Westlake has some of the lowest unemployment in the country, with hardly anyone out of work
Only 4% work in Westlake itself; outside it, Lake Charles draws the most (41%, 5 miles). Westlake grades B+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. A typical one-way commute lasts 28 minutes (Louisiana 26, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Westlake at work: what stands out
Fewer jobs are based in Westlake than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Westlake fell from 2,747 in 2013 to 1,027 in 2023, −63%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Most Westlake residents work close to home
73% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. How far ↓
41% of Westlake works in Lake Charles
708 working residents, 41%, have their main job in Lake Charles, 5.3 miles away. That’s 10 times as many as work in Westlake itself. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Westlake’s working residents have a job less than 5 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 28 minutes, longer than the Louisiana average of 26. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Westlake’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westlake is better than 67% of U.S. towns, #16 of 161 in Louisiana. Unemployment holds Westlake’s grade up (hardly any, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.1%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westlake could be anywhere from B to A−.
What Westlake’s employers do
1,027 jobs are based in Westlake.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westlake, 2013 → 2023: 2,747 → 1,027. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Westlake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Westlake commutes less than 5 miles
About 21% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The places Westlake commutes to
Where Westlake clocks in
2% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
About 28 minutes to work from Westlake
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westlake workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,108 commuters (the 2% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Westlake on a workday afternoon
On a workday 1,647 residents head out to work, 72 work right here, and 955 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,100 people are in Westlake on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.60 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Few in Westlake walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westlake is more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns, #70 of 161 in Louisiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Louisiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,159 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.2% of Westlake households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Westlake’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 3,300 to 6,400, Westlake ranks 1,333rd of 3,867 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 305 | Hahnville LA | 3,520 | $101K | 6.7% | 0.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,059 | Elmwood LA | 6,077 | $89K | 7.7% | 4.8% | 13% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,331 | Pleasant Township OH | 4,988 | $96K | 10.4% | 2.5% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,332 | Helena Valley Northwest MT | 5,183 | $101K | 2.6% | 4.5% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,333 | Westlake LA | 4,763 | $68K | 12.1% | 0.0% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,334 | Kiel WI | 3,973 | $76K | 8.6% | 2.1% | 18% | B+ |
| 1,335 | Harrison Township IN | 3,748 | $75K | 9.5% | 0.3% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,418 | Carlyss LA | 4,412 | $78K | 16.1% | 0.1% | 4% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,867 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Westlake, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Westlake: questions
What is the median household income in Westlake?
$68,381 (±$4,821) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westlake?
12.1%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westlake?
28 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westlake work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lake Charles (41%, 5 mi), Sulphur (8%, 6 mi), Lafayette (2%, 74 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westlake walkable?
Westlake is more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.4 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westlake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westlake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westlake
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.