Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Sheet Metal Worker Salary in New Orleans
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Metalwork · COL Index: 95
Sheet Metal Workers in New Orleans, LA earn a median annual wage of $61,090 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $39,260 and the 90th at $75,360. After cost of living, that translates to $64,305 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: C (58/100).
What Sheet Metal Workers Take Home in New Orleans
The $36,100 spread between entry-level and top-decile sheet metal workers in New Orleans is relatively narrow — about 59% of the median. That tight band usually signals a trade where pay scales primarily with experience rather than employer or specialization. New entrants can expect to climb steadily toward median pay over their first 5-10 years.
New Orleans's cost-of-living index of 95 is within a few points of the U.S. average, so the $61,090 median for sheet metal workers here translates almost directly into real purchasing power — roughly $64,305 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 58 (C), sheet metal workers 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) | $39,260 | $41,326 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $50,570 | $53,232 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $61,090 | $64,305 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $63,800 | $67,158 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $75,360 | $79,326 |
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 sheet metal workers, 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 Sheet Metal Worker make in New Orleans?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median sheet metal worker salary in New Orleans, LA is $61,090. The 10th percentile is $39,260 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $75,360 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does New Orleans pay compare for Sheet Metal Workers?
With a Trade Pay Score of 58/100 and a grade of C, the New Orleans-Sheet Metal Worker pairing is a mid-tier combination that is neither standout strong nor materially weak.
What is the apprenticeship path for Sheet Metal Workers in New Orleans?
Sheet Metal Workers typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($39,260) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Sheet Metal Worker pay in New Orleans?
New Orleans has a cost-of-living index of 95. The median sheet metal worker salary of $61,090 translates to $64,305 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.
Sheet Metal Workers in New Orleans, LA earn a median annual wage of $61,090 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $39,260 and the 90th at $75,360. After cost of living, that translates to $64,305 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: C (58/100).
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.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.