Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Louisiana | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $102,800 | $142,991 | -28% |
| Median hourly wage | $49.42 | $68.75 | -28% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $116,553.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | $121,688 | $87,400 | $161,000 | 96 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in Louisiana is $102,800, or about $49.42 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. Louisiana is -28% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in Louisiana typically earn from $87,400 depending on the city and employer.
With 4,080 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $102,800, Louisiana offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 64 of the 679 occupations reported in Louisiana — higher than 91% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $115,210, Computer Network Architects at $106,620, Database Administrators at $98,270 — all figures are median annual wages for Louisiana.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Louisiana levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 92.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 64 of the 679 occupations reported in Louisiana — higher than 91% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Louisiana | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $115,210 | $140 |
| Computer Network Architects | $106,620 | $470 |
| Database Administrators | $98,270 | $290 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $95,660 | $2,980 |
| Information Security Analysts | $92,990 | $720 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $90,160 | $1,790 |
Louisiana levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 92.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 679 occupations in Louisiana.