.NET Developer Salary in Baton Rouge: $65,000-$115,000 (2026)

Baton Rouge’s cost-of-living index around 88 gives . NET developers noticeably more purchasing power than peers in higher-cost metros.

Rent for a one-bedroom in a central area typically runs $900–$1,100/month; safer suburban neighborhoods and older rental stock push that down into the $700–$900 band. Median home prices in the metro sit in the low $200k range, making home ownership reachable for mid-level developers who save for a 10–20% down payment.

Commute costs are modest: average drive times are under 30 minutes for much of the metro and gas/insurance costs are below national metro averages. Day-to-day expenses—groceries, utilities, dining—are lower than national average, so a typical mid-level .

NET developer earning ~$85k can afford a two-income household with childcare, or a single-earner family covering mortgage, car payment, and modest savings. That said, specialized lifestyle choices (frequent travel, private schools) will erode the advantage; the COL benefit is most meaningful for housing and discretionary spending.

Salaries for . NET developers in Baton Rouge reflect a balance of steady local demand, public-sector hiring, and a limited pool of high-paying corporate roles.

Major employers—LSU’s research institutes, state and parish IT departments, regional hospital systems (e. g.

, Our Lady of the Lake), and consumer goods firms such as Sazerac—drive consistent need for . NET skills for enterprise applications, integrations, and custom business systems.

A sizable portion of roles are through IT services and consulting firms (CGI, regional shops) that bid on state contracts; these projects often offer mid-level pay but steady work. The absence of a large cluster of venture-backed cloud-native firms or many high-growth startups keeps top-end salaries lower than large coastal metros.

Conversely, recent modernization initiatives (electronic health records, digital permitting, and university systems upgrades) are creating pockets of competition for experienced . NET devs, improving offers for senior engineers who can pair domain expertise with full-stack .

NET/. NET Core skills.

Compared with New Orleans (COL ~96) you’ll see slightly higher nominal . NET pay in NOLA (~$95k avg) but less purchasing power after housing and living costs.

Lafayette’s pay (~$82k) is slightly lower; its COL (~86) parallels Baton Rouge so lifestyle tradeoffs are small. Houston offers substantially higher pay (avg ~ $110k) but with a higher COL (~105) and longer commutes; the salary premium is meaningful for senior/full-stack specialists and those targeting cloud or finance sectors.

Commuting daily from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is uncommon (60+ miles) but occasional travel or remote-first roles are practical. For candidates weighing relocation, consider family/housing needs, local tax implications, and remote flexibility—many regional employers now allow hybrid or remote .

NET roles, reducing the need to relocate for mid-level positions but senior architecture or cloud-specialized roles may still require moving to larger tech hubs.

Typical progression: entry-level developers (0–2 years) start on maintenance and feature work for internal apps, learning SQL Server, ASP. NET, C#, and on-prem deployment practices.

By years 3–5 (mid-level) engineers own modules, lead small projects, and pick up cloud migration tasks (. NET Core, Azure/AWS fundamentals); salaries move into the mid-$70s–low-$90s depending on responsibility.

Senior developers (8+ years) who add architecture, team leadership, or domain expertise (healthcare EHR integrations, state systems, financial platforms) command the top local pay (near or above $100k). Accelerators include cross-training in cloud (Azure), CI/CD and containerization, full-stack JS frameworks for front-end pairing, and showing impact on business metrics (reduced processing time, compliance automation).

Contracting or consulting (through regional firms) can accelerate earnings for senior talent, but steady benefits often come with direct-hire roles at LSU, healthcare, and government.

When negotiating, use local comps: ask for $80k–$95k for proven mid-level . NET roles and $100k–$115k for senior engineers with architecture/lead experience.

Employers expect some flexibility on base in exchange for benefits—typical perks include up to 2–4 weeks PTO, retirement match (3–6%), health insurance with modest premiums, tuition reimbursement (particularly at LSU/health systems), and occasional hybrid work. Emphasize concrete wins—successful migrations to .

NET Core, Azure deployments, or measurable downtime/reliability improvements—and quantify business impact. For public-sector roles, expect fixed pay bands and longer negotiation cycles; present salary history, comparable private-sector offers, or contractor day-rate equivalents.

Cultural factors: build rapport with hiring managers (regional relationships matter), be prepared for phone references from local contacts, and highlight willingness for modest on-site presence if role requires close collaboration with operations or clinical teams.