Capital Region wages 12% below national average, report says

The average worker in the Baton Rouge area was making $19.14 per hour as of May last year, about $2.60 less than the average U.S. worker—or about 12% less. That's according to a new report out today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that contains employment and wage data for 22 major occupations groups in the Baton Rouge area as well as nearly 500 detailed jobs. Local wages for the major groups ranged from $9.45 per hour in food preparation and serving-related jobs to $43.84 in management occupations. The report says local wages were measurably lower than their respective national averages in 18 of the 22 occupational groups. Two local groups, however, had measurably higher wages: first line supervisors of construction trades; extraction workers and plumbers; and pipefitters and steamfitters. Check out the complete report on Baton Rouge wages here; and see all metro area reports here.