Licensed Practical Nurse Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses earn a median of $64,400 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 26% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $30.96/hr. The middle half earn between $59,000 and $76,030. The top 10% earn $83,440 or more.

The median hourly wage for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses is $30.96 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $64,400 annual median works out to about $5,370 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn less than $49,740 a year and the bottom quarter less than $59,000 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Rarely. Even the 90th percentile is $83,440, so fewer than 10% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is Washington at $83,150.

The highest state medians for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are Washington ($83,150), Alaska ($80,800), Oregon ($80,470) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alaska moves to the top at $78,938.

BLS does not split licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $83,440, against a median of $64,400 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Washington ($83,150), Alaska ($80,800), Oregon ($80,470).

Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) as the typical entry route for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 38.2% hold some college courses.

It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 51,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic medical care to ill, injured, or convalescing patients or to persons with disabilities. A core O*NET task: measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Medical software, Office suite software.

Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 15% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses usually work more than 40 hours a week, 54% work exactly 40 and 31% work fewer. 91% say their schedule is regular and 9% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses highest on the Social, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

About 1 year. BLS reports that certificate and diploma practical nursing programs, commonly found in community colleges and technical schools and sometimes in high schools, typically take about 1 year to complete.

Yes, and it is issued by the state you work in, not nationally. Even the job title varies: some states license licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) rather than licensed practical nurses (LPNs). Each state board of nursing decides which practical nursing programs it approves, and sets the remaining license conditions and renewal terms. BLS directs candidates to their state board for the approved program list and to CareerOneStop for state licensing board requirements.

The NCLEX-PN (National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses). Taken after completing a state-approved practical nursing program. It measures entry-level nursing competency and uses computerized adaptive testing. Passing it is the gate to the LPN/LVN license.

Women make up 89.9% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation. 22.8% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 42.9 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.