Data Entry Specialist salary in New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Hiring a data entry specialist costs less in New Orleans-Metairie than in Louisiana or the country as a whole. The median is $34,890 a year1: 5.5% below the Louisiana statewide median of $36,920 and 15.6% below the US median of $41,340. Only 34 of 394 US areas pay less for this job. BLS counts about 320 people in this job here, 18% of the Louisiana total.
BLS occupation 43-9021, area New Orleans-Metairie, LA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in New Orleans-Metairie against Louisiana and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $23,420 | $34,890 | $60,940 | |
| Louisiana | $23,420 | $36,920 | $54,160 | |
| United States | $31,200 | $41,340 | $58,790 |
Pay is more spread out here than nationally: the top tenth earns $60,940 or more, 2.6 times the bottom tenth, against 1.9 times across the US. Two offers for the same title can sit far apart. The middle half of data entry specialists in New Orleans-Metairie earns $23,420–$45,670. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $22,250 wide, wider than in Louisiana as a whole ($8,830) and the US ($12,650), so what a data entry specialist earns in New Orleans-Metairie depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a data entry specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23,420 | $1,952 | $11.26 | $30,219 |
| 25th percentile | $23,420 | $1,952 | $11.26 | $30,219 |
| Median | $34,890 | $2,908 | $16.77 | $45,019 |
| 75th percentile | $45,670 | $3,806 | $21.96 | $58,929 |
| 90th percentile | $60,940 | $5,078 | $29.30 | $78,632 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $10,780 a year in pay and about $13,910 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $11,470 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $41,340 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in New Orleans-Metairie, and the Louisiana statewide median of $36,920 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in New Orleans-Metairie
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $10,129 to the $34,890 median and brings it to $45,019 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for data entry specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in New Orleans-Metairie
Data entry specialists have the lowest median of the 17 roles we track in New Orleans-Metairie; project coordinators have the highest, at $85,410.
| Role | Median | vs data entry specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Assistant | +22.8% | 6,180 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | +12.6% | 5,600 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +4.8% | 530 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | +2.5% | 2,930 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | this role | 320 |
Measured against the US median, data entry specialists rank #13 of the 17 roles we track in New Orleans-Metairie (-15.6%), between recruiters (-14.7%) and project coordinators (-16.5%). The typical role here is at -11.9%, so, measured against the US, data entry specialists cost less in New Orleans-Metairie than the area's general pay level would suggest. Data entry specialists hold 0.8% of the jobs in these 17 roles in New Orleans-Metairie, 1.0% across Louisiana and 0.8% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Louisiana
Across the 8 areas of Louisiana with data for this job, the median runs from $33,310 in Lake Charles to $40,550 in Lafayette, a gap of $7,240 a year. The one area in Louisiana with more data entry specialists, Shreveport-Bossier City, LA ($36,920), also pays more.
| Area | Median | vs New Orleans-Metairie | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | +13.6% | 210 | |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | +5.8% | 390 | |
| Houma-Bayou Cane, LA | +2.6% | 60 | |
| Monroe, LA | +2.0% | 50 | |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | this area | 320 | |
| Slidell-Mandeville, LA | -4.3% | 100 | |
| Lake Charles, LA | -4.5% | 40 |
New Orleans-Metairie against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, New Orleans-Metairie is #66 of 389 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, yet its pay sits in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Louisiana, Montgomery and Lebanon pay just above New Orleans-Metairie and Daphne-Fairhope and Logan just below. All four are within $200 a year of the median in New Orleans-Metairie. Of the three markets with about as many data entry specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs New Orleans-Metairie | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson, AZ | +20.8% | 320 | jobs | |
| Lincoln, NE | +18.6% | 330 | jobs | |
| Akron, OH | +7.1% | 310 | jobs | |
| Lebanon, PA | +0.6% | 30 | pay | |
| Montgomery, AL | +0.1% | 80 | pay | |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | this area | 320 | ||
| Daphne-Fairhope, AL | -0.1% | 30 | pay | |
| Logan, UT-ID | -0.1% | 50 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a data entry specialist in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?
About $45,019 a year at the median, or $3,752 a month: $34,890 in pay plus about $10,129 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do data entry specialists earn in New Orleans-Metairie?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $34,890 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $23,420, the 90th $60,940, and the middle half earned $23,420 to $45,670.
Is New Orleans-Metairie cheaper than the rest of Louisiana for data entry specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $34,890 against $36,920 statewide. The next area up in Louisiana is Monroe at $35,580, the next down Slidell-Mandeville at $33,400.
How many data entry specialists work in New Orleans-Metairie?
BLS counts about 320 in the May 2025 survey. That is 18% of the Louisiana total of 1,800. Only Shreveport-Bossier City has more in Louisiana.
Does a data entry specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in New Orleans-Metairie?
No: $860 a year less at the median. The medians are $34,890 and $35,750.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-9021: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.