Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in Louisiana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$47,019
after federal, FICA and Louisiana tax
Tax takes
$10,451
18.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$53,222
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
$57,470
Kept after tax
$47,019
Worth in national money
$53,222
State rank
46
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Louisiana is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $57,470, ranking 46 of 51 states — about 10.76% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 217 among 484 occupations Louisiana publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $57,470 you keep $47,019 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $53,222 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $56,590.
- Louisiana ranks 46 of 51 for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, with a median of $57,470 — about 10.76% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Position 217 of 484 in Louisiana places licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay in Louisiana is $47,019 after the full tax stack, from $57,470. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $53,222 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $56,590 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $45,810 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $57,470 |
| Top tenth earn over | $66,150 |
| This salary | $57,470 |
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 | $47,019 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $48,357 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,459 |
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 | $55,805 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,184 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $57,470 as a midpoint for Louisiana, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $45,810 and the ninetieth is $66,150 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Louisiana the take-home figure of $47,019, from $57,470, 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 217 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 $53,222 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 217.
- The Louisiana median of $57,470 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $45,810 to $66,150. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Louisiana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $47,019 from $57,470. 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 217 of 484 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $53,222, worked from $57,470, 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 217 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $45,810 and the top tenth $66,150, so most people doing this work in Louisiana sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $53,222 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Louisiana then takes its own share, leaving $47,019.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($45,810 to $66,150) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Louisiana rather than a national figure.
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 $53,222 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 $47,019 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.