2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Topeka, KS vs Lake Charles, LA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Lake Charles, is 2% less than it is in Topeka and is 38% below the National Average.
- Topeka unemployment rate is 3.9%.
- Lake Charles unemployment rate is 8.7%.
 Topeka, KSLake Charles, LAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock8.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock3.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth23.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock6.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$29,755  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$49,913$69,021
 Family Median Income$68,331  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Topeka, KSLake Charles, LAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.8%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K5.4%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock12.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K10.1%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.0%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.6%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.3%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.7%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K3.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock6.4%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Topeka, KSLake Charles, LAUnited States
 Management, business, finance12.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock3.9%6.5%
 Community, social services2.5%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.8%1.2%
 Education, library6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock4.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.4%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.6%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.7%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.5%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.5%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock10.0%13.1%
Reviews for Topeka    28 Reviews

Loretta Lynn says that in  More

   |    Reply

I live in Topeka this town is awful A lot of crime has been happening here. I don't suggest moving here. This town is also dying out it's mostly old people, meth  More

   |    Reply

Over 7 years ago

I lived in Topeka most of my life until moving to Katy, Texas...which is a premiere suburb of Houston. Topeka is genuinely missed as it is a superb community to raise a  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Topeka

Reviews for Lake Charles    34 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I’ve lived in the city for years and it’s great, you should really check it  More

   |    Reply

Over 4 years ago

Lake Charles, Louisiana is one of the absolute creepiest cities in the USA. The people feel dead inside. They also seem to secretly hate each other. It is also an  More

   |    Reply

Beware reader, the city of Lake Charles is an absolute sh*thole. If you are traveling through I-10 you might want to skip this place. This place is the very worst of the  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Lake Charles


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.