Louisiana state senators serve as elected officials in the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. Thirty-nine Louisiana state senators each serve four year terms between elections. The salary for Louisiana state senators is split among a base salary, per-diem pay and extra salary for leading committees or the legislative body.

Average Salary for Louisiana State Senators

The average salary for a Louisiana state senator is $35,384 in odd-numbered years and $38,959 in even-numbered years. The salary for Louisiana state senators changes depending on the year because the amount of per-diem pay changes based on the number of days spent in legislative session.

Breakdown of Salary for Louisiana State Senators

All Louisiana state senators earn $16,800 in base salary and $6,000 per year in expense reimbursement. For each day the state senate remains in session, Louisiana state senators earn $143 per day in per-diem pay.

Additional Compensation for Louisiana State Senators

Some Louisiana state senators earn additional salary on top of their base pay and per-diem. The president of the state senate earns $32,000 as a base salary and the president pro tempore earns $24,500 as a base salary. The senate chair for the legislative budget committee receives a base salary of $28,000.

Salaries for Other State Senators

The average salary for state senators across the U.S. was $49,870. While this salary is significantly higher than the salary for Louisiana state senators, many other states have full-time legislatures. Because the Louisiana legislature is part-time, the salary for its state senators is adjusted for the part-time nature of their positions.