Graphic Designers in Louisiana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,172
after federal, FICA and Louisiana tax
Tax takes
$8,738
17.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$46,603
Louisiana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Louisiana — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$49,910
Kept after tax
$41,172
Worth in national money
$46,603
State rank
46
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for graphic designers is on the low side in Louisiana. The middle earner gets $49,910. That is 46 of 51 states, and about 20.73% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Louisiana reports figures for, this is number 255.
- Here is where Louisiana does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $49,910 you keep $41,172, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $46,603 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $54,850, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For graphic designers, Louisiana sits in the lower band at $49,910, ranking 46 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 20.73%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- In Louisiana's occupational distribution, graphic designers sits at 255 of 484 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- After federal, FICA and Louisiana income tax, retained pay for graphic designers on $49,910 is $41,172. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $46,603 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $54,850 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Graphic Designers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,910 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $49,910 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,300 |
| This salary | $49,910 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Louisiana | $41,172 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,283 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,091 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $48,527 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,739 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of graphic designers in Louisiana earn under $49,910 and half over. The published range runs $35,910 at the tenth percentile to $76,300 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Louisiana the take-home figure of $41,172, from $49,910, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 255 of 484 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $46,603 uses one figure for the whole of Louisiana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 484 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 255.
- Figures are distribution medians for graphic designers in Louisiana, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $35,910 to $76,300; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Louisiana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $41,172 from $49,910. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 255 of 484 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $46,603, worked from $49,910, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Louisiana address, on work sitting at 255 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $54,850 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $35,910 at the bottom tenth to $76,300 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Louisiana sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $46,603 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Louisiana's own levy, $41,172 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Louisiana is $54,850. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($35,910) and the ninetieth ($76,300) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Louisiana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $46,603 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $41,172 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Louisiana income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.