Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary
In Louisiana, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn $44,890 at the median, or about $21.58 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $65K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.28), which stretches that salary to about $51,432 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,191/month, about 38.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Louisiana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $45K get you in Louisiana?
About bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
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What this looks like in Louisiana
Pay for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Louisiana runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $51K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,191/month, which is 38.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.28 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerkss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Louisiana
Entry-level bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $45K. Top earners bring in $65K or more, a $36K spread from bottom to top.
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salary by metro in Louisiana
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $47K | +5% | 3,840 |
| Baton Rouge | $47K | +4% | 4,060 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City | $45K | +1% | 1,900 |
| Lake Charles | $45K | -1% | 830 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $45K | -1% | 1,180 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $44K | -2% | 770 |
| Hammond | $44K | -3% | 380 |
| Alexandria | $43K | -4% | 590 |
| Monroe | $42K | -7% | 1,020 |
| Lafayette | $39K | -13% | 2,130 |
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Louisiana numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Louisiana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $45K, rent takes 38.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Louisiana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,726/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 69% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk a high-paying job in Louisiana?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $45K here vs. $51K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Louisiana compare to the national average for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
Louisiana pays $45K median vs. the U.S. average of $51K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in Louisiana?
The median is $44,890 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,760, and experienced bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks can clear $65,220. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $45K enough to live in Louisiana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,062/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 38.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary go in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity of 87.28 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary is worth about $51,432 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.