New Orleans–Metairie, LA

Janitorial Wages in New Orleans–Metairie, LA (2026)

Last updated Q2 2026 · Authored by the Opora Editorial Team · Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 + Federal FLSA minimum wage ($7.25/hr; Louisiana has no state minimum wage law)

The New Orleans–Metairie MSA is one of the most economically distinctive metros in the United States—and among the lowest-wage janitorial markets in this batch. O*NET 2024 local wages show a median hourly wage of $14.00 for SOC 37-2011 janitors, with the 10th percentile at $10.27/hr—barely above Louisiana's $7.25/hr minimum (federal floor, no state supplement). Louisiana is right-to-work with no material SEIU commercial janitorial presence. The post-Katrina (2005) labor market disruption permanently altered the workforce composition of the metro, creating a market with a high proportion of informal work arrangements that persists two decades later. For BSC operators, this creates both a wage-cost advantage versus northern cities and a compliance risk: informal 1099 arrangements commonplace culturally face federal FLSA enforcement and IRS payroll liability that are entirely real.

BLS OEWS May 2024 Wage Distribution

Percentile	Hourly	Annual	Benchmark
10th	$10.27	$21,360	Near-federal minimum; informal cleaning work; hospitality sub-sector entry
25th	$11.71	$24,360	Hotel/hospitality-adjacent cleaning; French Quarter small commercial accounts
50th (Median)	$14.00	$29,120	Standard commercial cleaner; Metairie suburban office parks, Mid-City corridor
75th	$17.00	$35,360	Healthcare EVS (Tulane Medical, Ochsner Health), convention center event crews
90th	$19.38	$40,310	Port of New Orleans contracts; SCA-covered federal building cleaning; senior oil-services facility leads

Source: O*NET Local Wages LA 2024, SOC 37-2011. Louisiana minimum wage: $7.25/hr (federal). Annual at 2,080 hours.

Hospitality Cleaning: Bourbon Street and the Convention Center

New Orleans derives approximately 40% of its economy from tourism. Bourbon Street generates thousands of gallons of liquid waste per weekend night; power-washing crews work 2:00–6:00 AM, debris removal teams operate around the clock, and daytime surface cleaning continues throughout the day at $12–$15/hr with $1–$2/hr night premiums. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (1.1 million square feet—one of the 10 largest in the US) generates event-driven cleaning demand that can surge to 300+ cleaners during the Super Bowl, Essence Festival, or Jazz Fest. Convention cleaning crews earn $14–$18/hr with overtime during peak setup/teardown. UNITE HERE Local 23 benchmarks for major Bourbon/Canal Street hotel housekeeping influence non-union rates at $13–$17/hr for comparable properties.

Post-Katrina Labor Market and Workforce Composition

Hurricane Katrina's 2005 displacement of 275,000+ New Orleans residents and the subsequent recovery drew a large influx of Latino immigrant workers who filled construction, debris removal, and hospitality service positions. Two decades later, this demographic composition persists in the low-wage service workforce. Spanish-language communications and bilingual supervision are operational necessities for BSCs working the French Quarter and Metairie corridors. Louisiana has no state-level ABC test; BSC operators using subcontractor arrangements face primarily federal FLSA enforcement risk and IRS payroll liability rather than the PAGA-style state penalties seen in California or the NJ DOL audit exposure of New Jersey. However, sustained misclassification generates back payroll taxes, interest, and penalties across FICA, FUTA, and state SUI—cumulative exposure that can easily exceed $100K for operators with 20+ misclassified workers over three years.

Port of New Orleans and Marine Industry Cleaning

Port NOLA handles approximately 37 million tons of cargo annually and operates as a major cruise terminal (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian). Cruise turnaround cleaning deploys 30–80 cleaners within a 3–5 hour window; effective earnings including turnaround bonus run $16–$21/hr. Industrial cargo facility cleaning requires hazmat protocol awareness at $17–$25/hr. Workers accessing secure port areas must hold TWIC cards—adding 3–4 weeks to hiring timelines. Port cleaning contracts are multi-year with SCA-adjacent prevailing wage requirements on federally-funded infrastructure.

Oil and Gas Services Cleaning

New Orleans serves as the administrative hub for Louisiana's offshore oil and gas industry. Shell, BP, Chevron, and oilfield services companies (Halliburton, Baker Hughes) maintain office buildings and support facilities in Metairie, the CBD, and the West Bank. Oilfield services facility cleaning requires H₂S awareness training, chemical inventory management documentation, and drilling fluid protocol awareness; wages on oil services accounts run $15–$20/hr for office facilities and $18–$25/hr for technical facilities. The offshore sector's boom-bust cycle creates contract volatility: cleaning volumes at major energy Metairie offices can vary 20–30% with commodity price cycles, requiring flexible staffing arrangements rather than fixed headcount commitments.

Healthcare, Non-Union Market, and Loaded Cost

The healthcare sector provides the most stable high-wage institutional cleaning. Ochsner Health System (largest private employer in Louisiana, multiple hospital campuses): EVS wages $17–$22/hr. Tulane Medical Center and University Medical Center New Orleans: combined EVS market at $17–$21/hr. Children's Hospital New Orleans: specialized pediatric environment. University cleaning at Tulane, Loyola, Xavier, and Dillard generates campus demand at $14–$18/hr. Louisiana's right-to-work statute (R.S. 23:981) combined with no meaningful SEIU commercial presence creates a purely market-competitive wage environment. Major operators: ABM Industries, Jani-King franchise operators, ServiceMaster, and regional hospitality-focused companies. Louisiana WC (NCCI Class 9014) runs approximately $2.60/$100 payroll. Loaded labor at $14.00/hr median: FICA + WC + SUI + liability = approximately $18–$22/hr all-in. Standard commercial bill rates: $22–$30/hr; healthcare EVS: $26–$36/hr.

Primary sources

Review notice

This wage data is maintained by the Opora editorial team and last reviewed in Q2 2026. BLS OEWS data is released annually each spring; state and local minimum wages change at least yearly. Verify current rates with BLS, the relevant state labor department, and any applicable SCA wage determination before relying on a specific bid number. Opora does not provide legal or tax advice.