How much do millwrights make in Louisiana in 2026?

The median millwright in Louisiana earns $66,080 a year, which works out to roughly $31.77 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the range — half of millwrights in the state earn more, half earn less. The spread matters here: the 25th percentile sits at $58,200 (~$27.98/hr), and the 75th percentile reaches $76,780 (~$36.91/hr). That $18,580 gap between the bottom quarter and the top quarter reflects real differences in experience, employer type, and the complexity of equipment a millwright is trusted to handle.

Louisiana's industrial base is what makes millwright work abundant here. The state is home to petrochemical plants along the Mississippi River corridor, paper mills, grain elevators, and heavy manufacturing facilities clustered around Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and the New Orleans metro. Millwrights who specialize in alignment work, turbine installation, or conveyor systems at these facilities tend to land in the upper half of the pay band. The more critical the machinery — and the more costly a shutdown — the more employers pay for a millwright who gets it right the first time.

Entry-level and apprentice-stage millwrights in Louisiana typically start below the 25th percentile. Once you've accumulated three to five years working on industrial installs and can read blueprints, use laser alignment tools, and work confidently at height, you're likely crossing into the $62,000–$66,000 range. Reaching the 75th percentile at $76,780 usually means a decade or more of experience, proficiency with precision alignment equipment, and a track record on major turnaround projects.

Turnarounds and plant shutdowns are worth understanding if you're thinking about annual earnings rather than just base hourly rate. Louisiana's refinery and chemical plant turnarounds are some of the largest in the country, and millwrights who work them can log significant overtime — sometimes 60-plus hours a week for weeks at a stretch. BLS wage data captures straight-time hourly rates and doesn't reflect overtime premiums. A millwright earning $31.77/hr straight time who works a heavy turnaround schedule can meaningfully outpace what the median annual figure suggests.

No union scale is available for this trade in Louisiana through this data set. That doesn't mean union work is absent — building trades locals do operate in the state, particularly for large industrial construction projects — but the BLS OEWS figures here reflect the full mix of union and non-union employment without a separate union breakdown.

Geography within Louisiana also influences pay. Millwrights working in the industrial corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, or in the Lake Charles petrochemical belt, tend to see stronger demand and higher pay than those in more rural parishes. Employers in areas with fewer qualified millwrights available often pay a premium or offer travel allowances to attract workers.

To move toward the top of the pay range, the clearest levers are specialization and certification. Millwrights who add rigging supervisor credentials, precision shaft alignment certifications, or experience with specific equipment types — turbines, large pumps, gearboxes — become harder to replace and easier to justify at $36–$38/hr. Some employers also pay a premium for millwrights who can take on lead or foreman roles on a crew, overseeing installation quality and coordinating with engineers and contractors.

All figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. These are employer-reported wages and represent straight-time pay. They do not include overtime, bonuses, per diem, or benefits.