Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Monroe, LA MSA — October 2026
Monroe payrolls dip as Louisiana's statewide growth cools.
Monroe MSA employment fell to 92,900 in September (-200 jobs) as Louisiana's statewide gain slowed to just 300 jobs, even while metro Accountant pay rose to $72,983 and Business Analyst advertised pay climbed to $96,997.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Monroe MSA nonfarm payrolls: 92,900 — Down 200 jobs (-0.21%) month-over-month, Sept. 2026
- Louisiana monthly job growth: +300 jobs — Ranked 21st nationally, below 2,900/mo 5-yr average
- Ouachita Parish unemployment: 4.8% — vs. 4.0% statewide, 4.1% national (Sept. 2026)
- Monroe avg. weekly earnings: $922.60 — vs. $1,274 Louisiana avg., $1,459 national parish avg.
Key takeaways
September payroll dip is modest but worth tracking closely.
A 200-job monthly decline to 92,900 nonfarm jobs is small in isolation, but it lands alongside statewide deceleration — Louisiana's September gain of just 300 jobs ranked 21st nationally, well below its five-year average pace of roughly 2,900 monthly additions. Monroe's trajectory appears tied to this broader state-level cooling.
Professional-services pay is climbing even as other roles retreat.
Accountant advertised pay rose significantly to $72,983, matching the national median, while Business Analyst climbed to $96,997 — both outpacing Louisiana's statewide professional services job growth, which ranked third nationally. That divergence from falling metro pay in Operations Manager, Account Manager, and Warehouse Manager roles suggests selective demand concentrated in finance and analytics functions.
Metro wages continue trailing national benchmarks across the basket.
Average weekly earnings of $922.60 in Monroe sit far below Louisiana's statewide $1,274 figure and the national parish average near $1,459, a gap that persists even as statewide wages grew 4.0% year-over-year. For consumer-facing sectors, this wage gap translates directly into constrained local household spending power relative to inflation.
Healthcare advertised pay strength tracks a national pattern.
Registered Nurse pay in Monroe rose moderately to $88,671, consistent with national healthcare hiring signals where physicians, surgeons, and therapists top demand nationally. Local healthcare and education gains mirror the state's broader addition of 7,200 private education and health services jobs over the year, reinforcing healthcare as a stabilizing sector for the metro's employment base.
Median advertised pay by role — Monroe, LA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $20,800 | $27,040 | $30,050 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,202 | $23,345 | $26,403 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $28,168 | $32,368 | $34,320 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $58,717 | $79,196 | $88,000 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $24,702 | $31,200 | $39,328 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $30,160 | $34,320 | $36,660 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $59,143 | $67,600 | $70,762 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,720 | $35,670 | $35,670 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,120 | $34,613 | $37,468 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $24,298 | $24,985 | $26,615 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $26,120 | $30,043 | $33,036 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $29,943 | $38,856 | $44,294 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $53,932 | $62,400 | $69,097 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $76,499 | $88,671 | $95,727 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $59,452 | $59,452 | $59,453 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,196 | $142,897 | $159,248 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $54,974 | $72,983 | $79,261 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $71,592 | $89,402 | $101,546 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $54,000 | $61,075 | $66,500 | Significant decline | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $43,361 | $56,859 | $70,057 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $59,817 | $88,000 | $92,750 | Moderate decline | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $20,640 | $30,668 | $36,422 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $26,697 | $44,160 | $53,271 | Significant decline | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $45,000 | $45,000 | $59,133 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $81,305 | $96,997 | $109,400 | Moderate increase | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $76,782 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $52,186 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,000 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $73,707 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $67,600 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $51,547 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $51,647 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $58,439 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $24,960 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $63,315 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Monroe MSA nonfarm employment slipped to 92,900 in September, down 200 jobs month-over-month, even as Ouachita Parish unemployment held at 4.8% and statewide Louisiana unemployment eased to 4.0%. Metro wage figures — $922.60 average weekly earnings and $26.36 average hourly earnings — sit well below the national weekly wage average, a gap consistent with Louisiana's broader ranking of 42nd among states for average weekly wages despite the state posting the nation's fifth-fastest job growth over the past year.
What it means
Monthly payroll softness against a backdrop of still-low unemployment suggests a metro economy treading water, which complicates timing questions for commerce leaders weighing local investment or expansion. Several advertised metro wages — Accountant and Business Analyst both up moderately to significantly, Registered Nurse and Electrician trending up — point to pockets of tightness inside an otherwise flat aggregate picture, while roles like Software Engineer, Warehouse Manager, and Account Manager show significant metro pay declines relative to national trends. Current conditions suggest economic development and chamber leaders track sector-level divergence to assess the health of the local business climate.
Looking ahead
Expected data release: October 2026 BLS figures for the Monroe MSA have not yet published as of this briefing; watch for the next Louisiana Workforce At-a-Glance bulletin to confirm whether the September payroll dip extends into a trend or proves a one-month fluctuation.
Worth watching: Construction accounted for more than half of Louisiana's statewide annual job gains; monitor whether Monroe-area construction activity, tied to regional infrastructure and industrial projects, follows the state pattern or lags given the metro's slower payroll growth.
Emerging pressure point: Wage-vs-inflation divergence statewide (weekly wages up 4.0% against CPI gains near 3.5-3.7% nationally) leaves little real cushion for Monroe households already earning below the state average; continued softness in food service and retail advertised pay locally could further pressure consumer spending capacity.
Early indicator: West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber's October industrial hiring fair drew multiple employers advertising full-time, part-time, and seasonal roles — a signal of active industrial-sector demand worth tracking against November payroll data to see if it registers as a measurable employment gain.
Sources
- Louisiana Workforce Commission — Monroe MSA nonfarm employment at 92,900, down 200 jobs month-over-month
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Ouachita Parish unemployment rate at 4.8% as of June 2026
- Louisiana Workforce Commission / BLS — Louisiana added 300 jobs in September 2026, ranking 21st among states
- Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW — Louisiana statewide average weekly wage of $1,274, up 4.0% year-over-year
- Louisiana Workforce Commission — Construction accounted for over half of Louisiana's annual job gains
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare leads national private-sector hiring demand
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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