Riggers in the Lake Charles area earn a median of $44,770 a year, 26% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #66 of 70 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Beaumont and Baton Rouge, but less in Lafayette.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for riggers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.5%) and the population is shrinking (-3.8% since 2020).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Lake Charles scorecard for riggers Our calculation
Grades compare Lake Charles with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($60,455).
Pay over time
The median pay for riggers in the Lake Charles area went from $54,350 in 2020 to $44,770 in 2025, down 17.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -34.3% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Lake Charles Our calculation
Prices in the Lake Charles area run 14% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $52,148 would in a typical place, ranking #52 of 70 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What riggers do
Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
- Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.
- Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment.
- Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques.
- Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, rigger jobs are projected to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 1,700 openings a year. About nan% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often riggers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Louisiana Official source
The main state licensing office in Louisiana is the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. It can point you to the right license for riggers.
Official Louisiana licensing site ↗
Requirements for riggers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, riggers have 79 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, about the same as all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying LA metros for riggers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton RougeLOUISIANA · LA | $58,840 | $64,816 | 410 |
| New OrleansLOUISIANA · LA | $47,730 | $51,546 | 270 |
| Lake CharlesLOUISIANA · LA | $44,770 | $52,148 | 60 |
| HoumaLOUISIANA · LA | $37,360 | $43,900 | 420 |
| LafayetteLOUISIANA · LA | $36,880 | $42,289 | 270 |
See every metro in Louisiana.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Lake Charles area's unemployment rate was 4.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just riggers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Lake Charles area is 23 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 80% drive alone, 1% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Lake Charles area's population shrank 3.8% from 2020 to 2025 (254,332 → 244,655), ranking #381 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -10,158).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Lake Charles are down 49% from 2021 to 2025 (1,064 → 546).
In 2025 the Lake Charles area approved permits for 546 new homes (526 single-family), or 2.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #280 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $44,770 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get rigger pricing & estimate templates →Compare Lake Charles with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for riggers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.