Nurse practitioner salary in Louisiana
Louisiana nurse practitioners earn a median of $125,600 a year ($60.38 an hour), according to BLS data for May 2025. That is 5% below the national median of $132,300, and ranks 45th of 51 states.
Median, Louisiana
$125,600
Mean $126,630
Middle half earns
$109,850 to $135,610
US: $117,990 to $156,700
Employed in Louisiana
5,380
1.34x the national concentration
Where Louisiana sits in the range
Louisiana
Statewide
United States
National
New Orleans
Metro area
Baton Rouge
Metro area
Lafayette
Metro area
Shreveport
Metro area
Nurse practitioner pay by percentile
Ten percent of Louisiana nurse practitioners earned less than $99,050 and ten percent earned more than $159,570, a spread of $60,520. Where you land depends mostly on specialty, setting, experience and how the productivity pay is built, which is why two offers in the same city can be far apart.
| Percentile | Louisiana | United States | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $99,050 | $101,340 | -2.3% |
| 25th | $109,850 | $117,990 | -6.9% |
| Median | $125,600 | $132,300 | -5.1% |
| 75th | $135,610 | $156,700 | -13.5% |
| 90th | $159,570 | $174,420 | -8.5% |
Nurse practitioner pay by metro area
BLS published NP pay for 10 metro areas that include part of Louisiana. Baton Rouge, LA has the highest median at $129,070. Metro estimates rest on smaller samples than the statewide figure, so treat a low-precision row as a direction, not a number.
| Metro area | Employed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 1,270 | $124,800 | $114,930 to $132,380 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 1,010 | $129,070 | $114,050 to $137,440 |
| Lafayette, LA | 480 | $120,930 | $99,990 to $136,800 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 410 | $125,740 | $109,630 to $133,300 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 390 | $127,840 | $117,320 to $134,790 |
| Monroe, LA | 340 | $124,340 | $110,750 to $133,860 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 230 | $127,660 | $102,410 to $130,790 |
| Alexandria, LA | 230 | $123,080 | $102,500 to $132,440 |
| Lake Charles, LA | 180 | $128,460 | $118,670 to $139,940 |
| Hammond, LA | 160 | $123,350 | $100,920 to $138,810 |
How NP pay compares with other clinicians in Louisiana
| Occupation | Louisiana | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioner | $125,600 | $132,300 |
| Physician assistant | $128,870 | $135,880 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | $222,130 | $236,590 |
| Registered nurse | $80,230 | $97,550 |
The Louisiana NP workforce
BLS counts 5,380 nurse practitioners on Louisiana payrolls, or 2.78 for every 1,000 jobs in the state, more concentrated than in the country as a whole. The federal NPI registry, which also counts self-employed and part-time clinicians, lists 7,168 nurse practitioners with a Louisiana practice address, and 391 new NP NPIs there in the past twelve months.
Using these numbers when you negotiate
A state median is a reference point, not a target. If an offer comes in under $109,850, it sits in the bottom quarter of what Louisiana nurse practitioners earn, and you should know why before you sign: a new-grad rate, a light schedule, or a base kept low because a productivity bonus is supposed to make up the difference. If it is above $135,610, ask what is expected in return, such as call, volume targets or a longer non-compete.
Compare the whole package, not the base: how the bonus is calculated, call pay, CME, PTO and who pays malpractice tail coverage. The negotiation guide and the contract checklist walk through each term.
Questions about NP pay in Louisiana
How much does a NP make in Louisiana?
The median annual wage for nurse practitioners in Louisiana was $125,600 in May 2025, and the mean was $126,630, per the BLS. The middle half earned between $109,850 and $135,610.
What is the hourly rate for nurse practitioners in Louisiana?
The median hourly wage was $60.38 and the mean was $60.88. BLS computes hourly figures from annual pay assuming a full-time year, so per-shift or per-diem rates can differ.
Where do NPs earn the most in Louisiana?
Among Louisiana metro areas with published data, Baton Rouge, LA had the highest median at $129,070, and Lafayette, LA the lowest at $120,930.
How does Louisiana rank for NP pay?
Louisiana ranks 45th of 51 states (including DC) by median NP pay, 5% below the national median of $132,300. Pay is only half the picture: compare it with what housing and taxes cost where you would live.
How many nurse practitioners work in Louisiana?
BLS estimated 5,380 nurse practitioners employed in Louisiana in May 2025. The federal NPI registry lists 7,168 with a Louisiana practice address.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (bls.gov/oes), SOC 29-1171, all industries and ownerships. NPI counts: NPPES monthly file, August 2026 (CMS, public domain). BLS wages are straight-time pay: they include production bonuses but leave out overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits, and they exclude the self-employed.
Have an offer on the table?
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