Lake Charles, Louisiana has 3 accredited schools offering social work programs. Lake Charles has a population of about 81,679. Median household income is $56,864 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lake Charles, LA metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $80,000 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Social Work Schools to Lake Charles
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer social work programs near Lake Charles, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lake Charles city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Lake Charles.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,700
Avg net price
$13,113/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 56%
- Programs offered: 37
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,021
Avg net price
$13,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,251
Avg net price
$19,151/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 122
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,371
Avg net price
$20,077/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 60%
- Programs offered: 39
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,109
Avg net price
$19,809/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 33
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,482
Avg net price
$13,154/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 55
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,769
Avg net price
$13,466/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 51
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,268
Avg net price
$39,949/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 93%
- Programs offered: 124
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Louisiana schools on the Louisiana social work page.
Social Work Wages Near Lake Charles
Lake Charles is part of the Lake Charles, LA metro area (BLS area code 29340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Louisiana statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Child, Family, and School Social Worker |
$47,490 |
Lake Charles, LA |
$55,285 |
| Healthcare Social Worker |
$65,120 |
Lake Charles, LA |
$75,809 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker |
$47,100 |
LA statewide |
$54,831 |
| Social Worker, All Other |
$38,630 |
Lake Charles, LA |
$44,971 |
| Social and Community Service Manager |
$80,000 |
Lake Charles, LA |
$93,132 |
| Social and Human Service Assistant |
$36,070 |
Lake Charles, LA |
$41,991 |
| Community Health Worker |
$46,450 |
LA statewide |
$54,075 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Lake Charles at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
81,679 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$56,864 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
29.4% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
85.9 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
| Social Work-related employment in Calcasieu County |
2,159 workers, 180 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Lake Charles-Area Cities With Social Work Programs
- Sulphur, LA – 8.6 mi away (20,272 pop)
- Port Arthur, TX – 48.9 mi away (157,732 pop)
- Beaumont, TX – 56.2 mi away (147,935 pop)
- Abbeville, LA – 67.0 mi away (20,139 pop)
- Lafayette, LA – 70.7 mi away (267,376 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited social work schools are near Lake Charles, LA?
Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering social work programs near Lake Charles. The closest is Lamar University in Beaumont, TX (52.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Louisiana Christian University (90.5 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying social work roles near Lake Charles?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Lake Charles are: Social and Community Service Manager ($80,000), Healthcare Social Worker ($65,120), Child, Family, and School Social Worker ($47,490). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Louisiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Sulphur instead of Lake Charles?
Sulphur, LA is 8.6 miles from Lake Charles and has its own set of local social work programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Lake Charles an affordable place to study social work?
Lake Charles’s median household income of $56,864 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lake Charles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Louisiana public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Social Work Programs
Other Programs Available in Lake Charles
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lake Charles:
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- General Studies programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Public Policy programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Film programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Industrial Design programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Instructional Design programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Art History programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Environmental Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Nutrition programs in Lake Charles, LA
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- Library Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Applied Behavior Analysis programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Medical Billing and Coding programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Medical Assistant programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Pharmacy Technician programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Health Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Occupational Safety and Health programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Entrepreneurship programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Interior Design programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Photography programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Sustainability Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Journalism programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Public Relations programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Communication Disorders programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Speech Pathology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Technical Communication programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Professional Writing programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Strategic Communications programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Business Development programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Construction Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Economics programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Financial Technology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Forensic Accounting programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Health Information Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Hospitality Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- International Business programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Organizational Leadership programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Management Information Systems programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Nonprofit Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Operations Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Public Administration programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Real Estate programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Recreation Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Retail Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Risk Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Statistics programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Taxation programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Corrections programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Crime Analysis programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Criminology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Cybercrime programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Emergency Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Fire Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Forensic Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Legal Services programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Legal Studies programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Paralegal programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Security Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Cloud Computing programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Computer Engineering programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Innovation programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Mobile App Development programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Software Development programs in Lake Charles, LA
- User Experience programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Web Development programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Machine Learning programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Data Analytics programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Public Health programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Human Resources programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Project Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Special Education programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Homeland Security programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Marketing programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Finance programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Kinesiology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Sports Management programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Elementary Education programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Biology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Communications programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Graphic Design programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Human Services programs in Lake Charles, LA
- MBA programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Criminal Justice programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Nursing programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Business Administration programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Computer Science programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Psychology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Education programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Engineering programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Technology programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Liberal Arts programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Healthcare programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Cybersecurity programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Accounting programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Lake Charles, LA
- Counseling programs in Lake Charles, LA
Data verified: September 6, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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