Louisiana's janitorial workforce earns a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $13.44 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011) — among the five lowest states nationally for this occupation, and $3.83/hr below the national median. Louisiana has no state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25/hr floor governs all FLSA-covered employers, creating a $6.19/hr gap between the legal minimum and the prevailing median. The state's oil-and-gas dependent economy creates unusually wide intra-state wage variation.
What employers should plan for
- Floor: $7.25/hr federal minimum (no Louisiana state minimum wage statute). Louisiana is one of only five states with no minimum wage law at all, relying entirely on federal FLSA enforcement. New Orleans and Baton Rouge do not have local minimum wage ordinances.
- Local floors: No Louisiana parish or municipality has enacted a local minimum wage. A New Orleans living wage ordinance applies to city contractors on city-funded projects but is not a general employer mandate.
- Loaded labor rate: Commercial cleaning bids in Louisiana typically run $20–$26/hr total loaded cost — among the lowest in this batch. Petrochemical-adjacent industrial cleaning near Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Houma can command higher rates due to hazardous environment premiums.
- Workers' comp class 9014 — Louisiana is an NCCI jurisdiction; estimated base rate approximately $1.40–$1.80/$100 payroll. Louisiana's WC costs run below national average for this classification; the Rich States Poor States 2022 WC index shows Louisiana at $1.41/$100 average across all occupations.
High-wage metros vs. low-wage metros
Hammond MSA (Tangipahoa Parish) leads the state at an outlier median $15.56/hr (25th: $11.53, 75th: $17.12) — likely reflecting the Southeastern Louisiana University campus and proximity to the New Orleans metro spillover. New Orleans-Metairie, the state's largest commercial market, comes in at median $14.00/hr (25th: $11.71, 75th: $17.00, 90th: $19.38). On the low end, Shreveport-Bossier City posts a median of $11.14/hr (25th: $8.84/hr — one of the lowest 25th percentile rates in the nation) and Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux at $11.17/hr, where the oil-patch workforce depression and bayou-economy wage structure keep cleaning wages near the federal floor.
Wage percentile distribution (BLS OEWS 2024)
- 10th percentile: $9.06/hr
- 25th percentile: $10.79/hr
- Median (50th): $13.44/hr
- 75th percentile: $15.91/hr
- 90th percentile: $18.72/hr
Louisiana's 10th percentile at $9.06/hr — just $1.81/hr above the federal minimum — confirms the legal floor is effectively binding for a substantial portion of the workforce. The $9.66/hr spread from 10th to 90th reflects the state's extreme economic geography, from the near-poverty-level rural bayou markets to New Orleans commercial real estate. The compressed upper tail (75th to 90th: $2.81/hr) indicates limited premium commercial contracts outside New Orleans.
Union presence
Louisiana is a right-to-work state with private-sector union density approximately 4–5%. Commercial cleaning is almost entirely non-union statewide. SEIU 32BJ and SEIU Local 1 have no Louisiana commercial cleaning operations. UNITE HERE Local 23 represents hotel and casino housekeeping workers in New Orleans (including Harrah's and major French Quarter properties), but this does not influence commercial office cleaning wage patterns. Some industrial cleaning workers at petrochemical facilities in the Lake Charles-Baton Rouge corridor are covered under refinery maintenance contractor agreements (IBEW, Operating Engineers), but these are sector-specific and carry different wage scales.
What this means for bid math
Louisiana offers the lowest prevailing janitorial wages in this batch alongside Mississippi, with a median of $13.44/hr. Total loaded labor runs approximately $20–$24/hr (1.50–1.80× base). New Orleans contracts should use $14.00/hr as the base benchmark; Shreveport and Houma-area contracts can price at $11.00–$12.50/hr base. Given the 10th percentile at $9.06/hr, bids targeting lower-wage rural markets must still comply with the $7.25/hr federal minimum — but competition for low-cost cleaning contracts may push effective rates close to $10/hr in these markets. Budget conservatively for multi-year contracts given Louisiana's periodic exposure to hurricane-related supply chain and labor disruption costs.
Primary sources
- O*NET Local Wages — Louisiana (BLS OEWS May 2024 data)
- DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws
- Louisiana Workforce Commission — Labor Market Information
- Commercial Cleaning Licensing in Louisiana →
- OSHA Compliance for Janitorial in Louisiana →
- Workers' Comp Class 9014 in Louisiana →