The average weekly wage in East Baton Rouge Parish rose by 3.1% to $942 during the first quarter of the year, compared to the first three months of last year, marking the best wage growth among the state’s largest seven parishes.
Over the same period, employment in East Baton Rouge Parish rose 2.2% to roughly 268,200, according to new figures released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the most jobs tallied among the state’s seven largest parishes. The first-quarter wage gains here ranked No. 62 among the nation’s largest parishes and counties, while the employment gains ranked No. 150 nationally.
Statewide, average weekly wages rose by 2% during the first quarter to $885, and overall employment also expanded by 1% to roughly 1.93 million workers.
While both figures are encouraging, wage growth in the Bayou State trailed the 2.1% U.S. average during the quarter, and the average weekly earnings here are about 15.5% less than the $1,048 nationwide average. The jobs growth rate here was also less than half the 2.1% seen nationally.
The figures released today show 323 of the nation’s 342 largest counties—nearly 95%—posted employment increases during the first three months of this year. A smaller share—297, or about 87%—saw average wages grow.
See the complete report released by the BLS today, which includes first-quarter wage and job data for all of Louisiana’s largest parishes and all U.S. states.
—Steve Sanoski
