Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN/LVN) Salary by State
How much licensed practical and vocational nurses earn in each state. SOC code 29-2061 (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$64,400Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$67,050Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$30.96Mean $32.24/hour
- U.S. employment648,410Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateWashington$83,900 mean
- States with data51 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do licensed practical and vocational nurses make?
Nationally, licensed practical and vocational nurses earn a median of $64,400 a year and a mean of $67,050 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $59,000 (25th percentile) and $76,030 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $49,740 and the top 10% more than $83,440.
That median is 1.3× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $83,900 in Washington (highest) to $51,450 in Mississippi (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, Alaska comes out on top at $78,906 in national-average dollars.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $49,740 | $4,145 | $23.91 |
| 25th | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28.37 |
| Median | $64,400 | $5,367 | $30.96 |
| 75th | $76,030 | $6,336 | $36.55 |
| 90th | $83,440 | $6,953 | $40.12 |
| Mean | $67,050 | $5,588 | $32.24 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN/LVN) salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $83,900 | $83,150 | $39.98 | $64,230 | $100,950 | $77,710 | 6,780 |
| California | $82,340 | $79,750 | $38.34 | $64,390 | $100,450 | $72,042 | 82,850 |
| Oregon | $81,420 | $80,470 | $38.69 | $64,000 | $98,990 | $77,824 | 4,260 |
| Rhode Island | $80,120 | $80,090 | $38.51 | $65,650 | $94,540 | $78,289 | 1,290 |
| Alaska | $80,000 | $80,800 | $38.85 | $62,400 | $96,700 | $78,906 | 290 |
| Massachusetts | $79,270 | $80,220 | $38.57 | $61,690 | $93,980 | $75,822 | 13,210 |
| New Hampshire | $76,570 | $77,110 | $37.07 | $59,860 | $93,660 | $74,002 | 2,220 |
| Arizona | $76,120 | $77,070 | $37.05 | $61,050 | $89,850 | $76,534 | 6,530 |
| New Jersey | $74,600 | $75,160 | $36.13 | $63,210 | $85,400 | $69,081 | 17,410 |
| Nevada | $74,470 | $76,160 | $36.62 | $61,750 | $89,420 | $76,160 | 3,350 |
| Maryland | $74,170 | $74,660 | $35.89 | $60,720 | $90,010 | $71,105 | 9,560 |
| District of Columbia | $74,030 | $75,740 | $36.42 | $62,880 | $87,470 | $68,917 | 1,040 |
| Illinois | $73,430 | $75,000 | $36.06 | $58,880 | $89,810 | $75,000 | 17,440 |
| Connecticut | $72,580 | $73,690 | $35.43 | $62,610 | $81,060 | $71,129 | 8,540 |
| Maine | $72,110 | $73,200 | $35.19 | $56,160 | $82,600 | $75,464 | 760 |
| Hawaii | $71,560 | $71,140 | $34.20 | $59,620 | $88,340 | $64,673 | 840 |
| Colorado | $70,820 | $73,880 | $35.52 | $50,820 | $84,440 | $71,659 | 4,920 |
| Vermont | $70,110 | $69,930 | $33.62 | $50,230 | $84,710 | $71,357 | 1,130 |
| Delaware | $69,500 | $68,710 | $33.03 | $59,210 | $77,580 | $68,848 | 2,240 |
| New York | $69,170 | $67,180 | $32.30 | $54,480 | $81,530 | $62,261 | 39,400 |
| Michigan | $67,340 | $65,460 | $31.47 | $56,160 | $77,780 | $68,046 | 10,880 |
| Virginia | $66,300 | $64,920 | $31.21 | $50,580 | $79,170 | $64,214 | 15,550 |
| Pennsylvania | $65,930 | $63,940 | $30.74 | $51,500 | $77,750 | $65,512 | 38,260 |
| Wisconsin | $65,870 | $63,760 | $30.65 | $51,820 | $78,490 | $67,758 | 7,390 |
| Indiana | $65,840 | $65,720 | $31.60 | $50,550 | $77,220 | $70,439 | 14,480 |
| Minnesota | $64,900 | $63,750 | $30.65 | $51,700 | $77,380 | $64,655 | 12,840 |
| Nebraska | $64,560 | $62,660 | $30.13 | $50,890 | $77,940 | $69,545 | 4,580 |
| Idaho | $63,860 | $63,800 | $30.67 | $47,890 | $77,850 | $66,806 | 1,880 |
| North Carolina | $63,720 | $63,270 | $30.42 | $50,480 | $74,730 | $67,094 | 18,010 |
| Iowa | $63,420 | $62,630 | $30.11 | $50,550 | $77,710 | $71,333 | 5,510 |
| Wyoming | $63,300 | $63,460 | $30.51 | $46,700 | $77,000 | $68,457 | 480 |
| South Carolina | $63,170 | $61,820 | $29.72 | $50,370 | $76,420 | $65,977 | 9,400 |
| Texas | $62,770 | $62,240 | $29.92 | $48,910 | $76,140 | $64,099 | 57,560 |
| Kansas | $62,660 | $61,760 | $29.69 | $49,780 | $77,290 | $68,546 | 7,530 |
| Missouri | $62,410 | $61,530 | $29.58 | $48,580 | $77,120 | $67,764 | 14,700 |
| Montana | $62,350 | $62,210 | $29.91 | $49,230 | $74,330 | $65,761 | 1,620 |
| North Dakota | $62,230 | $62,300 | $29.95 | $50,950 | $74,130 | $70,000 | 1,920 |
| Florida | $62,150 | $61,770 | $29.70 | $50,450 | $74,320 | $59,739 | 38,620 |
| Utah | $62,110 | $63,230 | $30.40 | $37,480 | $77,540 | $63,933 | 1,680 |
| Ohio | $62,020 | $61,950 | $29.78 | $50,030 | $74,120 | $66,756 | 39,900 |
| Georgia | $61,640 | $62,030 | $29.82 | $46,010 | $76,690 | $64,413 | 21,060 |
| Kentucky | $60,460 | $60,460 | $29.07 | $48,420 | $73,220 | $67,029 | 8,570 |
| New Mexico | $58,630 | $59,330 | $28.52 | $38,090 | $78,110 | $64,349 | 2,460 |
| Oklahoma | $56,800 | $58,320 | $28.04 | $45,440 | $66,410 | $66,424 | 11,540 |
| Louisiana | $56,590 | $57,470 | $27.63 | $45,810 | $66,150 | $65,159 | 17,600 |
| Tennessee | $56,470 | $58,870 | $28.31 | $41,110 | $67,540 | $64,059 | 20,830 |
| West Virginia | $56,190 | $55,360 | $26.61 | $45,690 | $70,960 | $61,855 | 6,050 |
| Arkansas | $55,690 | $56,620 | $27.22 | $44,670 | $65,020 | $65,155 | 10,010 |
| Alabama | $55,310 | $57,030 | $27.42 | $39,880 | $69,120 | $64,223 | 11,580 |
| South Dakota | $54,990 | $52,750 | $25.36 | $40,770 | $67,700 | $59,537 | 2,050 |
| Mississippi | $51,450 | $50,220 | $24.14 | $39,320 | $60,910 | $57,724 | 9,850 |
Highest median pay
- Washington — $83,150
- Alaska — $80,800
- Oregon — $80,470
- Massachusetts — $80,220
- Rhode Island — $80,090
Lowest median pay
- Mississippi — $50,220
- South Dakota — $52,750
- West Virginia — $55,360
- Arkansas — $56,620
- Alabama — $57,030
Best pay after cost of living
- Alaska — $78,906
- Rhode Island — $78,289
- Oregon — $77,824
- Washington — $77,710
- Arizona — $76,534
The most licensed practical and vocational nurses work in California (82,850 jobs), Texas and Ohio.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a licensed practical nurse (lpn/lvn) make?
The national median wage for licensed practical and vocational nurses is $64,400 a year and the mean is $67,050, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays licensed practical and vocational nurses the most?
Washington has the highest mean wage for licensed practical and vocational nurses at $83,900.
Which state pays licensed practical and vocational nurses the least?
Mississippi has the lowest mean wage for licensed practical and vocational nurses among states with published data, at $51,450.
Where do licensed practical and vocational nurses earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, Alaska ranks first at $78,906 in national-average dollars, followed by Rhode Island and Oregon.