ZIP Code 70601 — Lake Charles city, LA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 70601 covers Lake Charles, LA in Calcasieu Parish with a population of about 31,843.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.2 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 337; U.S. House district LA-3; the LAKE CHARLES media market.

Median household income in ZIP 70601 is about $49,545 — about 34% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 27.4%; unemployment rate near 7.0%; 24.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 8.8 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Construction; about 4.7% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 10.5 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $164,300 — about 53% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $724 (about 38% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 60.4% (about 5.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 70601 in Lake Charles, LA, a household would need roughly $45,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,055. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($49,545). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

Climate normals for Lake Charles city, LA show little to no average snow and around 59.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,260 for ZIP 70601 (Lake Charles city, LA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.