Registered Nurse Salary
Registered Nurses in Louisiana make a median of $80,230 a year, or about $38.57 an hour. The range runs from $64K at the entry level to $105K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.28), which stretches that salary to about $91,923 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,191/month, or 23.5% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Louisiana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $80K actually covers in Louisiana, month by month
About registered nurses
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What this looks like in Louisiana
Pay for registered nurses in Louisiana runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $98K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,191/month, 23.1% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. 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. Lower pay, lower costs, Louisiana can be a reasonable trade-off for registered nurses who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Louisiana
Entry-level registered nurses (10th percentile) start around $64K. Mid-career wages sit at $80K. Top earners bring in $105K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Registered Nurses salary by metro in Louisiana
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles | $91K | +13% | 2,460 |
| Lafayette | $82K | +2% | 4,930 |
| New Orleans-Metairie | $82K | +2% | 11,530 |
| Alexandria | $82K | +2% | 2,170 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $81K | +1% | 3,190 |
| Baton Rouge | $81K | +1% | 8,290 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City | $80K | -0% | 6,390 |
| Monroe | $78K | -2% | 2,340 |
| Hammond | $76K | -5% | 1,260 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $76K | -6% | 1,460 |
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a registered nurse afford a 2BR apartment alone in Louisiana?
Yes — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 23.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for registered nurses in Louisiana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new registered nurses typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,262/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 28% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is registered nurse a high-paying job in Louisiana?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $80K here vs. $98K 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 registered nurses?
Louisiana pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $92K — below the national median.
How much do registered nurses make in Louisiana?
The median is $80,230 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $63,800, and experienced registered nurses can clear $104,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $80K enough to live in Louisiana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,167/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 23.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a registered nurses 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 registered nurses salary is worth about $91,923 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do registered nurses 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.