Home / Wages / Lafayette Lafayette salaries The median worker in the Lafayette, LA metro area earned $39,600 a year in 2024, about $19.04 an hour. That ranks #360 of the 391 metro areas published here, 20% below the national median.
Louisiana
Median pay $39,600 $19.04 per hour
Vs national -20% U.S. $49,500
Workers 175,530 wage and salary
Metro rank #360 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Lafayette pays 9.5% less 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.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas 34.09× 510 $47,930 Roustabouts, Oil and Gas 16.9× 870 $48,760 Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas 11.95× 600 $46,290 Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 6.36× 1,180 $49,180 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines 5.23× 1,070 $61,530 Food Preparation Workers 3.83× 3,880 $22,360 Production Workers, All Other 3.68× 1,160 $35,900 Engineers, All Other 3.64× 630 $75,650 Machinists 3.08× 1,050 $51,750 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 3.02× 2,170 $48,900 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 2.87× 1,390 $54,080 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 2.6× 1,750 $35,940
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Lafayette Occupation Median Hourly Employed General Internal Medicine Physicians $180,960 $87.00 400 Pharmacists $129,310 $62.17 450 Lawyers $121,780 $58.55 800 Nurse Practitioners $120,670 $58.02 390 Financial Managers $105,290 $50.62 630 Construction Managers $103,910 $49.96 290 Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $101,680 $48.88 260 General and Operations Managers $100,250 $48.20 4,400 Software Developers $100,200 $48.18 600 Medical and Health Services Managers $99,210 $47.70 550 Sales Managers $97,250 $46.75 370 Civil Engineers $97,020 $46.65 240 Computer Systems Analysts $94,430 $45.40 210 Managers, All Other $93,570 $44.98 1,780 Physical Therapists $93,560 $44.98 240 Management Analysts $87,960 $42.29 230 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians $85,340 $41.03 270 Project Management Specialists $83,800 $40.29 640 Dental Hygienists $82,270 $39.56 250 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $77,050 n/a 340 Computer Programmers $76,980 $37.01 220 Registered Nurses $76,550 $36.81 4,680 Engineers, All Other $75,650 $36.37 630 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $68,840 $33.10 1,230 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $68,760 $33.06 730 Speech-Language Pathologists $67,170 $32.29 230 Accountants and Auditors $66,330 $31.89 1,110 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers $65,590 $31.54 220 Compliance Officers $65,550 $31.52 240 Respiratory Therapists $64,390 $30.96 220 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $63,760 $30.66 200 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $62,880 $30.23 700 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $62,790 $30.19 2,330 Buyers and Purchasing Agents $61,870 $29.75 220 Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines $61,530 $29.58 1,070 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $60,620 $29.14 1,520 Computer Occupations, All Other $60,530 $29.10 240 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $60,100 $28.90 310 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $59,660 $28.68 380 Food Service Managers $59,540 $28.63 240 Industrial Machinery Mechanics $59,260 $28.49 440 Therapists, All Other $58,550 $28.15 210 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists $56,570 $27.20 270 Electricians $56,480 $27.15 650 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $56,160 $27.00 550 Human Resources Specialists $55,860 $26.85 420 First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $55,310 $26.59 580 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers $54,080 $26.00 1,390 Postal Service Mail Carriers $53,960 $25.94 460 Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents $53,810 $25.87 370 English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary $53,800 n/a 200 Coaches and Scouts $53,420 n/a 220 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $53,110 $25.53 1,710 Computer User Support Specialists $53,090 $25.52 490 Surgical Technologists $51,930 $24.97 210 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $51,860 $24.93 560 Machinists $51,750 $24.88 1,050 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other $51,320 $24.67 490 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $51,050 $24.54 730 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $50,910 $24.48 1,170
Where most people work Largest occupations in Lafayette by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Retail Salespersons 5,360 $27,510 $13.23 Cashiers 4,960 $22,810 $10.97 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 4,830 $19,890 $9.56 Office Clerks, General 4,700 $31,720 $15.25 Registered Nurses 4,680 $76,550 $36.81 General and Operations Managers 4,400 $100,250 $48.20 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 4,040 $29,480 $14.17 Food Preparation Workers 3,880 $22,360 $10.75 Waiters and Waitresses 3,390 $16,470 $7.92 Fast Food and Counter Workers 3,300 $22,790 $10.96 Stockers and Order Fillers 2,600 $31,400 $15.10 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 2,540 $49,200 $23.66 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 2,520 $38,890 $18.70 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 2,330 $62,790 $30.19 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 2,180 $41,920 $20.15 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 2,170 $48,900 $23.51 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 2,150 $38,140 $18.34 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 2,070 $26,420 $12.70 Construction Laborers 2,000 $38,170 $18.35 Nursing Assistants 1,880 $29,490 $14.18
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 Baton Rouge 403,240 workers $47,940 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 pay: common questions What is the average salary in Lafayette? The median across all occupations is $39,600 , or $19.04 an hour, covering 175,530 wage and salary workers. The mean is $51,150, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Lafayette pay more than the rest of Louisiana? No. The metro median of $39,600 is 9.5% below 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 Lafayette? General Internal Medicine Physicians ($180,960), Pharmacists ($129,310), Lawyers ($121,780). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Lafayette unusually full of? Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas, at 34.09× 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.