Louisiana by the numbers
In Louisiana, the median worker earns $43,770 a year, the typical home is worth $208,700 and carries $1,146 of property tax, and the average household pays $156 a month for electricity at 14.15¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South MISO Regulated monopoly
Energy
Louisiana's generation is inexpensive. The state produces natural gas, hosts large industrial cogeneration, operates two nuclear stations, and has built efficient combined-cycle capacity. On energy cost alone it would be among the cheapest states in the country.
What pulls against that is weather. Louisiana's distribution and transmission networks are hit repeatedly by major hurricanes, and rebuilding them is expensive. The state has repeatedly used securitisation, issuing bonds against future ratepayer charges to spread restoration costs over decades, which means a Louisiana bill carries storm surcharges from several past hurricanes at the same time.
Grid hardening spending, intended to reduce future restoration cost, adds a further layer of capital recovery in the present.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Louisiana households used 1,201 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $156. At the state median wage that is about 7.4 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $3.74 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Louisiana worker earned $43,770 in 2024, 11.6% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Sailors and Marine Oilers | 19.21× | $44,380 |
| Chemical Plant and System Operators | 15.21× | $96,500 |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 14.38× | $103,430 |
| Boilermakers | 12.89× | $76,320 |
| Transportation Workers, All Other | 12.15× | $34,040 |
Property tax
The median Louisiana homeowner pays $1,146 a year on a home worth $208,700, an effective rate of 0.55% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 63 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Louisiana run at 88.2 where the national average is 100, ranking it #47 of 51. Goods sit at 93.7, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 63.1, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $43,770 therefore buys what $49,626 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Slidell-Mandeville-Covington (92.7) , New Orleans-Metairie (92.6) , Baton Rouge (90.8) , Lafayette (87.2) , Lake Charles (85.9) .
Housing
House prices in Louisiana rose 1.6% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +43.1%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: Baton Rouge (+1.8%) , New Orleans-Metairie (-0.5%) .
Who supplies the power
20 utilities report residential service in Louisiana, together serving 2.1 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Louisiana: common questions
What does it cost to live in Louisiana?
Prices overall run at 88.2 against a national average of 100, with rents at 63.1. The typical home is worth $208,700 and carries $1,146 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.55% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $156 a month at 14.15¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $43,770.
What is the property tax rate in Louisiana?
The effective rate is 0.55% of home value, from a median bill of $1,146. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 63 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Louisiana?
The median wage of $43,770 buys what $49,626 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Louisiana falls on.
Is Louisiana expensive for electricity?
It ranks #42 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 14.15¢ per kilowatt-hour, -23.3% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 25 of 51, because households there use 1,201 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Louisiana?
$43,770 across all occupations, about $21.05 an hour, covering 1,911,530 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Louisiana?
20 utilities report residential service, the largest being Entergy Louisiana LLC with 957,522 customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources