Table 9
Preemption prevents prevailing wage laws from increasing economic security, especially for Black and Latinx workers: Count, shares, and wages of construction workers, by race/ethnicity, in Louisiana and the New Orleans--Metairie metropolitan statistical area
| Statewide | New Orleans–Metairie MSA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count / Shares | Median annual wages (2019$) | Median hourly wage (2019$) | Count / Shares | Median annual wages (2019$) | Median hourly wage (2019$) | |
| Total | 129,565 | $40,726 | $21.27 | 35,271 | $38,690 | $20.46 |
| White | 64.7% | $47,854 | $24.99 | 41.1% | $46,835 | $24.77 |
| Black | 17.4% | $35,636 | $18.61 | 25.2% | $38,690 | $20.46 |
| Latinx | 16.1% | $25,454 | $13.29 | 30.2% | $25,454 | $13.46 |
| AAPI/other | 1.8% | $50,908 | $26.59 | 3.6% | $32,581 | $17.23 |
Notes: Nationally, the May 2019 median wage for construction workers was $22.80 hourly and $47,430 annually. Median hourly wages by race/ethnicity are calculated by applying the ratio of each group’s median annual wages, calculated from American Community Survey microdata, to the overall annual median and hourly median from the Occupational Employment Statistics.
Source: EPI analysis of 2018 American Community Survey microdata and May 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics.
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