Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in New Orleans
Skilled-trade workers in New Orleans, LA earn an average median wage of $60,816 across 36 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 95, that translates to roughly $64,017 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $108,100.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in New Orleans
New Orleans's cost-of-living index of 95 is essentially at the U.S. average. Nominal trade wages here are a reasonable proxy for real purchasing power — what you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment needed up or down for COL. That makes New Orleans a useful baseline for comparing trade pay across the country.
The single highest-paying trade in New Orleans is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $108,100 per BLS OEWS data. Telecommunications Tech ranks second at $81,110 — a gap of $26,990 between #1 and #2. Wider gaps usually signal a specialty trade with steep certification or experience requirements; narrower gaps indicate broad-based wage strength across multiple skilled occupations in the metro.
New Orleans's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 60, a middle-of-the-pack C grade. Some trades in the metro deliver strong real pay; others are dragged down by either weak nominal wages or cost-of-living offsets. Use the table below to identify the trades where New Orleans compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in New Orleans
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $108,100 | $69,560 – $178,160 | B | 830 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $81,110 | $59,480 – $95,820 | C | 680 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $79,890 | $62,200 – $117,140 | B | 70 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $76,710 | $47,140 – $117,340 | B | 240 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $76,710 | $47,140 – $117,340 | B | 240 |
| Boilermaker | Industrial | $75,370 | $64,650 – $78,710 | C | 120 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $68,970 | $56,950 – $106,510 | C | 110 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $67,740 | $47,970 – $101,440 | C | 320 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $65,350 | $50,940 – $95,760 | C | 460 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $64,340 | $38,830 – $79,940 | C | 1,530 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $64,340 | $38,830 – $79,940 | C | 1,530 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $64,340 | $38,830 – $79,940 | C | 1,530 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $64,340 | $38,830 – $79,940 | C | 1,530 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $63,080 | $38,410 – $106,010 | B | 1,160 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $62,300 | $39,000 – $73,900 | C | 320 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $61,560 | $42,180 – $90,530 | D | 670 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $61,090 | $39,260 – $75,360 | C | 230 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $60,840 | $38,050 – $79,320 | B | 2,150 |
| Welder | Welding | $60,590 | $45,620 – $82,330 | C | 1,470 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $60,590 | $45,620 – $82,330 | C | 1,470 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $60,590 | $45,620 – $82,330 | C | 1,470 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $58,430 | $43,050 – $85,960 | C | 680 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $57,780 | $36,700 – $79,950 | C | 1,080 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $57,780 | $36,700 – $79,950 | C | 1,080 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $56,440 | $46,020 – $86,670 | C | 380 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $53,460 | $30,830 – $59,130 | D | 90 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $51,430 | $38,950 – $77,900 | C | 1,330 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $51,130 | $37,270 – $67,750 | D | 1,660 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $49,140 | $29,550 – $80,820 | D | 1,470 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $47,350 | $29,460 – $59,380 | D | 50 |
| Roofer | Construction | $47,070 | $32,610 – $77,580 | D | 150 |
| Glazier | Construction | $46,860 | $24,570 – $63,220 | D | 160 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $44,380 | $33,620 – $59,360 | D | 690 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $43,240 | $21,860 – $102,390 | D | 60 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $42,060 | $28,810 – $70,950 | D | 5,260 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $34,890 | $28,150 – $56,170 | F | 70 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure on this page comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, published annually at bls.gov/oes. BLS surveys hundreds of thousands of employers per release; the resulting percentile wages (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) are the gold standard for U.S. wage benchmarking. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%); read the full methodology.
Career outlook data — projected employment growth through 2032, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in the New Orleans area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in New Orleans?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in New Orleans, LA, with a median annual wage of $108,100. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $178,160, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $69,560. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in New Orleans?
The average median wage across all 36 skilled trades tracked in New Orleans is $60,816. With a cost-of-living index of 95, that converts to $64,017 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in New Orleans growing?
Five-year wage growth across New Orleans's tracked trades varies by occupation — energy and electrification trades have generally posted the strongest gains, while general construction labor has tracked closer to inflation. Detailed projected employment growth through 2032 for each trade is published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Where can I find apprenticeships in New Orleans?
Registered apprenticeship programs are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov site at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/. You can filter by city, state, and occupation. Most skilled trades require 3-5 years of registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay; the per-trade pages on TradeWages list typical year-by-year apprentice pay as a percentage of journeyman scale.
How does pay in New Orleans compare to other metros?
New Orleans's average Trade Pay Score is 60/100, a mid-tier grade. The score combines nominal pay, 5-year wage growth, employment depth, and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power, so it captures both how much you earn and how far that income goes locally. Compare New Orleans against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in New Orleans, LA earn an average median wage of $60,816 across 36 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 95, that translates to roughly $64,017 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $108,100.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.