Lake Charles, Louisiana Job Growth

There were 98,100 jobs in Lake Charles, Louisiana in October 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 93,295 employed persons for the month. Lake Charles lost 200 jobs in October 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 148 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Lake Charles job growth to job growth in other cities.

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Lake Charles, Louisiana Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Lake Charles as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Lake Charles, Louisiana

CES employment for Lake Charles peaked in May 2018 at 118,900. Since then 20,800 jobs have been lost in Lake Charles according to the employer survey. From a trough of 84,400 in September 2020, Lake Charles has gained 13,700 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 110,606 for Lake Charles in March 2018. 17,311 jobs have been lost in Lake Charles since then according to the household survey. From a September 2020 low of 81,051, Lake Charles has added 12,244 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

Lake Charles, Louisiana Employment History