State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses is $64,400 a year ($30.96/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 2.6% through 2034, with about 54,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
SOC 29-2061Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $64,400
- Projected growth
- +2.6%
- Openings a year
- 54,400
- Typical education
- Certificate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Charge Nurse, Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN), Clinic Nurse, Home Health Licensed Practical Nurse (Home Health LPN), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Office Nurse.
How much do Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses make?
10th percentile$49,740
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$59,000
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$64,400
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$76,030
Upper quartile
90th percentile$83,440
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $64,400 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $30.96/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $67,050 |
| People employed | 648,410 |
Versus all US occupations
At $64,400, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses earn 26% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $13,420 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870, this is 34% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $83,440 or more while the bottom 10% earn $49,740, a gap of 1.7×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 50% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($83,150), but once local prices are taken into account Alaska leads at $78,938 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $83,150 | $77,701 | 6,780 |
| Alaska | $80,800 | $78,938 | 290 |
| Oregon | $80,470 | $77,853 | 4,260 |
| Massachusetts | $80,220 | $75,853 | 13,210 |
| Rhode Island | $80,090 | $78,305 | 1,290 |
| California | $79,750 | $72,029 | 82,850 |
| New Hampshire | $77,110 | $74,027 | 2,220 |
| Arizona | $77,070 | $76,552 | 6,530 |
| Nevada | $76,160 | $76,176 | 3,350 |
| District of Columbia | $75,740 | $68,917 | 1,040 |
Is Licensed Practical Nurse a growing career?
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses2.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+2.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses to change 2.6% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 17,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 54,400 openings are projected each year, 8.4% of the 651,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
As the population ages, the overall need for healthcare services is expected to increase. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) will be needed in residential care facilities and in home health environments to care for older patients.
In addition, a number of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, have become more prevalent in recent years. LPNs and LVNs will be needed to assist and care for patients with these and other conditions.
How to become a Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) must complete a state-approved educational program, which typically takes about 1 year. They also must have a license.
| Typical entry-level education | Postsecondary nondegree award |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.
- Some College Courses38.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate34.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)15.9%
- Bachelor's Degree11.1%
What does a Licensed Practical Nurse do?
Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic medical care to ill, injured, or convalescing patients or to persons with disabilities. Responsibilities for LPNs and LVNs are nearly identical; their title depends on the state in which they work.
Day-to-day tasks
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Collect samples, such as blood, urine, or sputum from patients, and perform routine laboratory tests on samples.
- Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
- Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses work
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 37% |
|---|---|
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 16% |
| Home healthcare services | 12% |
| Offices of physicians | 12% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 6% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.8/5
- Critical Thinking3.8/5
- Active Learning3.4/5
- Writing3.3/5
- Learning Strategies3.1/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation4.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Coordination4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6/5
- Time Management3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.3/5
- Instructing3.1/5
- Systems Analysis3.0/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Video conferencing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Categorization or classification software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Internet browser software
- Inventory management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Licensed Practical Nurse?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.6
Investigative3.7
Artistic1.1
Socialprimary5.5
Enterprising2.1
Conventionalprimary4.6
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Licensed Practical Nurse: frequently asked questions
How much do Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses make?
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.
Do you need a degree to become a Licensed Practical Nurse?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialled training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or licence programme) 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.
Is Licensed Practical Nurse a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.6% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 54,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Licensed Practical Nurse do?
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.
Which states pay Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses the most?
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.
What personality type suits a Licensed Practical Nurse?
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 923 occupations in the bank.