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Reference · State of Louisiana

Louisiana trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in Louisiana, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.

  • Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
  • Payroll and licenses state agencies
  • Checked and
Plumbing median
$30.62/h−0.2% vs the U.S.27th of 51
HVAC median
$28.20/h−3.9% vs the U.S.36th of 51
Electrical median
$29.59/h−2.6% vs the U.S.35th of 51
New-employer SUTA
Industry avg.on the first $7,000
Payroll programs
Noneno paid-leave or disability program found
Sales tax on labor
Not taxedrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in Louisiana

Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

  • PlumbingU.S. median $30.67

    plumbers: 10th percentile $18.33, 25th $24.40, median $30.62, 75th $35.99, 90th $38.24 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.

  • HVACU.S. median $29.33

    HVAC techs: 10th percentile $17.77, 25th $21.62, median $28.20, 75th $31.73, 90th $37.60 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.

  • ElectricalU.S. median $30.38

    electricians: 10th percentile $18.63, 25th $23.51, median $29.59, 75th $35.02, 90th $39.33 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

  • 25th–75th percentile
  • State median
  • U.S. median
Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in Louisiana, BLS OEWS May 2025
PercentilePlumbingHVACElectrical
10th$18.33$17.77$18.63
25th$24.40$21.62$23.51
Median$30.62$28.20$29.59
75th$35.99$31.73$35.02
90th$38.24$37.60$39.33
Mean$30.11$27.35$29.98
U.S. median$30.67$29.33$30.38
vs U.S.−0.2%−3.9%−2.6%
Rank27th36th35th
Jobs8,3605,38010,550

Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.

Payroll costs the state adds

What Louisiana charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), Unemployment Insurance

Wage base
$7,000 per employee a year
New-employer rate
Industry averageEach new employer pays the average rate of its industry; there is no single number.
Construction
No separate rate published

No single new-employer rate: each new employer pays the average rate for its industry. Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC): new employers pay the average rate for their NAICS industrial classification until eligible for experience rating (24 months, up to 45). No 2026 industry table is published; the 2026 rate table tops out at 6.20%.

State pages read

Workers’ compensation

Louisiana Workforce Commission, Office of Workers' Compensation Administration

Who must carry it
Any employeeLouisiana employers must carry workers’ compensation even with only one employee, counting part-time, full-time, temporary and seasonal workers. laworks.net
Where to buy it
Private insurersCoverage comes from a private insurer authorized in Louisiana, approved self-insurance, or membership in an approved group self-insurance fund. laworks.net
Owners
Owners and certain corporate officers who own at least 10% of the company may exempt themselves, in writing to the insurance company. A one-owner business or partnership with no employees, part-timers, volunteers or subcontractors, or a one- or two-owner corporation whose owners hold all the stock and offices, may not need a policy; the state issues no exemption certificates. laworks.net
Construction
A business that hires an uninsured contractor or subcontractor for work that is part of its trade may have to pay that worker’s benefits, and its insurer can charge premium on the cost of the contract. laworks.net

Statute and agency pages read

Paid leave and disability insurance

We found no state paid family and medical leave or temporary disability insurance program funded through payroll in Louisiana on October 28, 2026. State paid sick leave rules, where they exist, are not covered here.

New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the new-employer rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.

What a shop in Louisiana needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with Louisiana’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Louisiana publishes no single new-employer rate for contractors, so the example uses the U.S. example rate, 2.70%, on Louisiana’s $7,000 wage base.

Example shopBreak-evenRate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $30.62$112.53$125.03→ $130
HVACwage $28.20$107.33$119.26→ $120
Electricalwage $29.59$110.32$122.58→ $125

Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on Louisiana: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

Who does the billable work?

Example shop in Louisiana: 3 techs at the state’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · Louisiana

Charge at least $125.03 per billable hour; break-even $112.53.

Round up to $130 (+$4.97)

See it drawn to scale
Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Rate build-up for the example, drawn to scaleColumn from $0 to $125.03 per billable hour, drawn to scale: wage $52.34, taxes & benefits $13.57, overhead $32.87, truck $13.74, profit 10% $12.50. Break-even line at $112.53. Rounded up to $130.12345$0Labor$65.92Break-even$112.53Your rate$125.03Round up to$130
  1. Wage$63,689.60 ÷ 1,216.8 h$52.34
  2. Taxes & benefits25.93% of pay$13.57
  3. Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
  4. Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
  5. Profit 10%of the price$12.50
Break-even
$112.53
Profit per hour
$12.50
Revenue a year
$456,417

$112.53 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $125.03rounded up to $130

Already showing the example.

Price your tasks at $130 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours
1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage
$38.56per paid hour
Labor
$65.92per billable hour
Overhead
$32.87per billable hour
Truck
$13.74per billable hour
Labor burden
25.93%over gross pay

What moves your rate

  • Every billable hour sold under $112.53 loses money.
  • At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $104.49, $8.04 an hour less.
  • Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $109.79.
Show the math
  1. Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
  2. Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
  3. Gross pay per tech$30.62 × 2,080 h = $63,689.60
  4. Employer taxes and comp$3,948.76 SS + $923.50 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $189.00 SUTA + $1,700.51 comp = $6,803.77
  5. Benefits$63,689.60 × 15.25% = $9,712.66
  6. Labor per billable hour$80,206.03 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $65.92
  7. Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
  8. Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
  9. Break-even$65.92 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $112.53
  10. Rate at 10% profit$112.53 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $125.03

Change the numbers

State and trade
Trade

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for Louisiana3 figures
Wage Plumbing
$30.62/hr
Louisiana median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate Example
2.70%
Louisiana charges each new employer its industry’s average rate and publishes no 2026 table. The field shows the U.S. example, 2.70%.
SUTA wage base Per tech
$7,000
Louisiana · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

Louisiana: pay, payroll taxes and licensesSee all 50 states and DC
Louisiana: the fine print

No single new-employer rate: each new employer pays the average rate for its industry. Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC): new employers pay the average rate for their NAICS industrial classification until eligible for experience rating (24 months, up to 45). No 2026 industry table is published; the 2026 rate table tops out at 6.20%.

NAICS is the federal industry code; plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractors are 2382, construction as a whole is 23.

Crew and pay

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Average base pay. Filled: Louisiana median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop
Payroll taxes and benefits+25.93% of pay

U.S. example, 2.70%: Louisiana charges each new employer its industry’s average rate and publishes no 2026 table. Use the rate on your notice.

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: Louisiana, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$38.56per paid hour · burden 25.93%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $125.03 per billable hour · break-even $112.53. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What Louisiana’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.

Labor
Not taxedThe Department of Revenue says repairs and maintenance to immovable property, such as a home, are not taxable.Repairs to movable property in a home (refrigerators, washers, dryers, furniture) are taxable. Contractors are presumed to consume their materials unless credible evidence, such as a writing signed by the customer, shows title or possession passed to the customer before installation.
Materials
Contractor, when buyingMaterials sold to contractors for building, altering or repairing immovable property are presumed sold to the contractor as consumer, so the contractor owes the tax.
Also
A change to this materials rule was proposed in July 2026.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.

Plumbing

State license

State Plumbing Board of Louisiana

Master Plumber license (SPBLA); plus an LSLBC commercial license with the Plumbing classification for plumbing work over $10,000

A master plumber licensed by the Board may install, repair and maintain plumbing systems and employ apprentices and journeymen; all persons doing plumbing must be licensed or registered apprentices working for a master company.

FeeAmount
Master plumber exam application fee($100 exam + $10 processing)per exam$110
Initial master plumber license (active)first license (calendar year)$190
Master plumber annual renewal(active), if renewed by December 31per year$190

Renewal is annual by December 31 ($250 after Dec 31, $310 after March 31, with revival fees; $10 processing included). Inactive master license $40. Per the Board, Act 908 (2026) moves plumbing licensing to the LSLBC, fully in effect January 1, 2027, so fees and forms may change. Plumbing work of $10,000+ also needs an LSLBC commercial plumbing license (LSLBC fees not included here).

Keeping the license

Renewal
All State Plumbing Board licenses (master, journeyman, residential) renew every year by December 31. spbla.com
Continuing ed.
Active master plumbers must complete 5 hours of Continuing Professional Education before each annual renewal; journeyman plumbers and inactive masters working as journeymen need 3.5 hours; apprentices need none. spbla.com
Reciprocity
The State Plumbing Board does not reciprocate master plumber licenses; it reciprocates journeyman plumber (and journeyman natural gas) licenses only with Arkansas and Texas. A plumbing license from another state can be used to qualify for the journeyman exam. spbla.com

Sources read

HVAC and Electrical

State license; local rules may add more

Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors

  • HVAC Commercial license with the Mechanical (6) major classification or the Heat, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Duct Work and Refrigeration (6.1) subclassificationLSLBC: a commercial license in the appropriate classification is required for electrical/mechanical/plumbing projects exceeding $10,000 including labor and materials; the HVAC subclassification requires a trade exam.
  • Electrical Commercial license with the Electrical (5) major classificationLSLBC: a commercial license with the Electrical classification is required for electrical work on any structure, building or project when the value exceeds $10,000; a trade exam is required.
FeeAmount
Classification fee(per classification per year; shown on LSLBC 'Adding a Classification' form)per year per classification$95
Processing fee (per classification; same form)one-time per classification$40
Business and Law fee (same form)one-time$150

Amounts are from the LSLBC form for adding a classification to an existing license (revised 01/30/2026). The fee for a brand-new commercial license is not listed on the LSLBC web pages cited here; state law caps the basic license fee at $100 (R.S. 37:2156(B)). Trade exams are given by PSI since Aug 5, 2025 and the exam fee is paid to PSI; LSLBC does not list the amount. Licenses renew for 1, 2 or 3 years; the renewal fee is not published on those pages. State law adds a $100 per year university dedication fee to each renewal, which a contractor can choose not to pay. Under R.S. 37:2156.1(I), contractors with this state license do not have to pass local exams and may work in any parish or city after paying the local fees.

Keeping the license

Renewal
HVACThe LSLBC license (Mechanical or HVAC classification) is valid for one year at first; after that it can be renewed for one, two or three years at a time. lslbc.govElectricalThe LSLBC license (Electrical classification) is valid for one year at first; after that it can be renewed for one, two or three years at a time. A New Orleans city electrical license renews every year around the holder’s birthday. lslbc.gov
Continuing ed.
HVACThe LSLBC requires no continuing education for commercial licenses (including Mechanical/HVAC); only residential building contractors must take 6 hours each year. lslbc.govElectricalThe LSLBC requires no continuing education for commercial licenses (including Electrical); only residential building contractors must take 6 hours each year. lslbc.gov
Reciprocity
Since October 23, 2024 the LSLBC accepts a passed trade exam from any other state (taken without waiver, exemption or grandfathering) for the equivalent classification, and all earlier state-by-state reciprocity agreements are void; all other licensing requirements still apply. lslbc.gov

Sources read

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration
Plumbing, mechanical (HVAC) and electrical work over $10,000 including labor and materials needs a Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) license with that classification; a master plumber licensed by the State Plumbing Board must also hold an LSLBC commercial plumbing license for jobs of $10,000 or more. Home-improvement work on an existing home above $7,500 and up to $50,000 needs an LSLBC home improvement registration (or a license), and residential construction of $50,000 or more needs a residential license. lslbc.gov
Bond
Neither the LSLBC nor the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana lists a surety bond for a license or registration; the LSLBC instead asks for a financial statement (minimum net worth) and, for residential and home-improvement work, insurance. lslbc.gov · spbla.com
Insurance
$500,000LSLBC home improvement registrants and residential and mold-remediation licensees must file proof of general liability insurance of at least $500,000 plus workers’ compensation before the license is issued and at each renewal, per the board’s FAQ (its June 2025 printed brochure still shows $100,000 for residential and home-improvement applicants); no insurance filing is listed for commercial licenses. Active master plumbers must keep certificates of general liability, workers’ compensation and service-vehicle liability insurance on file with the State Plumbing Board, which names no minimum amount. lslbc.gov · spbla.com

Board and statute pages read

State or city license?

State and local Who licenses the trades in Louisiana

Plumbers are licensed statewide by the State Plumbing Board and contractors by the LSLBC, but cities and parishes also license electricians: the City of New Orleans requires electricians working in the city to hold and renew every year a city electrical license (Class A Master Electrical Contractor and lower classes) from its Department of Safety and Permits. A local occupational license is a business tax license, not a contractor license. nola.gov · lslbc.gov

State and city pages read

What Louisiana law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.

Mechanic’s lien

La. R.S. 9:4801 to 9:4855PART I. PRIVATE WORKS ACT (Chapter 2. Privileges on Immovables)

You, hired by the owner
If the price of a general contractor’s job exceeds $100,000, a notice of the contract signed by owner and contractor must be filed in the mortgage records before work begins, or the contractor has no privilege at all (R.S. 9:4811(A), (D)). Jobs of $100,000 or less need no notice before the work. legis.la.gov
Subs and suppliers
No preliminary noticeThe Private Works Act sets no preliminary notice that subs or suppliers must send before filing; they preserve their claim by filing a statement of claim within the R.S. 9:4822 deadline. On residential work with no notice of contract filed, a sub who sends the owner a notice of nonpayment at least 10 days before filing gets 70 days instead of 60 (R.S. 9:4822(D)). legis.la.gov
File the lien
60 daysFile the statement of privilege within 60 days after a notice of termination is filed or, if none is filed, after substantial completion or abandonment (R.S. 9:4822(A)). Where a notice of contract was properly filed, subs get 30 days after a notice of termination or 6 months after completion, and the general contractor gets 60 days after a notice of termination or 7 months after completion (R.S. 9:4822(B), (C)). legis.la.gov
Enforce it
1 yearFile suit against the owner to enforce the claim or privilege within one year after filing the statement of claim, or it is extinguished (R.S. 9:4823(A)(2)). legis.la.gov
Homes
On residential work where no timely notice of contract was filed, a sub, supplier or equipment lessor who gives the owner a notice of nonpayment at least 10 days before filing has 70 days (not 60) after termination or substantial completion to file (R.S. 9:4822(D)). An owner-contractor contract for a single-family residence may push the owner’s payment deadline to 61 days after the pay request (R.S. 9:2784(E)). legis.la.gov

Statutes read

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment
Statute sets deadlinesFrom August 1, 2026 (Act 822 of 2026), the owner must pay a contractor’s written pay request within 35 days, and a contractor or sub must pay its subs and suppliers within 7 days after being paid; late amounts carry a penalty of 1.5% per month, with attorney fees to the winner (R.S. 9:2784). Before that date the law covered only contractor-to-sub payments: 14 days, with a penalty of 0.5% per day capped at 15%. legis.la.gov
Retainage
No statute caps retainage on private jobs. On owner-contractor contracts of $50,000 or more (not single or double family residences and certain industrial plants), retainage must be deposited in an interest-bearing escrow account and released to the contractor within 3 business days after a joint written release once the work is complete (R.S. 9:4857); the contractor may post a retainage bond instead (R.S. 9:4858). legis.la.gov

Statutes read

Heating and cooling season in Louisiana

Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for New Orleans airport, month by month.

Heating degree days
1,176
Cooling degree days
3,206
Nights ≤ 32 °F
5
Days ≥ 90 °F
85
Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at New Orleans airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
MonthHeatingCoolingNights ≤ 32 °F
Jan350183
Feb226321
Mar11981–
Apr27180–
May1378–
Jun0520–
Jul0587–
Aug0587–
Sep0474–
Oct21252–
Nov14367–
Dec291301

Cooling carries the load at New Orleans airport: 3,206 cooling degree days a year against 1,176 heating degree days, peaking in July (587).

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are March and April (200 and 206 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 5 a year. Days reaching 90 °F: about 85 a year, the most in August.

Weighted by where Louisiana’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 1,764 heating and 2,500 cooling degree days — 47th for heating and 4th for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).

Station: New Orleans airport (USW00012916), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 587 degree days. Read .

Sources

Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.

  1. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  2. Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  3. Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  4. Unemployment insurance tax rates (laworks.net)Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  5. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  6. Are repairs and maintenance to my home taxable?Louisiana Department of Revenue · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  7. LAC 61:I.4372 (current regulation)Louisiana Department of Revenue · Louisiana Administrative Code, December 2023 · read October 24, 2026
  8. Notice of Intent, LAC 61:I.4372 (proposed regulation)Louisiana Department of Revenue · no date shown (proposed regulation, July 2026) · read October 24, 2026
  9. La. R.S. 9:4801 to 9:4855 — PART I. PRIVATE WORKS ACT (Chapter 2. Privileges on Immovables)Official state code · read November 4, 2026
  10. Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsLouisiana Workforce Commission, Office of Workers' Compensation Administration · read November 4, 2026
  11. U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, New Orleans airport (USW00012916)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026
  12. Population-weighted daily heating and cooling degree day normals, 1981–2010 (states and CONUS)NOAA National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center · read November 4, 2026