Annual pay varied widely across five Acadiana parishes in 2024

St. Mary had the highest average annual wage among five Acadiana parishes in Louisiana Economic Development’s March 16, 2026 parish wage table. The table, which uses 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, lists St. Mary at $61,932 and Vermilion at $48,191.

The same table places Lafayette at $58,120, Iberia at $57,316 and Acadia at $45,093. Subtracting those published figures puts the difference between St. Mary and Acadia at $16,839. These are parish averages for the measured year, not advertised salaries for particular vacancies.

The figures describe pay attached to covered employment. In its 2024 annual publication, consulted September 15, 2026, BLS explains that average annual wages are calculated by dividing total annual wages by annual average employment. This is an arithmetic average; it does not identify what the middle worker earns.

BLS also cautions that annual pay only approximates an individual’s earnings. Someone may change employers during the year or hold more than one job. The series therefore should not be read as the annual income of a typical household, which can include several earners and income outside wages.

The mix of work matters, too. BLS says comparisons of average pay are affected by the balance of full-time and part-time employment and the distribution of higher- and lower-paying occupations. Its wage definition includes items such as bonuses, overtime reflected in compensation and severance, rather than base salary alone.

For readers comparing a proposed employer’s salary with local pay, the LED table supplies a dated benchmark. The underlying year is 2024, even though the state published this sheet in 2026; it does not measure subsequent raises or today’s openings.