Career Atlas USA

Cooks, All Other Salary in Louisiana

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Cooks, All Other in Louisiana is $28,930. BLS estimates approximately 430 people work in this occupation in Louisiana. Louisiana is 23.2% below the national median ($37,690).

Median salary
$28,930
Average salary
$31,640
Median hourly
$13.91
Employment
430

Salary Distribution

Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.

PercentileAnnual wageHourly wage
10th percentile$23,950$11.52
25th percentile$26,430$12.71
Median (50th)$28,930$13.91
75th percentile$36,580$17.59
90th percentile$39,880$19.17

Data Reliability

BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.

Wage estimate
RSE 2.8% — Very reliable
Employment estimate
RSE 19% — Use with caution

Where Does Your Salary Fall?

Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.

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What Should You Ask For?

A starting point for salary negotiation, based on this occupation’s real published wage distribution and your years of experience.

For a early-career candidate (3-5 years), a reasonable target range is:

$26,430$28,930

Roughly the 25th–50th percentile of reported wages for this occupation.

Local cost of living adjusts the median here to about $32,798 in national purchasing power — worth factoring in alongside the raw number.

This is a general rule of thumb built from real BLS percentile data — not personalized advice. Your actual leverage depends on your specific skills, the employer, and the local market.

Concentration

Jobs per 1,000
0.222
Location quotient
1.79

Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary

Louisiana’s regional price level is below the national average (index 88.207, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $32,798 at the national price level.

This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.

Cost-of-Living Breakdown

One overall index can hide a lot — a state can be about average overall while housing runs far above or below that. Same 100 = U.S. average scale as above, per category.

Housing
63.1 (below avg)
Goods
93.7 (below avg)
Utilities
71.5 (below avg)
Other Services
95.7 (below avg)

Opportunity Score

45.2/ 100

A Career Atlas USA score combining cost-adjusted salary, job density, concentration and employment availability, ranked against every other state for this career. How we calculate this score →

Sources

Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)May 2025 (release 25).

Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.

← See national Cooks, All Other salary dataBest states for Cooks, All Other
Cooks, All Other Salary in Louisiana: Pay & Job Data | Career Atlas USA