Conroe vs Lake Charles
The short version
- Lake Charles is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 13% lower than in the Conroe area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $214,300 in Lake Charles and $309,600 in Conroe.
- Households earn more in Conroe ($76,206 vs $59,235 median).
- Conroe has more scorching days: 108 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 88.
- Conroe is growing faster: +33% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Lake Charles (17 vs 29 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Louisiana's top rate is 3%.
Side by side
| Conroe, TX | Lake Charles, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 119,564 | 82,676 |
| Growth since 2020 | +33% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 1,576 | 1,742 |
| Median age | 33.7 | 36.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $76,206 | $59,235 |
| Median home value | $309,600 | $214,300 |
| Home value to income | 4.1× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,393 | $1,109 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.6 | 85.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 104.5 | 51.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $74,000 | $64,400 |
| Homeowners | 55% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 28.6 | 17.0 |
| Work from home | 12% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.9% | 6.6% |
| Poverty rate | 11.2% | 23.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 62° / 39° | 63° / 43° |
| July high / low | 94° / 72° | 92° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 60 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 108 | 88 |
| Nights below freezing | 27 | 11 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.7 | 95.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 10% | 62% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +7.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +32.7% | +17.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Conroe: February to April. Lake Charles: February to April and November.
Full monthly tables: Conroe weather by month and Lake Charles weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $74,000 in Conroe and $64,400 in Lake Charles. Moving from Conroe to Lake Charles, you would need about $65,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Conroe and Lake Charles
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Conroe and Lake Charles.
Which would you pick?
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