SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education — Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge, LA · 9 metro areas compared

$38,840 /year
$18.68per hour
810jobs in area
+1.8%vs US median

The median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Baton Rouge, LA is $38,840 per year, close to the national median of $38,140 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $38,14010TH$28,050MEDIAN$38,84075TH$50,75090TH$60,320

How pay has moved

$41,585$25,1152019202020212022202320242025$38,840
$27,860 in 2019 to $38,840 in 2025, +39.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+4.1%
Openings per year
65,500
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Baton Rouge, 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 for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Baton Rouge, LA is $38,840 per year, close to the national median of $38,140 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $28,050 at the tenth percentile to more than $60,320 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $29,760 to $50,750.

Employment stands at 810, or 2.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Houma leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $51,310. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 371st of 491 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Baton Rouge, LA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$28,050−26.5%
25th$29,760−22.0%
Median (50th)$38,840+1.8%
75th$50,750+33.1%
90th$60,320+58.2%
Mean$41,640+9.2%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Louisiana

Median annual wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Houma$51,310140
2Lake Charles$45,480150
3New Orleans$42,570730
4Slidell$38,100180
5Alexandria$36,840160
6Hammond$36,600160
7Lafayette$35,820300
8Shreveport$35,590280
9Monroe$35,450210

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Baton Rouge run 9.2% below the national average, so the median of $38,840 goes as far as $42,775 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 12.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$38,840as reported by BLS

Local price level

90.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$42,775US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $38,840 a year, 1.8% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $28,050 to $60,320 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 810 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Houma, at $51,310.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Baton Rouge, LA?

The median annual wage is $38,840, or $18.68 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 $38,140, so pay in Baton Rouge, LA is 1.8% higher. 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 Baton Rouge, LA earns more than $60,320 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $28,050 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.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Houma, at $51,310 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 810 jobs in this occupation in Baton Rouge, LA. Self-employed workers are not included.

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.

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Salary in Baton Rouge, LA (2025): $38,840 Median | Salary Explorer