Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other in Louisiana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,750
after federal, FICA and Louisiana tax
Tax takes
$5,980
15.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,939
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
$37,730
Kept after tax
$31,750
Worth in national money
$35,939
State rank
24
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Louisiana sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $37,730, ranking 24 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Louisiana, this one sits low: 377 of 484 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Louisiana is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $37,730 the take-home is $31,750; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $35,939 would nationally. The average comes to $40,390, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Louisiana occupies the middle band for motor vehicle operators, all other: a median of $37,730, ranking 24 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Motor vehicle operators, all other occupies position 377 of 484 in Louisiana's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Post-tax income for motor vehicle operators, all other in Louisiana, on $37,730, is $31,750 — equivalent to $35,939 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $40,390 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $26,110 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $37,730 |
| Top tenth earn over | $63,840 |
| This salary | $37,730 |
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 | $31,750 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,496 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,498 |
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 | $36,802 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,021 |
| 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 motor vehicle operators, all other in Louisiana earn under $37,730 and half over. The published range runs $26,110 at the tenth percentile to $63,840 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Louisiana the take-home figure of $31,750, from $37,730, 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 377 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 $35,939 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 377.
- Figures are distribution medians for motor vehicle operators, all other in Louisiana, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $26,110 to $63,840; 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 $31,750 from $37,730. 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 377 of 484 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $35,939, worked from $37,730, 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 377 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $40,390, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $26,110 at the bottom tenth to $63,840 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 $35,939 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 $31,750.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 $40,390. 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 ($26,110) and the ninetieth ($63,840) 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 $35,939 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 $31,750 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.