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Chemical Technicians pay in Baton Rouge, LA and Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Chemical Technicians is $92,120 per year in Baton Rouge, LA. It is $57,000 per year in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA. Baton Rouge, LA is 61.6% above Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 19-4031 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 410 wage and salary jobs in Baton Rouge, LA and 50 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings