SOC 53-7031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Dredge Operators — New Orleans
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
The median wage here is $49,390 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $49,640.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +1.2%
- Openings per year
- 100
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
8.0% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage here is $49,390 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $49,640. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $46,170 and $49,410. The lowest tenth earn under $43,520, while the highest tenth earn more than $60,410.
Of the 505 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 300th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $43,520 | −12.3% |
| 25th | $46,170 | −7.0% |
| Median (50th) | $49,390 | −0.5% |
| 75th | $49,410 | −0.5% |
| 90th | $60,410 | +21.7% |
| Mean | $50,180 | +1.1% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New Orleans run 7.4% below the national average, so the median of $49,390 goes as far as $53,337 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 7.4% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$49,390as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$53,337US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $49,390 a year, 0.5% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $43,520 to $60,410 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Dredge Operators in New Orleans, LA?
The median annual wage is $49,390, or $23.74 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $49,640, so pay in New Orleans, LA is 0.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in New Orleans, LA earns more than $60,410 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $43,520 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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