Healthcare

Registered Nurse Salary in Louisiana (2026)

The average Registered Nurse in Louisiana earns around $86,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $67,429/year ($5,619/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$67,429
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$5,619
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$2,593
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$32/hr
Federal Tax
$10,090
State Tax
$1,902
FICA Taxes
$6,579
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

21.59%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Registered Nurse Salary Ranges in Louisiana

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$67,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$86,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$133,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Registered Nurses earn the same — not even close

Louisiana's RN market is anchored by Ochsner Health (the country's largest US health system HQ'd in LA + largest LA private employer with substantial Magnet nurse workforce across ~40 hospitals + ~400 clinics), LCMC Health NOLA (UMC + Children's Hospital + East Jefferson + West Jefferson + Touro + Lakeview Regional), Tulane Medical Center NOLA, LSU Health New Orleans + LSU Health Shreveport teaching hospitals, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center BR (the largest BR area hospital), Christus Health Shreveport + Willis-Knighton Health System Shreveport (largest Shreveport area systems), Lafayette General Health, North Oaks Medical Hammond, plus LSU School of Nursing + LSU Health Shreveport School of Nursing + Loyola School of Nursing + Southeastern LA + ULL + Nicholls State + Northwestern State nursing pipelines.

Senior Travel RN / Crisis Rate (Post-Hurricane)

$2,800–$4,500+/wk

Hurricane-season crisis travel rates · post-Ida + Laura + Delta + Zeta surge · ICU + ER + Med-Surg

Senior CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist)

$215,000–$295,000+ TC

CRNA at Ochsner + LCMC + Tulane + LSU Health + Our Lady of the Lake · highest LA RN ceiling

Senior NICU / PICU RN

$95,000–$135,000+ shift diff

NICU + PICU at Children's NOLA (LCMC) + Ochsner Children's + Our Lady of the Lake

Senior ICU / CCU RN

$88,000–$128,000+ shift diff

ICU + CCU at Ochsner + LCMC + Tulane + LSU Health + UMC NOLA · high-acuity tertiary

Senior ER / Trauma RN (UMC NOLA Level 1)

$85,000–$125,000+ shift diff

ER + trauma at UMC NOLA (only LA Level 1 trauma) + LSU Health + Tulane + post-Katrina + Ida surge

Senior OR / PACU RN

$85,000–$125,000+ shift diff

OR + PACU at Ochsner + LCMC + Tulane + Our Lady of the Lake · surgical services

Senior Magnet Charge Nurse

$92,000–$135,000+

Charge nurse at Ochsner Magnet + Our Lady of the Lake Magnet + LSU Health · clinical leadership

Senior Nurse Manager

$105,000–$155,000+ TC

Nurse manager at LA Magnet + tertiary hospitals · unit + service line leadership

Senior Public Health / FQHC RN

$72,000–$108,000

LA Department of Health + LA FQHC + RHC + LSU Health rural · LA HPSA + post-Katrina recovery

New Grad RN (BSN + LSU + Loyola + Southeastern)

$62,000–$78,000+

New grad RN · LSU + LSU Health Shreveport + Loyola + Southeastern LA + ULL + Nicholls pipeline · entry band

Worth knowing: Louisiana's hurricane season + post-Ida + Laura + Delta + Zeta hurricane response operations are one of the country's most distinctive concentrated US nurse crisis + travel rate markets and a feature most national RN surveys understate for LA. LA's substantial coastal hurricane exposure (the country's #2 US hurricane-strike state behind FL with major recent landfalls including Hurricane Katrina Aug 2005 + Rita Sep 2005 + Gustav Sep 2008 + Isaac Aug 2012 + Laura Aug 2020 + Delta Oct 2020 + Zeta Oct 2020 + Ida Aug 2021 + Francine Sep 2024) supports substantial seasonal LA RN hurricane surge + crisis travel rate work clearing $2,800-4,500+/wk at peak surge periods. Ochsner Health (Fortune private, ~36K employees + the country's largest US health system HQ'd in LA + largest LA private employer + the country's largest Magnet-designated nursing organization in the Gulf South) operates substantial Magnet-recognized nursing across ~40 hospitals + ~400 clinics. Senior Ochsner Magnet RNs + Charge Nurses + Nurse Managers clear $92-155K+. University Medical Center NOLA (LCMC + LSU + Tulane jointly affiliated, the only LA Level 1 trauma center + only LA verified pediatric trauma center) supports substantial high-acuity ER + trauma nursing. Children's Hospital New Orleans (LCMC) supports substantial pediatric + NICU + PICU nursing. LA is a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state since 2004 supporting LA RN practice across all 41+ NLC states. LA NP regulatory framework — LA remains REDUCED practice authority per AANP classification despite Act 246 of 2023 expanding NP scope (collaborative practice agreement still required for prescriptive authority — see nurse-practitioner entry). LA's flat 3% (post-2024 Act 11) + LA RTW since 1976 + no state estate tax (repealed 2008) + LA Citizens hurricane premium offset.

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