Metro FMR · CBSA 29340 · HUD FY2026

Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 3% below the US average.

$928
1-bedroom FMR
$1,217
2-bedroom FMR
+5.8%
YoY change
-3%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,217 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 4% above the US average, lower than 62% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#148
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
+4%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$48,680
income to afford it (30% rule)
+5.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Lake Charles: #148 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $67,010, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 16.6% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Lake Charles in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 248,494 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 44.4% of the 24,204 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$921/mo

16.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$928/mo

16.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,217/mo

21.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,459/mo

26.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,611/mo

28.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·29340

Lake Charles: $928/mo 1BR · #148 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 29340

  • CBSA 29340
  • 1BR-FMR $928
  • 2BR-FMR $1,217
  • RANK-MID #148
  • YOY-SURGE +5.8%
  • VSUS-NEAR -3%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #6 LA
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 248K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Acadia Parish
  • VOUCH-90-110 $835–$1,021
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Acadia Parish ($257 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Lake Charles sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,217 higher than 38% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 29340

Counties inside Lake Charles

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 29340, but county-level schedules inside Lake Charles still diverge: 3 counties range from $871 (2BR in Jefferson Davis Parish) to $1,217 (Calcasieu Parish), a 40% spread. Calcasieu Parish is the largest county by population.

Calcasieu Parish 2BR $1,217 · 211K Jefferson Davis Parish 2BR $871 · 32K Cameron Parish 2BR $1,217 · 5K

Lake Charles studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #148 most affordable

1BR $928 (-3% vs US, +5.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 29340.

Studio
$921
US avg $893
↑5.7% YoY +3% vs US
1 Bedroom
$928
US avg $959
↑5.8% YoY -3% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,217
US avg $1,175
↑6.4% YoY +4% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,459
US avg $1,525
↑5.5% YoY -4% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,611
US avg $1,756
↑6.2% YoY -8% vs US

How Lake Charles compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other LA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Lake Charles highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Lake Charles: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Lake Charles with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside LA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside LA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Tulsa
OK · 2 BR $1,217/mo
Hall County
NE · 2 BR $1,215/mo
Lewiston
ID · 2 BR $1,220/mo
Erie
PA · 2 BR $1,212/mo

Burden % · outside LA

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Jacksonville
NC · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,173/mo
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
NC · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,095/mo
Springfield
OH · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,106/mo
Birmingham-Hoover
AL · 21.8% of income · 2 BR $1,266/mo

Lake Charles: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area is $928 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,217 and a studio is $921.
How does Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Lake Charles, LA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 3% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $928 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Lake Charles rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,217 ranks #148 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Lake Charles metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 29340, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $871–$1,217 for a 2-bedroom (40% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Lake Charles vs Acadia Parish →

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $928/mo · 1BR LA

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.