Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
60 Highest Paying Jobs in Louisiana (2026)
The highest-paying job in Louisiana is Family Medicine Physician with a state-aggregated median salary of $332,690 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data weighted across the state's 1 BLS-tracked metro. Across all 60 occupations the average median is $99,947, with 28 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Louisiana's average cost-of-living index is 96, so the average median equates to $104,111 of buying power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
The 60 occupations below are ranked by median wage across Louisiana — rolling up wage data across all metropolitan areas in the state. State-level rollups smooth over the substantial intra-state wage variation typical of larger states. For state-level wage comparisons, BLS OEWS state files aggregate across MSAs and non-MSA areas. The aggregation hides legitimate within-state differences: a job in Louisiana's primary metro often pays substantially more (and costs substantially more to live near) than the same job in smaller cities.
Use the per-metro pages for the geographic-specific view. The state-level ranking is most useful for comparing Louisiana to other states, not for comparing within-state options.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Louisiana
Ranked by state-aggregated median (50th percentile) salary, employment-weighted across Louisiana's single tracked metro.
State median $332,690 · 250 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($332,690)
Family Medicine Physicians in Louisiana earn $332,690 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $332,690 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $198,050 · 270 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($198,050)
Dentists in Louisiana earn $198,050 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $198,050 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $137,540 · 240 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($137,540)
Business Professor (Postsecondary)s in Louisiana earn $137,540 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $137,540 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $136,200 · 50 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($136,200)
Optometrists in Louisiana earn $136,200 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $136,200 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $134,110 · 1,970 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($134,110)
Financial Managers in Louisiana earn $134,110 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $134,110 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $131,570 · 800 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($131,570)
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Louisiana earn $131,570 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $131,570 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $128,360 · 200 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($128,360)
Veterinarians in Louisiana earn $128,360 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $128,360 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $128,100 · 1,470 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($128,100)
Pharmacists in Louisiana earn $128,100 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $128,100 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $127,340 · 460 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($127,340)
Industrial Engineers in Louisiana earn $127,340 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $127,340 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $126,740 · 250 jobs · top metro: New Orleans ($126,740)
Marketing Managers in Louisiana earn $126,740 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (New Orleans) pays $126,740 median, materially above the state aggregate.
Full Ranking: All 60 Tracked Occupations
| Rank | Role | Category | State Median | Top Metro | Top Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $332,690 | New Orleans | $332,690 | 250 |
| 2 | Dentist | Healthcare | $198,050 | New Orleans | $198,050 | 270 |
| 3 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $137,540 | New Orleans | $137,540 | 240 |
| 4 | Optometrist | Healthcare | $136,200 | New Orleans | $136,200 | 50 |
| 5 | Financial Manager | Finance | $134,110 | New Orleans | $134,110 | 1,970 |
| 6 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $131,570 | New Orleans | $131,570 | 800 |
| 7 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $128,360 | New Orleans | $128,360 | 200 |
| 8 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $128,100 | New Orleans | $128,100 | 1,470 |
| 9 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $127,340 | New Orleans | $127,340 | 460 |
| 10 | Marketing Manager | Management | $126,740 | New Orleans | $126,740 | 250 |
| 11 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $126,260 | New Orleans | $126,260 | 110 |
| 12 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $125,120 | New Orleans | $125,120 | 220 |
| 13 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $124,800 | New Orleans | $124,800 | 1,270 |
| 14 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $124,580 | New Orleans | $124,580 | 400 |
| 15 | Lawyer | Legal | $121,290 | New Orleans | $121,290 | 4,330 |
| 16 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $120,700 | New Orleans | $120,700 | 1,810 |
| 17 | Sales Manager | Management | $118,540 | New Orleans | $118,540 | 1,000 |
| 18 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $117,990 | New Orleans | $117,990 | 530 |
| 19 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $116,350 | New Orleans | $116,350 | 350 |
| 20 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $110,970 | New Orleans | $110,970 | 1,050 |
| 21 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $109,110 | New Orleans | $109,110 | 160 |
| 22 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $108,990 | New Orleans | $108,990 | 80 |
| 23 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $108,240 | New Orleans | $108,240 | 1,070 |
| 24 | Software Developer | Technology | $106,950 | New Orleans | $106,950 | 940 |
| 25 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $105,110 | New Orleans | $105,110 | 10,670 |
| 26 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $102,520 | New Orleans | $102,520 | 390 |
| 27 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $101,200 | New Orleans | $101,200 | 70 |
| 28 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $100,530 | New Orleans | $100,530 | 710 |
| 29 | Data Scientist | Technology | $98,390 | New Orleans | $98,390 | 200 |
| 30 | Architect | Engineering | $97,950 | New Orleans | $97,950 | 420 |
| 31 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $97,240 | New Orleans | $97,240 | 940 |
| 32 | Management Analyst | Management | $95,100 | New Orleans | $95,100 | 1,600 |
| 33 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $94,520 | New Orleans | $94,520 | 1,760 |
| 34 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $93,650 | New Orleans | $93,650 | 840 |
| 35 | Network Architect | Technology | $91,570 | New Orleans | $91,570 | 360 |
| 36 | Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $89,670 | New Orleans | $89,670 | 80 |
| 37 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $81,850 | New Orleans | $81,850 | 11,530 |
| 38 | Writer/Author | Creative | $79,020 | New Orleans | $79,020 | 120 |
| 39 | Accountant | Finance | $77,940 | New Orleans | $77,940 | 3,740 |
| 40 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $77,860 | New Orleans | $77,860 | 560 |
| 41 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $77,420 | New Orleans | $77,420 | 550 |
| 42 | Computer Programmer | Technology | $77,220 | New Orleans | $77,220 | 550 |
| 43 | Database Architect | Technology | $76,990 | New Orleans | $76,990 | 70 |
| 44 | Web Designer | Technology | $75,340 | New Orleans | $75,340 | 0 |
| 45 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $74,990 | New Orleans | $74,990 | 440 |
| 46 | Web Developer | Technology | $73,280 | New Orleans | $73,280 | 50 |
| 47 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $68,600 | New Orleans | $68,600 | 490 |
| 48 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $65,590 | New Orleans | $65,590 | 1,580 |
| 49 | Paralegal | Legal | $64,780 | New Orleans | $64,780 | 2,120 |
| 50 | Welder | Trades | $63,270 | New Orleans | $63,270 | 2,000 |
| 51 | Electrician | Trades | $62,490 | New Orleans | $62,490 | 2,240 |
| 52 | Plumber | Trades | $62,450 | New Orleans | $62,450 | 1,510 |
| 53 | Loan Officer | Finance | $62,240 | New Orleans | $62,240 | 470 |
| 54 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $60,750 | New Orleans | $60,750 | 2,860 |
| 55 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $60,350 | New Orleans | $60,350 | 4,400 |
| 56 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $59,780 | New Orleans | $59,780 | 250 |
| 57 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $55,540 | New Orleans | $55,540 | 1,030 |
| 58 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $51,710 | New Orleans | $51,710 | 560 |
| 59 | Carpenter | Trades | $50,130 | New Orleans | $50,130 | 1,390 |
| 60 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $49,190 | New Orleans | $49,190 | 1,610 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Louisiana
Louisiana's pay distribution reflects its mix of regional employers and industries, plus the local cost of living that affects nominal salary levels in the BLS data.
$Louisiana tracks $1 BLS-published metros covering approximately $77,440 workers across the $60 occupations on this page. State-aggregated medians are employment-weighted across metros, which is the right way to read "state pay" when BLS publishes by metro. The Family Medicine Physician top spot reflects New Orleans pulling the upper end of the distribution; smaller metros in Louisiana typically pay 10–25% less for the same role.
Metro-by-Metro Detail
For salary data specific to one metro within Louisiana, see:
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Louisiana is Family Medicine Physician with a state median salary of $332,690. The top-paying metro for this role is New Orleans at $332,690 median. The role employs roughly 250 workers across Louisiana.
28 of the 60 BLS-tracked occupations in Louisiana have a state-aggregated median salary of $100,000 or higher. That places this state in the upper tier nationally for high-paying occupations.
Across 60 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Louisiana is $99,947. The figure is employment-weighted across 1 metros, so larger occupations and larger metros contribute proportionally more. Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national-average baseline, it equates to $104,111.
BLS OEWS publishes wage data by Metropolitan Statistical Area. For Louisiana, this page aggregates New Orleans. Some non-MSA areas (small towns, rural counties) are excluded from OEWS metro tables but covered in BLS state-level summaries; we use metro-level data to preserve the percentile granularity.
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers. State aggregates are computed by employment-weighting metro-level percentile wages across the BLS-tracked metros in Louisiana.
State aggregates are employment-weighted across the BLS-tracked metros in Louisiana, using OEWS 2025 data.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.