Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Millwright Salary in New Orleans
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Industrial · COL Index: 95
Millwrights in New Orleans, LA earn a median annual wage of $68,970 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $56,950 and the 90th at $106,510. After cost of living, that translates to $72,600 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: C (65/100).
What Millwrights Take Home in New Orleans
The $49,560 spread between entry-level and top-decile millwrights in New Orleans is around 72% of the median — a typical range for skilled trades. Workers can roughly double their entry pay through a combination of experience, certifications, union membership, and moving from helper to journeyman to foreman roles.
New Orleans's cost-of-living index of 95 is within a few points of the U.S. average, so the $68,970 median for millwrights here translates almost directly into real purchasing power — roughly $72,600 in U.S.-average terms. What you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment up or down.
With a Trade Pay Score of 65 (C), millwrights in New Orleans are mid-tier — neither standout strong nor materially weak. The combination earns a reasonable nominal wage but is dragged down by either flatter wage growth, a higher cost of living that erodes purchasing power, or thinner employment depth. Workers should compare the per-trade pages to see if a different metro improves the grade.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $56,950 | $59,947 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $59,830 | $62,979 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $68,970 | $72,600 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $74,090 | $77,989 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $106,510 | $112,116 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. 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%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for millwrights, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in New Orleans are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Millwright make in New Orleans?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median millwright salary in New Orleans, LA is $68,970. The 10th percentile is $56,950 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $106,510 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does New Orleans pay compare for Millwrights?
With a Trade Pay Score of 65/100 and a grade of C, the New Orleans-Millwright pairing is a mid-tier combination that is neither standout strong nor materially weak.
What is the apprenticeship path for Millwrights in New Orleans?
Millwrights typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($56,950) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Millwright pay in New Orleans?
New Orleans has a cost-of-living index of 95. The median millwright salary of $68,970 translates to $72,600 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Millwrights in New Orleans, LA earn a median annual wage of $68,970 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $56,950 and the 90th at $106,510. After cost of living, that translates to $72,600 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: C (65/100).
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
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.