Pay by state · 54 areas
Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by State (2026)
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses earn the most in Washington at $83,150 a year and the least in Mississippi at $50,220 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $64,400. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $83,150Washington
- National median
- $64,400BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $50,220Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Alaska comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$83,150
- 2Alaska$80,800
- 3Oregon$80,470
- 4Massachusetts$80,220
- 5Rhode Island$80,090
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$50,220
- 2South Dakota$52,750
- 3West Virginia$55,360
- 4Arkansas$56,620
- 5Alabama$57,030
All states
Licensed Practical Nurse salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $83,150 | $76,920 | $93,970 | 6,780 | $77,701 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $80,800 | $70,490 | $87,380 | 290 | $78,938 |
| 3 | OROregon | $80,470 | $73,040 | $90,690 | 4,260 | $77,853 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $80,220 | $72,610 | $84,570 | 13,210 | $75,853 |
| 5 | RIRhode Island | $80,090 | $77,890 | $81,170 | 1,290 | $78,305 |
| 6 | CACalifornia | $79,750 | $74,840 | $93,720 | 82,850 | $72,029 |
| 7 | NHNew Hampshire | $77,110 | $67,650 | $82,760 | 2,220 | $74,027 |
| 8 | AZArizona | $77,070 | $66,770 | $81,860 | 6,530 | $76,552 |
| 9 | NVNevada | $76,160 | $65,930 | $79,570 | 3,350 | $76,176 |
| 10 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $75,740 | $63,960 | $81,400 | 1,040 | $68,917 |
| 11 | NJNew Jersey | $75,160 | $66,890 | $79,980 | 17,410 | $69,078 |
| 12 | ILIllinois | $75,000 | $63,580 | $79,560 | 17,440 | $75,032 |
| 13 | MDMaryland | $74,660 | $65,300 | $79,670 | 9,560 | $71,133 |
| 14 | COColorado | $73,880 | $61,890 | $79,800 | 4,920 | $71,692 |
| 15 | CTConnecticut | $73,690 | $66,660 | $76,830 | 8,540 | $71,122 |
| 16 | MEMaine | $73,200 | $63,530 | $77,420 | 760 | $75,425 |
| 17 | HIHawaii | $71,140 | $62,460 | $75,250 | 840 | $64,702 |
| 18 | VTVermont | $69,930 | $61,490 | $78,230 | 1,130 | $71,388 |
| 19 | DEDelaware | $68,710 | $64,420 | $75,020 | 2,240 | $68,842 |
| 20 | NYNew York | $67,180 | $61,400 | $76,960 | 39,400 | $62,249 |
| 21 | INIndiana | $65,720 | $61,060 | $73,430 | 14,480 | $70,418 |
| 22 | MIMichigan | $65,460 | $62,050 | $73,880 | 10,880 | $68,034 |
| 23 | VAVirginia | $64,920 | $59,610 | $74,540 | 15,550 | $64,211 |
| 24 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $64,660 | $54,820 | $76,850 | 50 | N/A |
| 25 | PAPennsylvania | $63,940 | $60,350 | $72,810 | 38,260 | $65,531 |
| 26 | IDIdaho | $63,800 | $58,310 | $74,050 | 1,880 | $66,810 |
| 27 | WIWisconsin | $63,760 | $59,620 | $75,010 | 7,390 | $67,761 |
| 28 | MNMinnesota | $63,750 | $59,960 | $71,270 | 12,840 | $64,641 |
| 29 | WYWyoming | $63,460 | $58,810 | $70,840 | 480 | $68,464 |
| 30 | NCNorth Carolina | $63,270 | $59,270 | $69,700 | 18,010 | $67,076 |
| 31 | UTUtah | $63,230 | $53,480 | $74,580 | 1,680 | $63,957 |
| 32 | NENebraska | $62,660 | $59,080 | $71,860 | 4,580 | $69,543 |
| 33 | IAIowa | $62,630 | $56,400 | $70,840 | 5,510 | $71,363 |
| 34 | NDNorth Dakota | $62,300 | $58,290 | $65,020 | 1,920 | $70,032 |
| 35 | TXTexas | $62,240 | $57,110 | $68,410 | 57,560 | $64,127 |
| 36 | MTMontana | $62,210 | $58,130 | $66,850 | 1,620 | $65,730 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $62,030 | $52,900 | $70,690 | 21,060 | $64,418 |
| 38 | OHOhio | $61,950 | $56,860 | $65,900 | 39,900 | $66,775 |
| 39 | SCSouth Carolina | $61,820 | $57,390 | $71,220 | 9,400 | $65,942 |
| 40 | FLFlorida | $61,770 | $58,540 | $64,710 | 38,620 | $59,731 |
| 41 | KSKansas | $61,760 | $56,260 | $69,470 | 7,530 | $68,570 |
| 42 | MOMissouri | $61,530 | $56,280 | $70,230 | 14,700 | $67,752 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $60,460 | $54,290 | $65,090 | 8,570 | $67,059 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $59,330 | $39,370 | $73,090 | 2,460 | $64,341 |
| 45 | TNTennessee | $58,870 | $49,170 | $62,650 | 20,830 | $64,080 |
| 46 | OKOklahoma | $58,320 | $50,040 | $62,060 | 11,540 | $66,391 |
| 47 | LALouisiana | $57,470 | $49,650 | $61,220 | 17,600 | $65,154 |
| 48 | ALAlabama | $57,030 | $48,150 | $61,800 | 11,580 | $64,206 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $56,620 | $49,550 | $61,220 | 10,010 | $65,128 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $55,360 | $49,320 | $61,300 | 6,050 | $61,857 |
| 51 | SDSouth Dakota | $52,750 | $49,680 | $61,300 | 2,050 | $59,547 |
| 52 | MSMississippi | $50,220 | $46,790 | $58,030 | 9,850 | $57,755 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $42,870 | $37,620 | $49,510 | 90 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $30,760 | $24,910 | $46,820 | 2,990 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $83,150, while Alaska leads once prices are taken into account at $78,938.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Licensed Practical Nurse pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses at $83,150 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($80,800) and Oregon ($80,470).
Which state pays licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses at $50,220 a year, $32,930 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $64,660, Guam reports $42,870 and Puerto Rico reports $30,760.
Is the highest-paying state the best for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($83,150) but ranks 4th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($77,701). Alaska leads after that adjustment at $78,938, from a raw median of $80,800. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.