This page is built from the open postings on hospital and health-system career sites in Louisiana listed on Betterleap's job board: 4,346 open positions from 39 employers as of October 26, 2026, 2% of all open postings on the board, which ranks Louisiana #18 of 51 states. Registered nurses are 42.9% of the state's postings (959). Every figure below is a count or a posted pay range, never a job description; the method is at the end.
Where the jobs are in Louisiana
| # | City | Open postings | of which RN | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans, LA | 1,369 | 300 | 11 |
| 2 | Shreveport, LA | 505 | 83 | 7 |
| 3 | Baton Rouge, LA | 504 | 111 | 15 |
| 4 | Lafayette, LA | 364 | 90 | 6 |
| 5 | Metairie, LA | 246 | 54 | 6 |
| 6 | Slidell, LA | 163 | 57 | 6 |
| 7 | Covington, LA | 141 | 24 | 6 |
| 8 | Monroe, LA | 125 | 22 | 3 |
Every city links to its live listings; the state's registered-nurse listings are at RN jobs in Louisiana.
Health systems hiring the most in Louisiana
Counted by open postings on the system's own career site, so a system that lists every unit and shift separately ranks higher than one that posts one evergreen requisition per role.
| # | Employer | Open postings in LA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ochsner Health System | 1,664 |
| 2 | LCMC Health System | 872 |
| 3 | Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System | 679 |
| 4 | Willis-Knighton Health System | 402 |
| 5 | Tulane | 195 |
| 6 | DePaul Community Health Centers | 73 |
| 7 | Acadia Healthcare | 58 |
| 8 | Universal Health Services | 53 |
Which roles Louisiana employers are hiring
| Role | Open postings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 959 | 42.9% |
| physicians | 422 | 18.9% |
| medical assistants | 206 | 9.2% |
| licensed practical nurses | 199 | 8.9% |
| radiologic technologists | 120 | 5.4% |
| nurse practitioners | 115 | 5.2% |
| patient access representatives | 108 | 4.8% |
| respiratory therapists | 104 | 4.7% |
What nursing jobs pay in Louisiana
For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 48,970 registered nurses employed in Louisiana with a mean wage of $40.48 an hour ($84,190 a year), OEWS May 2025.
Only 1.9% of Louisiana postings state a pay range with both ends: too few to publish a posted median (the rule is at least 100 postings and a median within a third of the BLS mean). The BLS figure above is the reliable reference for this state.
Licensing: working as a nurse in Louisiana
Louisiana is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) according to NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026, which lists 40 member states). A nurse whose primary state of residence is Louisiana can hold a multistate license and practice in every other compact state without a new application, and a nurse with a multistate license issued elsewhere can accept a job in Louisiana without waiting for an endorsement. The state's board of nursing contact page is on NCSBN.
Licensing is issued by the state board of nursing: an approved nursing program, the NCLEX-RN (or NCLEX-PN), a background check and the board's application. The board's own pages are the source of truth for fees and timelines; this page does not restate them.
How this is built
- Scope: open postings on public hospital and health-system career sites, counted as of the date shown; job descriptions are never republished. Only postings whose location is in Louisiana count here; a posting listing several sites counts once, at its first site.
- Pay point: midpoint of the posted range, hourly (annual ÷ 2080), only where both ends and the unit are posted. The top of a posted range is never used as "the pay". A posted median is published only with at least 100 postings and within a third of the BLS mean.
- Freshness: counts are refreshed monthly and the page shows its date; a posting that leaves an employer's site drops out.
- References: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates; NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map data, read September 26, 2026.
Data as of October 26, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many open nursing jobs are there in Louisiana right now?
4,346 open postings from 39 hospital and health-system employers in Louisiana as of October 26, 2026, 959 of them for registered nurses. New Orleans has the most (1,369), then Shreveport (505).
What do registered nurses earn in Louisiana?
The BLS OEWS May 2025 mean for registered nurses in Louisiana is $40.48 an hour, $84,190 a year, across 48,970 employed RNs. Too few open postings state a pay range for a posted median to be published for this state.
Is Louisiana a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Yes. Louisiana is an NLC member per NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026), so a multistate license issued by another compact state is valid there.
Which hospitals are hiring nurses in Louisiana?
By open postings on their own career sites: Ochsner Health System (1,664), LCMC Health System (872), Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (679) and 5 more listed above, as of October 26, 2026.
