Composite deck cost in Lake Charles, LA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (300 sq ft)
- $10,300 – $20,600
- Per sq ft
- $34 – $68.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −15%
- US $18,100
- Rank of 300 metros
- #269
- 1 = most expensive
Lake Charles homeowners pay roughly $10,300 to $20,600 to build a composite deck at 300 sq ft, or $34 to $68.50 per sq ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Lake Charles is 15% lower. Carpenters earn a median of $22.08 an hour in the Lake Charles area, 24% below the US median of $29.12.
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Estimated cost for 300 sq ft in Lake Charles, LA, standard level
$13,400 to $17,500
About $44.50 to $58 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 56% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $5,850 | $7,650 |
| Labor | $7,450 | $9,750 |
| Permits and fees | $70 | $100 |
| Total | $13,400 | $17,500 |
Cost breakdown for 300 sq ft in Lake Charles, LA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,500 | $6,750 | $9,000 | 44% |
| Labor | $5,750 | $8,600 | $11,500 | 56% |
| Permits and fees | $45 | $85 | $130 | 1% |
| Total | $10,300 | $15,500 | $20,600 | 100% |
Why Lake Charles prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on carpenters, who do 80% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $22.08 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Lake Charles is 0.80 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 56% of the total.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Lake Charles metro is 93.7 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 300 sq ft comes to $6,750, compared with $7,200 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (85.9) and land at $45 to $130.
When to schedule composite deck in Lake Charles
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Lake Charles (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
September through May is the stretch where exterior installation runs into the fewest weather problems in Lake Charles (9 of 12 months). June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Lake Charles gets about 60 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, June and August (6.5 inches in June). Inside the workable window, February and March are the driest, at 3.3 and 3.7 inches. The station averages about 88 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 43 | 5.9 | Workable |
| Feb | 67 | 47 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Mar | 73 | 53 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Apr | 79 | 59 | 4.4 | Workable |
| May | 85 | 67 | 5.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 91 | 74 | 6.5 | Hot |
| Jul | 92 | 76 | 5.7 | Hot |
| Aug | 93 | 75 | 6.2 | Hot |
| Sep | 89 | 71 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 82 | 60 | 4.8 | Workable |
| Nov | 72 | 51 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Dec | 65 | 45 | 4.6 | Workable |
How Lake Charles compares
Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 300 sq ft range from $15,200 to $17,200 across Lake Charles and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles, LAthis page | $10,300 – $20,600 | $15,500 | |
| Beaumont, TX60 miles | $11,400 – $22,900 | $17,200 | +11% |
| Lafayette, LA65 miles | $10,200 – $20,500 | $15,400 | −1% |
| Alexandria, LA95 miles | $10,100 – $20,300 | $15,200 | −2% |
| Baton Rouge, LA125 miles | $11,000 – $22,100 | $16,500 | +7% |
| Houston, TX130 miles | $10,900 – $21,800 | $16,300 | +6% |
| Louisiana (statewide) | $10,500 – $21,000 | $15,700 | +2% |
| United States | $12,100 – $24,200 | $18,100 | +17% |
Across 300 US metros, Lake Charles comes in at #269 from the top. The priciest is Honolulu, HI at $25,200; the cheapest is Brownsville, TX at $13,500 (midpoints, 300 sq ft). Statewide, Lake Charles is 2% below the Louisiana figure.
Other Louisiana metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans, LA | 445,550 jobs | $10,500 – $21,100 | $15,800 | +2% |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 409,690 jobs | $11,000 – $22,100 | $16,500 | +7% |
| Lafayette, LA | 179,570 jobs | $10,200 – $20,500 | $15,400 | −1% |
| Shreveport, LA | 162,750 jobs | $10,200 – $20,400 | $15,300 | −1% |
| Slidell, LA | 98,240 jobs | $10,300 – $20,700 | $15,500 | level |
| Monroe, LA | 87,500 jobs | $10,200 – $20,500 | $15,400 | −1% |
Cities with a workforce like Lake Charles's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Lake Charles against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette, IN | 102,200 jobs | $12,100 – $24,200 | $18,200 | +18% |
| Springfield, IL | 100,810 jobs | $13,700 – $27,500 | $20,600 | +33% |
| Clarksville, TN | 103,220 jobs | $10,600 – $21,300 | $15,900 | +3% |
| Santa Cruz, CA | 98,500 jobs | $14,300 – $28,600 | $21,400 | +39% |
Planning more than one job in Lake Charles?
Because every project leans on different trades, Lake Charles's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, paver patio runs −7% and wood deck −12%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood deck | 300 sq ft | $6,600 – $13,300 | −12% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,150 – $3,600 | −10% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,800 – $5,050 | −7% |
| Gutters | 160 linear ft | $1,200 – $3,900 | −8% |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 2 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Lake Charles is 0.80 times the national level.
For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 80%) the local median is $22.08 an hour, which is 24% below the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $16.13 and $28.48 an hour. BLS counts 630 of them working in the area, 62.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 20% of the weighting: a median of $21.75 an hour, 4% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.37 and $25.18 an hour. About 2,130 work in the metro. That is 209.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the carpenters on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($28.48 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $1,900. At the 25th percentile ($16.13) it shrinks by about $1,750. The total moves by 12.3% or 11.4%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 101,690 jobs in the Lake Charles area. That makes it the 202nd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.07% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 80% | $16.13 | $22.08 | $28.48 | $29.12 | 0.76 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 20% | $17.37 | $21.75 | $25.18 | $22.66 | 0.96 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.80 | |||||
Specs and site conditions that change a Lake Charles bid
Labor
Labor for composite is $24-$48 per sq ft, higher than wood because the boards need extra parts and more careful assembly.
Drainage
Ground-level decks over poorly draining yards may need $1,000-$4,000 of drainage work first.
Engineering
Large or complex decks may need a structural engineer at $100-$220 an hour to get a permit.
Lake Charles: what basic, standard and premium work costs
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Lake Charles wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.
Basic
$10,300 to $14,400
Entry-level composite boards, low deck, simple shape
Standard
$13,400 to $17,500
Mid-grade capped boards with railing and stairs
Premium
$16,500 to $20,600
Premium capped or PVC boards, multi-level, hidden fasteners
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x12 (120 sq ft) | $4,150 – $5,800 | $5,400 – $7,050 | $6,650 – $8,350 |
| 12x12 (144 sq ft) | $4,950 – $6,950 | $6,450 – $8,450 | $7,950 – $9,950 |
| 16x20 (320 sq ft) | $11,000 – $15,400 | $14,300 – $18,700 | $17,600 – $22,000 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $13,700 – $19,200 | $17,800 – $23,300 | $22,000 – $27,500 |
Extras that change the Lake Charles total
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Lake Charles by the average of the local wage index (0.80) and goods index (0.94), a factor of 0.87. Tick any of them in the estimator above to add them to your total. Treat these as planning figures: an add-on touches different trades than the main job, so the scaling is an approximation.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add a deck railing (approx. 0.3 ft per sq ft) | $1,550 – $4,700 |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $13,400 to $17,500 for Lake Charles, LA is attached.
Detailed composite deck report for Lake Charles, LA, $9
The report lays out the composite deck numbers for Lake Charles, LA line by line, with the local wage and price inputs, permit and timing notes, a quote comparison sheet and the full method. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
Composite deck in Lake Charles: your questions
+How much does it cost to build a composite deck in Lake Charles?
For 300 sq ft, expect $10,300 to $20,600 in the Lake Charles area. A standard-spec job lands at $13,400 to $17,500. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for composite deck in Lake Charles?
About $34 to $68.50 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $45 to $130 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $40 to $80.
+Is composite deck cheaper in Lake Charles or Beaumont?
Beaumont is 60 miles away. The midpoint for 300 sq ft there is $17,200, which is 11% more than Lake Charles ($15,500). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Lake Charles?
About 56% at the midpoint, or $8,600 out of $15,500. Materials are 44% and permits 1%. Nationally, labor is 60%.
+What would 16x20 (320 sq ft) cost in Lake Charles?
$11,000 to $22,000. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does composite deck need a permit in Lake Charles?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $45 to $130 for fees in the Lake Charles area (our national range of $50 to $150 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Lake Charles expensive for composite deck compared with the rest of Louisiana?
Lake Charles is 2% below the Louisiana statewide estimate ($15,700 at the midpoint). We cover 9 metros in Louisiana; see the state page to compare them.
+What do carpenters earn in Lake Charles?
The BLS median is $22.08 an hour in the Lake Charles area, compared with $29.12 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $16.13 to $28.48.
+What do basic and premium composite deck work cost in Lake Charles?
For 300 sq ft, basic work runs $10,300 to $14,400 and premium work $16,500 to $20,600. Basic means: entry-level composite boards, low deck, simple shape. Premium means: premium capped or PVC boards, multi-level, hidden fasteners.
+When is the best time to build a composite deck in Lake Charles?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are September through May. February and March are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
+What does "add a deck railing" add in Lake Charles?
$1,550 to $4,700 for 300 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Composite deck near Lake Charles
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Composite Decking Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020