Home / Wages / Baton Rouge Baton Rouge salaries The median worker in the Baton Rouge, LA metro area earned $47,940 a year in 2024, about $23.05 an hour. That ranks #142 of the 391 metro areas published here, 3.2% below the national median.
Louisiana
Median pay $47,940 $23.05 per hour
Vs national -3.2% U.S. $49,500
Workers 403,240 wage and salary
Metro rank #142 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Baton Rouge pays 9.5% more than Louisiana as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Housing here moved +1.8% over the year to 2026 Q2 and +20.4% over five years. Pay and house prices rarely move together, and where they diverge for long the
affordability of an area changes even when nothing about the jobs does.
House prices in Baton Rouge .
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Boilermakers 41.18× 1,100 $84,220 Chemical Plant and System Operators 35.18× 1,640 $101,130 Sailors and Marine Oilers 15.51× 1,270 $39,040 Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other 14.71× 980 $47,750 Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels 8.84× 820 $102,820 Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders 8.53× 2,840 $98,790 Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers 7.68× 670 $49,050 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 7.37× 670 $101,870 Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall 7.19× 730 $58,260 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other 6.47× 630 $62,050 Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 6.45× 740 $37,010 Helpers--Electricians 6.42× 1,080 $48,820
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Baton Rouge Occupation Median Hourly Employed Dentists, General $189,390 $91.05 240 Architectural and Engineering Managers $173,350 $83.34 440 Industrial Production Managers $154,800 $74.42 520 Mechanical Engineers $132,850 $63.87 480 Pharmacists $132,850 $63.87 930 Physician Assistants $132,770 $63.83 380 Chemical Engineers $130,350 $62.67 370 Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians $130,220 $62.61 200 Chemists $127,860 $61.47 220 Industrial Engineers $127,350 $61.23 450 Nurse Practitioners $127,260 $61.18 900 Electrical Engineers $126,580 $60.86 260 Computer and Information Systems Managers $121,990 $58.65 900 Marketing Managers $121,200 $58.27 240 Construction Managers $120,630 $58.00 2,180 Financial Managers $117,490 $56.49 1,790 Civil Engineers $110,460 $53.11 880 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $108,670 $52.25 1,390 Management Analysts $106,740 $51.32 1,250 Sales Managers $106,570 $51.23 1,040 General and Operations Managers $106,210 $51.06 7,930 Medical and Health Services Managers $105,160 $50.56 1,280 Lawyers $103,990 $50.00 1,980 Managers, All Other $103,310 $49.67 3,960 Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic $103,300 $49.66 440 Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $102,820 $49.44 820 Human Resources Managers $102,050 $49.06 470 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $101,870 $48.98 670 Chemical Plant and System Operators $101,130 $48.62 1,640 Personal Financial Advisors $100,060 $48.11 280 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $99,990 $48.07 220 Engineers, All Other $99,930 $48.04 1,940 Physical Therapists $99,370 $47.78 580 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $98,900 $47.55 440 Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders $98,790 $47.50 2,840 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $97,960 $47.09 2,500 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians $97,530 $46.89 340 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $97,450 $46.85 440 Software Developers $97,320 $46.79 1,160 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $96,810 n/a 1,020 Occupational Therapists $96,640 $46.46 390 Dental Hygienists $96,570 $46.43 600 Chemical Technicians $86,360 $41.52 390 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $86,080 $41.39 580 Computer Systems Analysts $85,300 $41.01 950 Project Management Specialists $84,680 $40.71 2,130 Boilermakers $84,220 $40.49 1,100 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $81,190 $39.03 810 Social and Community Service Managers $81,110 $39.00 910 Occupational Health and Safety Technicians $80,810 $38.85 210 Logisticians $80,740 $38.82 330 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $79,930 $38.43 4,190 Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door $79,770 $38.35 240 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers $79,500 $38.22 480 Architectural and Civil Drafters $78,990 $37.98 430 Calibration Technologists and Technicians $78,490 $37.73 330 Registered Nurses $78,210 $37.60 7,930 Maintenance Workers, Machinery $77,920 $37.46 240 Millwrights $77,520 $37.27 250 Crane and Tower Operators $75,960 $36.52 590
Where most people work Largest occupations in Baton Rouge by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Cashiers 9,720 $25,080 $12.06 Retail Salespersons 9,390 $29,290 $14.08 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 8,490 $35,530 $17.08 General and Operations Managers 7,930 $106,210 $51.06 Registered Nurses 7,930 $78,210 $37.60 Construction Laborers 7,680 $43,110 $20.73 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 7,470 $21,710 $10.44 Fast Food and Counter Workers 6,770 $23,280 $11.19 Waiters and Waitresses 6,430 $16,190 $7.78 Food Preparation Workers 6,120 $23,420 $11.26 Office Clerks, General 5,960 $29,880 $14.37 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 5,900 $39,170 $18.83 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 5,470 $54,030 $25.98 Customer Service Representatives 5,300 $38,200 $18.36 Stockers and Order Fillers 5,210 $32,650 $15.70 Business Operations Specialists, All Other 5,180 $58,280 $28.02 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 4,680 $28,110 $13.51 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers 4,190 $79,930 $38.43 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 4,180 $58,270 n/a Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 4,060 $45,040 $21.65
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Louisiana metro areas New Orleans-Metairie 441,250 workers $45,970 Lake Charles 100,270 workers $45,170 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux 82,770 workers $44,150 Shreveport-Bossier City 159,970 workers $42,270 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington 100,690 workers $40,760 Lafayette 175,530 workers $39,600 Baton Rouge pay: common questions What is the average salary in Baton Rouge? The median across all occupations is $47,940 , or $23.05 an hour, covering 403,240 wage and salary workers. The mean is $59,790, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Baton Rouge pay more than the rest of Louisiana? Yes. The metro median of $47,940 is 9.5% above the Louisiana median of $43,770. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Baton Rouge? Dentists, General ($189,390), Architectural and Engineering Managers ($173,350), Industrial Production Managers ($154,800). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Baton Rouge unusually full of? Boilermakers, at 41.18× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.