Average Salaries in New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Explore salaries across 515 occupations in New Orleans-Metairie, LA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $61.9K, +0.6% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 515 occupations and 423,980 total jobs in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
How the metro compares
Wages in New Orleans-Metairie, LA track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA is a mid-sized metro labor market.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Nurse Anesthetists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in New Orleans-Metairie, LA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $230.2K | 150 |
| Dentists, General | $208.1K | 310 |
| Chief Executives | $164.9K | 110 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $163.9K | 110 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $163.3K | 460 |
| Commercial Pilots | $154.0K | 250 |
| Petroleum Engineers | $143.4K | 360 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $142.9K | 40 |
| Industrial Engineers | $139.1K | 770 |
| Industrial Production Managers | $139.0K | 530 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in New Orleans-Metairie, LA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 11,980 | $29.8K |
| Registered Nurses | 11,410 | $81.9K |
| Cashiers | 10,750 | $26.7K |
| General And Operations Managers | 10,540 | $104.8K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 10,030 | $18.4K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 9,400 | $35.3K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 8,090 | $26.7K |
| Food Preparation Workers | 7,870 | $24.2K |
| Office Clerks, General | 7,270 | $32.6K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 6,380 | $21.6K |
What New Orleans-Metairie, LA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in New Orleans-Metairie, LA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in New Orleans-Metairie, LA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sailors And Marine Oilers | 24.08 | $39.1K |
| Entertainers And Performers, Sports And Related Workers, All Other | 23.92 | N/A |
| Captains, Mates, And Pilots Of Water Vessels | 17.99 | $102.8K |
| Healthcare Practitioners And Technical Workers, All Other | 17.20 | $66.2K |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, And Gaugers | 15.93 | $105.9K |
| Chemical Plant And System Operators | 15.00 | $99.8K |
| Tank Car, Truck, And Ship Loaders | 14.70 | $71.2K |
| Life Scientists, All Other | 13.74 | $65.3K |
| Ship Engineers | 13.36 | $105.4K |
| Motorboat Operators | 11.55 | $48.4K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for New Orleans-Metairie, LA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.