu Parish, LA's average weekly wage was 1.2% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +1.2 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteCalcasieu Parish, LA's price-to-rent ratio of 12.4 ranks 1,249th of 1,358 US counties, against a median of 17.0.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 8 on the 0-to-100 scale across 1358 US counties that published priceToRent
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteCalcasieu Parish, LA's covered employment of 88,914 ranks 7th of 64 Louisiana counties, against a median of 10,187.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 90 on the 0-to-100 scale across 64 Louisiana counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Calcasieu Parish, LA is due between 2026-10-30 and 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-30 to 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Read all 7 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.