How much do plasterers make in Louisiana in 2026?

The median plasterer in Louisiana earns $49,950 a year, which works out to roughly $24.01 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of plasterers in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're sizing up a job offer or negotiating a raise, that number is your baseline.

The full spread tells you more. At the 25th percentile, plasterers earn $44,550 a year (~$21.42/hr). These are typically workers early in their careers or those in lower-demand areas of the state. At the 75th percentile, the figure climbs to $56,070 a year (~$26.96/hr). That upper quarter is where experienced journeymen, lead finishers, and workers in high-volume commercial or restoration markets tend to land. The gap between the bottom and top of that range is about $11,500 a year — meaningful money, and most of it comes down to experience and the type of work you're doing.

Plastering in Louisiana isn't a single job. Workers who specialize in ornamental or decorative plaster — the kind found in historic New Orleans properties, old courthouses, and restored commercial buildings — tend to command more than those doing standard interior scratch-and-finish work on new residential construction. Historic preservation work requires a specific skill set, patience, and knowledge of traditional materials like lime putty and hair plaster, and employers doing that work pay accordingly. If you haven't developed those skills, it's worth pursuing them.

Stucco and EIFS (exterior insulation and finish systems) application also falls under the plasterer classification in most markets, and demand for exterior work tends to pick up in the warmer months. Louisiana's climate means exterior work is viable for more of the year than in northern states, which can translate to more consistent hours. That matters because overtime hours at time-and-a-half can add several thousand dollars to your annual take-home if you're working a busy commercial or restoration project.

Geography within Louisiana shifts pay as well. The greater New Orleans metro has a dense stock of historic buildings and an active hospitality and commercial renovation sector, which drives demand for skilled finish work. Baton Rouge and the industrial corridor between the two cities generate steady commercial construction. In more rural parishes, the volume of plastering work is lower, and so is the competition for available jobs — but so, generally, are rates.

These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. The OEWS captures base wages at a point in time. It does not include overtime, per diem, tool allowances, or employer-paid benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions — all of which affect your real total compensation. A job paying $24/hr with full benefits and steady overtime is worth considerably more than a straight hourly comparison suggests.

Some workers in this trade may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

The single most reliable way to move from the 25th to the 75th percentile is accumulating years on the tools paired with deliberate skill-building. Plasterers who can work ornamental molds, run screeds, match historic finishes, and supervise a small crew are the ones employers compete for. Certifications in specific systems — certain EIFS manufacturers offer installer credentials, for example — can also set you apart on commercial bid work where the general contractor or spec requires certified applicators.

If you're earlier in your career, targeting employers doing restoration and commercial interior work over straight tract-home stucco will build a more versatile and higher-value skill set faster. The pay difference between a general laborer running a hawk-and-trowel under supervision and a journeyman plasterer who can read a spec and deliver a Level 5 finish is reflected clearly in the numbers above.