facebook tracking Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse salary 2025: how much licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses make, by state and city

How much do licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses make?

What licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn across the U.S., in every state and in the top-paying metro areas (May 2025 BLS data).

May 2025BLS OEWSSOC 29-2061
Pay in your state
Most jobs California Texas Ohio New York Florida Pennsylvania
Median pay in the U.S.
$64,400

a year, or $30.96 an hour, for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses nationally. The average (mean) is $67,050 ($32.24 an hour).

The middle half earn $59,000 to $76,030. Median means half earn more and half earn less.

Pay range, U.S.
Bottom 10% earn under
$49,740
25th percentile
$59,000
Median
$64,400
75th percentile
$76,030
Top 10% earn over
$83,440
Jobs nationally
648,410

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses employed across the U.S.. Most work in California, Texas, Ohio.

Highest-paying state
Washington

$83,150 a year. Lowest: Mississippi at $50,220.

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse pay in Washington

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse pay by state

Darker states pay more. Select a state for its cities and how it compares.

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses pay by state (median a year, May 2025)

AK$81k ME$73k VT$70k NH$77k WA$83k ID$64k MT$62k ND$62k MN$64k IL$75k WI$64k MI$65k NY$67k RI$80k MA$80k OR$80k NV$76k WY$63k SD$53k IA$63k IN$66k OH$62k PA$64k NJ$75k CT$74k CA$80k UT$63k CO$74k NE$63k MO$62k KY$60k WV$55k VA$65k MD$75k DE$69k AZ$77k NM$59k KS$62k AR$57k TN$59k NC$63k SC$62k OK$58k LA$57k MS$50k AL$57k GA$62k HI$71k TX$62k FL$62k

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse salary in every state

Pay a year is the median, or the average where BLS publishes no median (marked "(avg)"). Click a column to sort.

State Pay a year Hourly Jobs Per 1,000 jobs
Alabama $57,030 $27.42 11,580 5.48
Alaska $80,800 $38.85 290 0.88
Arizona $77,070 $37.05 6,530 2.02
Arkansas $56,620 $27.22 10,010 7.68
California $79,750 $38.34 82,850 4.55
Colorado $73,880 $35.52 4,920 1.71
Connecticut $73,690 $35.43 8,540 5.03
Delaware $68,710 $33.03 2,240 4.62
Florida $61,770 $29.70 38,620 3.89
Georgia $62,030 $29.82 21,060 4.31
Hawaii $71,140 $34.20 840 1.33
Idaho $63,800 $30.67 1,880 2.2
Illinois $75,000 $36.06 17,440 2.86
Indiana $65,720 $31.60 14,480 4.52
Iowa $62,630 $30.11 5,510 3.54
Kansas $61,760 $29.69 7,530 5.24
Kentucky $60,460 $29.07 8,570 4.28
Louisiana $57,470 $27.63 17,600 9.1
Maine $73,200 $35.19 760 1.18
Maryland $74,660 $35.89 9,560 3.46
Massachusetts $80,220 $38.57 13,210 3.63
Michigan $65,460 $31.47 10,880 2.47
Minnesota $63,750 $30.65 12,840 4.35
Mississippi $50,220 $24.14 9,850 8.47
Missouri $61,530 $29.58 14,700 5.01
Montana $62,210 $29.91 1,620 3.16
Nebraska $62,660 $30.13 4,580 4.47
Nevada $76,160 $36.62 3,350 2.16
New Hampshire $77,110 $37.07 2,220 3.25
New Jersey $75,160 $36.13 17,410 4.06
New Mexico $59,330 $28.52 2,460 2.83
New York $67,180 $32.30 39,400 4.07
North Carolina $63,270 $30.42 18,010 3.64
North Dakota $62,300 $29.95 1,920 4.46
Ohio $61,950 $29.78 39,900 7.19
Oklahoma $58,320 $28.04 11,540 6.76
Oregon $80,470 $38.69 4,260 2.17
Pennsylvania $63,940 $30.74 38,260 6.31
Rhode Island $80,090 $38.51 1,290 2.57
South Carolina $61,820 $29.72 9,400 4.08
South Dakota $52,750 $25.36 2,050 4.49
Tennessee $58,870 $28.31 20,830 6.35
Texas $62,240 $29.92 57,560 4.09
Utah $63,230 $30.40 1,680 0.97
Vermont $69,930 $33.62 1,130 3.72
Virginia $64,920 $31.21 15,550 3.78
Washington $83,150 $39.98 6,780 1.91
West Virginia $55,360 $26.61 6,050 8.62
Wisconsin $63,760 $30.65 7,390 2.51
Wyoming $63,460 $30.51 480 1.69
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Top-paying metro areas for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Metro areas with at least 50 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, by pay a year. Rural (nonmetropolitan) areas are not included.

Metro areaPay a yearHourlyJobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $95,320 $45.83 3,290
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $94,310 $45.34 8,800
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $92,580 $44.51 870
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $85,690 $41.20 3,470
Vallejo, CA $85,430 $41.07 870
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA $83,940 $40.36 120
Napa, CA $83,690 $40.24 280
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $83,510 $40.15 2,250
Bend, OR $83,260 $40.03 150
Grants Pass, OR $82,410 $39.62 120
Anchorage, AK $82,330 $39.58 160
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $82,190 $39.52 8,410
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA $81,580 $39.22 230
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $81,570 $39.22 4,760
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA $81,350 $39.11 330

Metro areas with the most licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Metro areaJobsPay a year
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 33,590 $79,310
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 32,410 $75,910
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 15,920 $70,710
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 12,590 $64,370
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 11,420 $78,070
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 10,730 $63,670
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 9,710 $65,060
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 8,900 $62,610
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 8,800 $94,310
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 8,410 $82,190
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 8,200 $76,970
Columbus, OH 7,270 $61,910
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 7,170 $75,860
Cleveland, OH 6,720 $63,900
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 6,610 $79,720

Related jobs

Other jobs in nursing, with national pay a year.

Registered Nurses $97,550 median a year · 3,379,720 jobs Nursing Assistants $42,260 median a year · 1,448,910 jobs Orderlies $38,290 median a year · 52,440 jobs Psychiatric Aides $44,910 median a year · 35,520 jobs

Questions about licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse pay

How much does a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse make?

The median pay for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in the U.S. was $64,400 a year ($30.96 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $59,000 and $76,030.

Which states pay licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses the most?

The highest pay was in Washington ($83,150), Alaska ($80,800), Oregon ($80,470), Massachusetts ($80,220), Rhode Island ($80,090). The lowest was in Mississippi ($50,220), South Dakota ($52,750), West Virginia ($55,360).

How much do the highest-paid licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses make?

The best-paid 10% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earned more than $83,440 a year, while the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,740. Pay usually rises with experience, specialty, shift and location.

Which city pays licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses the most?

Among metro areas with at least 50 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the most, with median pay of $95,320 a year (May 2025).

How many licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses are there in the U.S.?

About 648,410 people were employed as licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in May 2025.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, all industries. Median pay is the middle wage; where BLS publishes no median, the average (mean) is shown, marked "(avg)". BLS doesn't publish exact figures above its reporting limit; those are shown with a "+". Metro areas with fewer than 50 jobs in this occupation are left out. Pay doesn't reflect cost of living, overtime or shift differentials.