Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA — October 2026
Shreveport finance pay gaps widen as construction wages pull talent.
Shreveport Financial Analyst pay jumped to $76,220 while Controller pay held at $97,500 against a $115,420 national median, as construction employment grew 12.4% and pulled wage pressure across adjacent sectors.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro nonfarm employment: 171,700 — Up from 171,200 in August 2026
- Construction employment growth: +12.4% YoY — Leading all metro sectors, 10,000 jobs
- Financial Analyst advertised pay: $76,220 — Up significantly; vs $94,646 national median
- CFO turnover rate (national): 18.3% — Highest since pandemic, per Crist|Kolder
Key takeaways
Financial Analyst pay is moving faster than the role's national peers.
Metro advertised pay for Financial Analysts rose significantly to $76,220, closing ground against the $94,646 national median while most other finance roles in the metro held flat. Treat this as a signal that local demand for analytical finance talent is outpacing supply and likely to persist.
Construction wage pressure is spilling into adjacent finance hiring.
Construction employment grew 12.4% year-over-year locally, consistent with statewide gains tied to LNG, data center, and industrial projects. Project accounting, cost control, and FP&A roles supporting these builds may see compensation pressure well before headline finance pay data reflects it.
Government payroll contraction frees talent finance teams should watch.
Local government employment fell 3% even as overall metro payrolls grew modestly, a divergence worth monitoring for displaced public-sector accounting and finance professionals entering the private candidate pool. This may create near-term hiring opportunities at lower cost than open-market recruiting.
Controller and FP&A Manager pay gaps with national medians remain wide.
Shreveport Controllers advertise at $97,500 against a $115,420 national median, and FP&A Managers at $82,494 against $130,000 nationally — among the widest local-to-national spreads in the finance function. Current conditions suggest these gaps could accelerate retention risk as CFO-level turnover nationally sits near 18.3%, the highest since the pandemic.
Median advertised pay by role — Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $84,844 | $97,500 | $110,000 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $58,082 | $71,831 | $83,836 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $65,614 | $76,220 | $82,500 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $31,200 | $35,442 | $38,480 | Significant decline | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $38,856 | $74,154 | $79,452 | Significant increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $55,537 | $69,944 | $71,058 | Stable | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager | $81,555 | $82,494 | $89,355 | Moderate increase | $130,000 |
* 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
Local market conditions
Shreveport-Bossier nonfarm employment reached 171,700 in September, with construction up 12.4% year-over-year and education/health services up 3%, while government payrolls contracted 3% and leisure/hospitality fell 2.9% — a bifurcated labor market where industrial and healthcare demand is absorbing workers that public-sector and hospitality employers are shedding. Average weekly earnings climbed to $997.58, tracking Louisiana's statewide wage acceleration above 6% year-over-year, even as national finance-sector hiring contracted by 7,000 jobs in September, creating a local labor market tighter than the national financial activities trend would suggest.
What it means
Local finance talent competes against a construction and manufacturing sector pulling wages upward statewide, while national CFO turnover near 18.3% and an 85% talent-shortage rate among CFOs signal that Shreveport finance leaders can expect longer vacancy windows during close and audit cycles if they rely on legacy pay structures. Financial Analyst advertised pay is up significantly locally to $76,220, narrowing the gap with the $94,646 national median and suggesting local employers are already repricing mid-level finance roles to retain talent. Consider reviewing close-cycle staffing contingencies now, given that 70% of finance leaders nationally are shifting toward contract talent — a model that eases headcount cost pressure but introduces audit documentation gaps worth flagging to internal controls teams.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether October's BLS release, due in early December, confirms Shreveport's construction-led job growth held through the fourth quarter or began cooling alongside any slowdown in LNG and data center build timelines.
Emerging pressure point: Monitor whether Louisiana's statewide wage growth above 6% year-over-year begins showing up in local finance role postings beyond Financial Analyst, particularly Controller and FP&A Manager, where metro-to-national gaps remain widest.
Worth watching: City of Shreveport's proposal to accelerate a 3% raise for roughly 1,000 employees, moved up from March 2027, may set a local benchmark other public and quasi-public finance employers reference in retention discussions.
Potential inflection point: National shift toward contract finance talent, now at 70% of finance leaders increasing contractor use, may reach Shreveport's labor market as local employers seek flexibility ahead of year-end close without expanding fixed headcount costs.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via BIZ Magazine — Shreveport metro nonfarm employment and sector-level job growth figures
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Average weekly earnings reached $997.58 in Shreveport metro
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum research — 70% of finance leaders increasing use of contract talent in H2 2026
- The Center Square — Shreveport city council considering accelerated 3% raise for city employees
- Louisiana Works / BLS QCEW — Louisiana statewide wage growth exceeding 6% year-over-year
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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