What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Louisiana?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.7 for Louisiana), the real-wage equivalent is $88,929 — what the $78,880 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $76,009 to $105,524.

What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Louisiana?

The 90th percentile lands at $111,810. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $93,600.

Where does Louisiana rank for RN pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Louisiana ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Louisiana?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Louisiana.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Is Louisiana an NLC compact state for RN licensure?

Yes — Louisiana participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Louisiana without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.

How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Louisiana?

BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Louisiana typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

Louisiana Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $79K Median, Real $89K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Louisiana RN median pay at $78,880. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $88,929.
Bottom quartile $67,420, top quartile $93,600. The P90 ($111,810) is roughly 1.8× the P10 ($62,830).
Low BEA RPP (88.7) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $10,049.
State ranks #44 nationally on nominal wage, #31 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Multistate license: Louisiana participates in the NLC compact, useful for travel-RN flexibility.

Wage breakdown — Louisiana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$62,830	$70,834
P25 (lower quartile)	$67,420	$76,009
P50 (median)	$78,880	$88,929
P75 (upper quartile)	$93,600	$105,524
P90 (top tier)	$111,810	$126,054
Mean	$84,110	$94,825
Employment	46,790 RNs in Louisiana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Louisiana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.7
Goods	93.0
Services	76.7
Rents	65.1

Louisiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.7), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 65.1.

After-tax take-home — Louisiana (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$78,880	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,601	10.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,991	3.0% flat (2025+ HB 2)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,034	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$62,254	78.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$70,185	÷ (88.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Louisiana state-tax burden means for RN take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $62,254 (78.9% of gross). After the 88.7 RPP, real take-home is $70,185.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $93,600 for RNs with mean pay of $98,430 and total employment of 3,282,010. Louisiana sits at #44 on nominal pay and #31 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Louisiana climbs 13 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Louisiana (NLC)

Louisiana participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2018. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Louisiana without applying for a separate Louisiana license. Louisiana-issued multistate licenses are reciprocally recognized in 36 other Compact states (37 jurisdictions total in 2026), eliminating the per-state endorsement workflow ($100–$500 + 4–16 week processing) for travel and per-diem RN work.

Louisiana has been a Compact participant for 8 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.

Source: NCSBN compact implementation tracker — re-synced quarterly. See NLC reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Louisiana?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.7 for Louisiana), the real-wage equivalent is $88,929 — what the $78,880 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $76,009 to $105,524.
What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Louisiana?: The 90th percentile lands at $111,810. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $93,600.
Where does Louisiana rank for RN pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Louisiana ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Louisiana?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Louisiana.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Is Louisiana an NLC compact state for RN licensure?: Yes — Louisiana participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Louisiana without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Louisiana?: BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Louisiana typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1141, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Louisiana RN pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.