Orleans Parish · Louisiana
New Orleans, LA jobs and wages
Who works here, what they earn, and which industries carry the local economy — Census ACS estimates for the city itself, not the wider metro.
Quick answer
Workers in New Orleans, LA earn a median of $39,038 a year, 12% below the national median of $44,587. Unemployment is 7.8% against 5.2% nationally, and education, health care & social assistance is the largest employer at 29.1% of jobs.
- Median earnings
- $39,038#71 of 94 metros
- Unemployment rate
- 7.8%US 5.2%
- Labor force participation
- 61.5%US 63.5%
- People employed
- 174,022Civilian employed, age 16+
What New Orleans does for a living
Share of the civilian employed population by industry, largest first.
- Education, health care & social assistance29.1%
- Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation & food14.1%
- Professional, scientific & management13.8%
- Retail trade8.6%
- Transportation, warehousing & utilities6.1%
- Finance, insurance & real estate5.2%
- Construction4.9%
- Other services, except public administration4.9%
- Public administration4.8%
- Manufacturing3.8%
- Information2.2%
- Wholesale trade1.7%
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting & mining0.7%
Related data for New Orleans
Earnings only mean something next to what things cost.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
Tables B23025, B20002 and C24030, 2019-2023 ACS 5-year. Industry shares combine the male and female columns of C24030 and are rounded, so they may not total exactly 100%.