Accountants & Auditors salary in New Orleans, LA
Median pay for accountants & auditors in New Orleans, LA: $74,090/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $47,620 – $110,750 · about 4,260 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($74,290) by −$200 (+0%).
What it's really worth in New Orleans
With New Orleans's cost of living at 91 (US=100), that $74,090 has the buying power of about $81,244 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $62,748 · median home $261,414 · median rent $1,622/mo.
How New Orleans ranks for this job
On raw pay, New Orleans, LA is 97th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once New Orleans's cost of living is applied, it ranks 45th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — New Orleans is one of the places where accountants & auditors gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in New Orleans
A median home in New Orleans, LA costs $261,414 — about 3.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,622/mo works out at 26% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to New Orleans.
| Metro | Median pay | vs New Orleans | Rent vs New Orleans |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +54% | 2.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +40% | 2× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +40% | 2.2× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +31% | 1.5× |
Same job elsewhere in LA
| Metro | Median pay | vs New Orleans | Rent vs New Orleans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $67,790 | −9% | 0.9× |
| Lafayette, LA | $64,390 | −13% | 0.8× |
| Shreveport, LA | $62,350 | −16% | 0.8× |
Staying in LA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in New Orleans
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.