Occupational profile · 2025
Louisiana
Louisiana employs 1,934,900 people. The work it does most unusually is extraction workers, all other, at 23.9× the national concentration — 1,650 jobs paying a median of $48,070.
What Louisiana is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Extraction Workers, All Other1,650 jobs · median $48,07023.9×
- 2Sailors and Marine Oilers7,580 jobs · median $46,61019.2×
- 3Chemical Plant and System Operators3,400 jobs · median $100,06016.4×
- 4Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels6,830 jobs · median $117,16014.9×
- 5Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers1,370 jobs · median $64,11011.3×
- 6Boilermakers1,220 jobs · median $73,9809.6×
- 7Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other3,900 jobs · median $63,2408.9×
- 8Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers3,490 jobs · median $106,6408.4×
- 9Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other2,190 jobs · median $39,9607.1×
- 10Drafters, All Other1,200 jobs · median $68,4706.6×
- 11Riggers1,840 jobs · median $43,6606.6×
- 12Roustabouts, Oil and Gas3,460 jobs · median $44,8506.2×
What Louisiana is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 224,190 | 1.01× | $39,530 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 187,060 | 1.10× | $39,200 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 186,890 | 1.10× | $23,400 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 169,300 | 1.01× | $32,570 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 147,700 | 1.21× | $74,150 | |
| Management Occupations | 120,950 | 0.87× | $102,170 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 111,610 | 1.40× | $49,950 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 108,840 | 0.96× | $56,970 | |
| Production Occupations | 102,050 | 0.96× | $49,890 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 98,760 | 1.00× | $29,070 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 95,810 | 1.27× | $53,030 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 90,070 | 0.69× | $69,240 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 58,850 | 1.25× | $41,740 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 56,000 | 0.99× | $29,510 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 36,480 | 0.90× | $27,990 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 30,350 | 0.93× | $94,970 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 29,250 | 0.88× | $49,220 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 26,330 | 0.40× | $78,890 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 18,690 | 0.73× | $49,910 | |
| Legal Occupations | 17,160 | 1.06× | $77,250 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 15,350 | 0.84× | $75,360 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 3,230 | 0.60× | $48,510 |
Elsewhere on Louisiana
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗