City government · Calcasieu Parish, LA

Lake Charles's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Lake Charles took in $180 million and spent $118 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes70%Fees for services (water, sewer)15%Federal tax money6.4%Fines and other3.5%State tax money3.3%County and local tax money1.8%

What stands out

51%

of Lake Charles' money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.8%.

City taxes70%

Sales tax
51%$91.6 million
Other taxes
12%$22.2 million
What's in other taxesAmusement taxes; public utility taxes and 3 more
  • Amusement taxes$8.7 million
  • Public utility taxes$5.8 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$5.8 million
  • Other licenses$1.7 million
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$161 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Property tax
6.6%$11.9 million

Fees for services15%

Fees for services
15%$27.5 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 4 more
  • Water$13.6 million
  • Sewer$12.0 million
  • Transit fares$967 thousand
  • Housing$480 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$326 thousand
  • Other service charges$183 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money6.4%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
6.4%$11.5 million

State tax money3.3%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
3.3%$6.0 million

County and local tax money1.8%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.8%$3.2 million

Fines and other3.5%

Interest, rents and other
3.2%$5.8 million
Fines
0.3%$584 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails38%Water, sewer, trash and utilities22%Running the government and other costs15%Housing and community development11%Roads, transit and parking6.8%All other spending6.7%

What stands out

11%

of Lake Charles' spending goes to housing and community development.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 1.4%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
38%$44.7 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$22.9 million
  • Fire protection$19.8 million
  • Courts and legal services$2.0 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
22%$26.3 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$10.7 million
  • Water supply$9.7 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$5.8 million
Running the government and other costs
15%$18.2 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$9.8 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$4.6 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$2.0 million
  • Government buildings$1.7 million
Housing and community development
11%$13.2 million
Roads, transit and parking
6.8%$8.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and public transit
  • Roads and highways$4.6 million
  • Public transit$3.4 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
5.3%$6.3 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$6.3 million
Interest on debt
1.4%$1.6 million
Sent to other local governments
<0.1%$25 thousand
What's in sent to other local governmentsSent to local governments: other and not broken out
  • Sent to local governments: other and not broken out$25 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Lake Charles. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself.

What this covers. The money of City of Lake Charles itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.