1099WORK

1099 LPN Jobs in Shreveport, LA

Pay, market size and contractor rates for independent licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses across the Shreveport-Bossier City, LA area.

LPNs employed
1,790

BLS OEWS, May 2024

Median annual pay
$57,040

all employment types

1099 equivalent
$76,083

1.33× — estimate

Suggested hourly
$45.72

at 80% utilisation

Metro population
383,000

Census, 2024

Shreveport-Bossier City, LA has 1,790 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses and a median wage of $57,040. This page works through what that means for an independent contractor: the pay spread, the rate you need to quote to come out ahead of payroll, and the tax and classification rules that apply in Louisiana.

Every figure is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme (May 2024) or the Census Bureau's 2024 population estimates. Where BLS suppressed a number for this market, the sentence that would have used it is simply absent — nothing here is filled in with an estimate unless it is labelled as one.

How big the Shreveport market is

The Shreveport-Bossier City, LA market supports 1,790 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. That figure counts every employment arrangement, W-2 and 1099 alike — BLS does not split the two. Applying 1099WORK's estimate that roughly 25% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses work on a 1099 basis puts the independent share near 448 people. Treat that as an order of magnitude, not a census. By headcount the market ranks 67th of the 387 metro areas where BLS publishes a figure for this occupation.

Concentration is the more interesting number. The location quotient is 2.73, meaning licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses make up a share of local employment 173% larger than they do nationally. Demand here is structural, not incidental. Per head of population it ranks 5th of 387 — a genuine cluster rather than a by-product of metro size. The metro's population is 383,000, down 2.4% since 2020.

A shrinking population means growth will not do the work for you here — share has to come from displacing an incumbent. A concentration that far above the national average means employers here are not incidental buyers of the skill — they are the reason the cluster exists, and they buy accordingly. Pricing off a national average will read as expensive in this market, whatever the work is worth.

Earnings in Shreveport

$57,040 is the midpoint in Shreveport. That works out to $27.42 an hour at a standard 2,080-hour year. That is 8.5% below the national median of $62,340.

The spread matters more than the midpoint for anyone working 1099. The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is $24,780, which is the range your negotiating position, client mix and specialisation actually move you across. Top-decile earners clear $71,210, against $46,430 at the bottom decile. These are W-2 and 1099 earnings combined, before any contractor adjusts for self-employment tax and unfunded benefits — which is what the next section is for.

LPN pay in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — BLS OEWS, May 2024
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentile$46,430$22.32
Median$57,040$27.42
Mean$56,770$27.29
90th percentile$71,210$34.24

Shreveport against the wider market

Shreveport pays 5.8% above the Louisiana median. Against the national median of $62,340 it sits 8.5% below. The location quotient column is the one worth reading twice: it measures how concentrated the occupation is relative to the national average, and it moves independently of pay.

LPN: Shreveport vs state vs national — BLS OEWS, May 2024
AreaEmployedMedian annual90th percentileLocation quotient
Shreveport1,790$57,040$71,2102.73
Louisiana18,630$53,930$64,2402.38
United States632,430$62,340$80,510

Setting your 1099 rate in Shreveport

A 1099 contract that pays the same headline number as a W-2 job is a pay cut. You pick up the employer's half of payroll tax, you stop being paid for holidays and time off, and health cover and retirement come out of your own revenue. Matching a $57,040 salary in Shreveport therefore takes about $76,083 in contractor gross — a multiplier of 1.33×.

Spread across a full 2,080-hour year that is $36.58 an hour. Nobody bills 2,080 hours: at a more realistic 80% utilisation, with the rest going to admin, invoicing and finding the next contract, the number you should quote is closer to $45.72.

The 1.33× multiplier assumes:

What to quote, by experience level

The percentile spread above is more useful as a rate card than as a statistic. Each row below takes a point in the local wage distribution and applies the same 1.33× contractor multiplier, then divides across a realistic 80% billable year. Treat the middle row as your default and the bottom row as a floor you do not go under — not as a starting offer.

Indicative 1099 rates for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in Shreveport — 1099WORK estimate
Position in the local marketAnnual equivalentHourly at 80% utilisation
Entering the market (10th percentile)$61,931$37.22
Established (median)$76,083$45.72
Specialised (90th percentile)$94,983$57.08

Nearby markets for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Contractors are not bound by a metro line the way a commuting employee is, and the neighbouring markets often price the same work differently. Within reach of Shreveport:

LPN employment and median pay in nearby metros
MetroEmployedMedian annual
New Orleans3,210$58,800
Baton Rouge2,910$57,410
Lafayette2,170$48,900
Slidell990$57,040
Lake Charles1,200$51,430

The tax consequence

Nothing is withheld from a 1099 payment. You pay self-employment tax at 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit, plus income tax, in four estimated payments a year. At the Shreveport median that is roughly $2,015 a quarter in self-employment tax alone, before income tax. Louisiana adds its own income tax and its own estimated-payment schedule on top.

One thing to get right first

Labelling an engagement 1099 does not make it 1099 — the IRS weighs who controls the work, who supplies the tools and who carries the risk. For licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses the usual flashpoints are set schedules, employer-supplied equipment and exclusivity clauses. Louisiana also applies its own test, which can reach a different answer than the IRS does on identical facts.

1099WORK, briefly

1099WORK is a marketplace built for 1099 engagements specifically: companies post a defined scope, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses keep one verified profile, and agreements, onboarding and payment happen in the same place. It launched as 1099REPS for independent medical sales reps and now covers the wider 1099 economy, Shreveport included.

Frequently asked questions

Is 1099 work better than a W-2 job in Shreveport?

It depends entirely on rate and stability. 1099 wins on control, deductibility and upside; W-2 wins on predictability, benefits and unemployment cover. As a rule of thumb, a 1099 engagement needs to pay about 1.33× the equivalent salary before it is genuinely better money.

How many licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses work in Shreveport?

BLS counts 1,790 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in Shreveport. 1099WORK estimates roughly 448 of them work on a 1099 basis, though BLS does not publish that split. That is 67th of 387 US metro areas.

How often do 1099 contractors pay taxes in Shreveport?

Quarterly. The IRS expects estimated payments in mid-April, mid-June, mid-September and mid-January, and charges an underpayment penalty for missing them even if you pay in full at filing. Louisiana runs its own estimated-payment schedule alongside the federal one.

Do I need an LLC to work 1099 in Shreveport?

No. A sole proprietor can accept 1099 work under their own name and Social Security number, and many contractors start that way. An LLC adds liability separation and lets you elect S-corp taxation once profit is high enough for the payroll-tax saving to beat the extra filing cost. Louisiana sets its own formation fee and annual report requirements.

What hourly rate should a 1099 lpn charge in Shreveport?

About $45.72 an hour at 80% utilisation, derived from the $57,040 local median. That builds in the employer half of payroll tax, twenty unpaid days a year and a 15% allowance for self-funded health cover and retirement. It excludes business insurance, mileage and unbilled sales time.

How much does a 1099 lpn make in Shreveport?

The median lpn in Shreveport earns $57,040 a year according to BLS OEWS data for May 2024, covering W-2 and 1099 workers together. The top decile clears $71,210. Working 1099, you would need roughly $76,083 in gross billings to match that median after self-employment tax and unfunded benefits.

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