SOC 53-7081 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors — Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA · 8 metro areas compared
The median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Baton Rouge, LA is $44,300 per year, 10.8% below the national median of $49,690.
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
- +0.9%
- Openings per year
- 16,900
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
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 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Baton Rouge, LA is $44,300 per year, 10.8% below the national median of $49,690. Half of workers earn between $38,500 and $58,580. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $31,850 and the ninetieth at $61,200.
Employment stands at 390, or 1.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Shreveport records the highest median at $42,120. Of the 491 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 350th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $31,850 | −35.9% |
| 25th | $38,500 | −22.5% |
| Median (50th) | $44,300 | −10.8% |
| 75th | $58,580 | +17.9% |
| 90th | $61,200 | +23.2% |
| Mean | $47,460 | −4.5% |
Other metro areas in Louisiana
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport | $42,120 | 160 | |
| 2 | Slidell | $39,900 | 170 | |
| 3 | New Orleans | $39,040 | 560 | |
| 4 | Lake Charles | $38,330 | 90 | |
| 5 | Hammond | $37,920 | 40 | |
| 6 | Monroe | $37,190 | 80 | |
| 7 | Lafayette | $36,470 | 180 | |
| 8 | Alexandria | $35,500 | 70 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Baton Rouge run 9.2% below the national average, so the median of $44,300 goes as far as $48,789 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 1.8% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$44,300as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$48,789US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $44,300 a year, 10.8% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $31,850 to $61,200 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 390 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Shreveport, at $42,120.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Baton Rouge, LA?
The median annual wage is $44,300, or $21.30 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 $49,690, so pay in Baton Rouge, LA is 10.8% 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 Baton Rouge, LA earns more than $61,200 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $31,850 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 Shreveport, at $42,120 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 390 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.
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