Salary comparison
Industrial Engineers: Billings vs Lake Charles
Billings, MT pays about 7.9% more for industrial engineers on paper — $139,420 vs $129,260. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Billings comes out ahead by $10,160 a year in real buying power.
Billings, MT
$139,420
$100,840
$168,460
$67.03
100
$139,420/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Lake Charles, LA
$129,260
$108,340
$160,160
$62.14
100
$129,260/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $10,160 a year (7.9%) in favor of Billings. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Billings runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Lake Charles sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Billings is the better deal by $10,160 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Lake Charles to Billings for this role, the raise needs to beat 7.9% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do industrial engineers earn more, Billings or Lake Charles?
Billings pays $139,420 on median — about 7.9% more than Lake Charles ($129,260). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Billings. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Billings gives you roughly$139,420 of real buying power versus $129,260 in the other city.