In this paper, the packaging-induced stresses are theoretically calculated by modeling multilayered structures for different packaging structures. We report a method to measure the packaging-induced stress of a laser diode array (LDA) by comparing the emission wavelength of the single emitter located in the middle of a laser bar before and after packaging. The wavelength is tested under a low duty cycle (50 μs/10 Hz, DC 0.05%) to eliminate the thermal effect to wavelength shifting. Experimental calculation results for the packaging-induced stress of LDAs are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations and simulation results. For a GaAs laser bar, we find the packaging stresses are compression stresses, which make the emission wavelength blue-shift in terms of 1.09 × 10−2 nmMPa. We propose a mapping of packaging-induced stress distribution in laser bars on a microscopic scale by considering the emission spectra of each emitter in a laser bar. Compared to single-emitter resolved photo-current or micro-photoluminescence measurements, as proposed by other authors, we offer a much easier tool to test and map the distribution of packaging-induced stress in laser bars. © 2019 Optical Society of America.