Louisiana boasted the 4th highest concentration of jobs for electricians in the country as of 2015 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In fact, the BLS ranked Baton Rouge as the city with the 9th highest concentration of jobs for electricians in the country that year.
With construction at high levels in Louisiana, experts in this area expressed such concern about having enough skilled craft workers to satisfy demand that business, industry, government, and organized labor organized a state task force in 2013 to examine ways to enhance the state’s craft workforce.
Electricians are particularly in demand in Louisiana and had the 3rd highest number of job openings out of all of the types of construction jobs between 2011 and 2016 according to the state’s Workforce Commission. Electricians also made the Commission’s list of top 25 occupations that would add the most jobs through 2024.
Although declines in the energy sector have affected construction in Louisiana in recent times, the state offers a large number of construction projects as of mid 2016. In fact, recent information from the Louisiana Workforce Commission indicated that construction was the fastest growing type of industry on the basis of number of jobs that will be produced over the past year.
More than $63 billion worth of projects were under construction or completed in Louisiana as of late 2015 according to economist Loren Scott who was quoted in The Advocate. At that time, more than $83 billion worth of new plants and expansions remained in the design and permitting stages. This publication summarized major construction trends in southern Louisiana as of 2015:
New Orleans:
- Nearly $1 billion in condos being built
- $826 million airport expansion
- Industrial expansions of more than $1 billion already underway
Baton Rouge:
- Almost all of $8.1 billion in industrial expansions announced are already underway
Lake Charles:
- $39.6 billion of industrial projects underway
- $45 billion in the engineering and permitting stages
Salaries for Residential Electricians Throughout Louisiana
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians in Louisiana’s major cities and rural areas. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):
Salaries for Specialty Electricians in the Major Cities of Louisiana
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work in a number of Louisiana’s cities (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers:
- Baton Rouge: $54,890 – $75,030
- Lafayette: $48,210 – $90,380
- Lake Charles: $50,310 – $77,130
- Monroe: $66,630 – $81,260
- New Orleans-Metairie: $40,780 – $77,130
- Shreveport-Bossier City: $52,580 – $73,700
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Commercial and Industrial Equipment:
- Baton Rouge: $69,200 – $93,040
- Lafayette: $48,920 – $75,760
- Lake Charles: $58,190 – $77,210
- Monroe: $63,130 – $83,530
- New Orleans-Metairie: $70,510 – $93,150
- Shreveport-Bossier City: $48,920 – $62,500
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Transportation Equipment:
- Baton Rouge: $52,440 – $61,870
- New Orleans-Metairie: $52,610 – $72,000
Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers Specializing in Motor Vehicles:
- Lafayette: $24,200 – $37,040
Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers:
- Baton Rouge: $35,640 – $39,790
- Monroe: $28,240 – $56,900
- Shreveport-Bossier City: $25,780 – $55,850
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers:
- Baton Rouge: $37,630 – $55,940
- Lafayette: $29,240 – $49,400
- Monroe: $38,940 – $86,500
- New Orleans-Metairie: $38,790 – $48,610
- Shreveport-Bossier City: $32,610 – $44,110
The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:
Salaries for Electrician Apprentices Throughout Louisiana
Louisiana boasted the highest concentration of jobs for electrician apprentices in the country as of 2015 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Five of Louisiana’s metropolitan areas ranked in the top 9 list of cities with the highest concentration of jobs for electrician apprentices that year:
- Baton Rouge: #3
- Lake Charles: #4
- Houma-Thibodeaux #6
- Monroe #8
- Lafayette #9
The BLS provides salary data for the occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” in Louisiana’s major cities and rural areas. This information is shown here to represent the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship in 2015: