How much do LPNs make?
Answer
LPNs in the US earned a median of $64,400 a year ($30.96 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $59,000 to $76,030.
- Median annual pay
- $64,400
- Mean $67,050
- Median hourly pay
- $30.96
- Mean $32.24
- Typical range (10th–90th)
- $49.7K–$83.4K
- $49,740 to $83,440
- US jobs
- 648,410
- +3.0% projected, 2025–35
BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology
How to become an LPN: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Alaska
LPN pay range
Annual wages, May 2025
- 10th percentile$49,740
- 25th percentile$59,000
- Median$64,400
- 75th percentile$76,030
- 90th percentile$83,440
Half of all LPNs earned more than $64,400 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $49,740; the top 10% made over $83,440. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $59,000 to $76,030.
These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $49,740 | $23.91 | $4,145 |
| 25th | $59,000 | $28.37 | $4,917 |
| Median (50th) | $64,400 | $30.96 | $5,367 |
| 75th | $76,030 | $36.55 | $6,336 |
| 90th | $83,440 | $40.12 | $6,953 |
| Mean (average) | $67,050 | $32.24 | $5,588 |
LPN salary by state
Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024
Highest-paying states
- 1. Washington $83,150
- 2. Alaska $80,800
- 3. Oregon $80,470
- 4. Massachusetts $80,220
- 5. Rhode Island $80,090
Lowest-paying states
- 51. Mississippi $50,220
- 50. South Dakota $52,750
- 49. West Virginia $55,360
- 48. Arkansas $56,620
- 47. Alabama $57,030
Best after cost of living: Alaska. Its median of $80,800 is worth about $78,938 at national-average prices, more than in Washington once prices are counted.
| Alabama | $57,030 | 47 | $64,206 | 43 | $27.42 | 11,580 | 5.48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $80,800 | 2 | $78,938 | 1 | $38.85 | 290 | 0.88 |
| Arizona | $77,070 | 8 | $76,552 | 5 | $37.05 | 6,530 | 2.02 |
| Arkansas | $56,620 | 48 | $65,128 | 37 | $27.22 | 10,010 | 7.68 |
| California | $79,750 | 6 | $72,029 | 11 | $38.34 | 82,850 | 4.55 |
| Colorado | $73,880 | 14 | $71,692 | 12 | $35.52 | 4,920 | 1.71 |
| Connecticut | $73,690 | 15 | $71,122 | 16 | $35.43 | 8,540 | 5.03 |
| Delaware | $68,710 | 19 | $68,842 | 22 | $33.03 | 2,240 | 4.62 |
| District of Columbia | $75,740 | 10 | $68,917 | 21 | $36.42 | 1,040 | 1.48 |
| Florida | $61,770 | 39 | $59,731 | 49 | $29.70 | 38,620 | 3.89 |
| Georgia | $62,030 | 36 | $64,418 | 40 | $29.82 | 21,060 | 4.31 |
| Hawaii | $71,140 | 17 | $64,702 | 38 | $34.20 | 840 | 1.33 |
| Idaho | $63,800 | 25 | $66,810 | 30 | $30.67 | 1,880 | 2.20 |
| Illinois | $75,000 | 12 | $75,032 | 9 | $36.06 | 17,440 | 2.86 |
| Indiana | $65,720 | 21 | $70,418 | 17 | $31.60 | 14,480 | 4.52 |
| Iowa | $62,630 | 32 | $71,363 | 14 | $30.11 | 5,510 | 3.54 |
| Kansas | $61,760 | 40 | $68,570 | 23 | $29.69 | 7,530 | 5.24 |
| Kentucky | $60,460 | 42 | $67,059 | 29 | $29.07 | 8,570 | 4.28 |
| Louisiana | $57,470 | 46 | $65,154 | 36 | $27.63 | 17,600 | 9.10 |
| Maine | $73,200 | 16 | $75,425 | 8 | $35.19 | 760 | 1.18 |
| Maryland | $74,660 | 13 | $71,133 | 15 | $35.89 | 9,560 | 3.46 |
| Massachusetts | $80,220 | 4 | $75,853 | 7 | $38.57 | 13,210 | 3.63 |
| Michigan | $65,460 | 22 | $68,034 | 25 | $31.47 | 10,880 | 2.47 |
| Minnesota | $63,750 | 27 | $64,641 | 39 | $30.65 | 12,840 | 4.35 |
| Mississippi | $50,220 | 51 | $57,755 | 51 | $24.14 | 9,850 | 8.47 |
| Missouri | $61,530 | 41 | $67,752 | 27 | $29.58 | 14,700 | 5.01 |
| Montana | $62,210 | 35 | $65,730 | 34 | $29.91 | 1,620 | 3.16 |
| Nebraska | $62,660 | 31 | $69,543 | 19 | $30.13 | 4,580 | 4.47 |
| Nevada | $76,160 | 9 | $76,176 | 6 | $36.62 | 3,350 | 2.16 |
| New Hampshire | $77,110 | 7 | $74,027 | 10 | $37.07 | 2,220 | 3.25 |
| New Jersey | $75,160 | 11 | $69,078 | 20 | $36.13 | 17,410 | 4.06 |
| New Mexico | $59,330 | 43 | $64,341 | 41 | $28.52 | 2,460 | 2.83 |
| New York | $67,180 | 20 | $62,249 | 47 | $32.30 | 39,400 | 4.07 |
| North Carolina | $63,270 | 29 | $67,076 | 28 | $30.42 | 18,010 | 3.64 |
| North Dakota | $62,300 | 33 | $70,032 | 18 | $29.95 | 1,920 | 4.46 |
| Ohio | $61,950 | 37 | $66,775 | 31 | $29.78 | 39,900 | 7.19 |
| Oklahoma | $58,320 | 45 | $66,391 | 32 | $28.04 | 11,540 | 6.76 |
| Oregon | $80,470 | 3 | $77,853 | 3 | $38.69 | 4,260 | 2.17 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,940 | 24 | $65,531 | 35 | $30.74 | 38,260 | 6.31 |
| Rhode Island | $80,090 | 5 | $78,305 | 2 | $38.51 | 1,290 | 2.57 |
| South Carolina | $61,820 | 38 | $65,942 | 33 | $29.72 | 9,400 | 4.08 |
| South Dakota | $52,750 | 50 | $59,547 | 50 | $25.36 | 2,050 | 4.49 |
| Tennessee | $58,870 | 44 | $64,080 | 45 | $28.31 | 20,830 | 6.35 |
| Texas | $62,240 | 34 | $64,127 | 44 | $29.92 | 57,560 | 4.09 |
| Utah | $63,230 | 30 | $63,957 | 46 | $30.40 | 1,680 | 0.97 |
| Vermont | $69,930 | 18 | $71,388 | 13 | $33.62 | 1,130 | 3.72 |
| Virginia | $64,920 | 23 | $64,211 | 42 | $31.21 | 15,550 | 3.78 |
| Washington | $83,150 | 1 | $77,701 | 4 | $39.98 | 6,780 | 1.91 |
| West Virginia | $55,360 | 49 | $61,857 | 48 | $26.61 | 6,050 | 8.62 |
| Wisconsin | $63,760 | 26 | $67,761 | 26 | $30.65 | 7,390 | 2.51 |
| Wyoming | $63,460 | 28 | $68,464 | 24 | $30.51 | 480 | 1.69 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.
Best-paying metro areas for LPNs
387 metro areas with published pay
| Metro area | Median | Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $95,320 | $86,323 | 3,290 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $94,310 | $81,574 | 8,800 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $92,580 | $85,894 | 870 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $85,690 | $77,106 | 3,470 |
| Vallejo, CA | $85,430 | $78,753 | 870 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $83,940 | $81,938 | 120 |
| Napa, CA | $83,690 | $74,355 | 280 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $83,510 | $79,216 | 2,250 |
| Bend, OR | $83,260 | $80,361 | 150 |
| Grants Pass, OR | $82,410 | $84,298 | 120 |
| Metro area | Jobs | Median | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 33,590 | $79,310 | $69,836 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 32,410 | $75,910 | $67,438 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 15,920 | $70,710 | $68,949 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 12,590 | $64,370 | $62,441 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 11,420 | $78,070 | $75,361 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 10,730 | $63,670 | $64,555 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 9,710 | $65,060 | $65,022 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 8,900 | $62,610 | $54,846 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 8,800 | $94,310 | $81,574 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 8,410 | $82,190 | $75,915 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).
What moves LPN pay: employers and settings
Work setting moves LPN pay noticeably. Skilled nursing facilities, the largest employer, pay a median of $70,430; outpatient care centers pay $69,900. Hospitals are lower at $60,590; physicians' offices pay $59,520; and those office jobs often come with daytime hours and no weekends. Home health care sits in between at $63,580. Federal government jobs have a median of $73,550.
State matters as much as setting. Washington has the highest median at $83,150, followed by Alaska ($80,800, second) and Oregon at $80,470, while Mississippi is lowest at $50,220. Alaska stays strong after living costs, at $78,938.
Across all LPNs, the 10th percentile earns $49,740, the 75th $76,030, and the 90th $83,440, These percentiles show how widely pay varies, not what you earn after a set number of years; the state and setting figures above explain part of the range. BLS medians are base wages and do not show shift differentials or overtime, which some employers pay for night, weekend and holiday work.
| Industry | Share of jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | 29% | $70,430 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 13.8% | $60,590 |
| Home Health Care Services | 12.5% | $63,580 |
| Offices of Physicians | 10.7% | $59,520 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | 6.8% | $65,710 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 6% | $69,900 |
| Employer type | Jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Private employers | 574,760 | $64,470 |
| Federal government (incl. Postal Service) | 17,050 | $73,550 |
| State government (incl. schools and hospitals) | 18,090 | $64,500 |
| Local government (incl. schools and hospitals) | 38,520 | $59,610 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).
LPN pay over time
Median annual pay, 2015–2025
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
The median rose from $43,170 in 2015 to $64,400 in 2025, up 49% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $58,357 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 10% over the period.
BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.
What LPNs do
A licensed practical nurse (LPN), called a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) in California and Texas, gives hands-on nursing care under the direction of a registered nurse or physician. LPNs check vital signs, pass medications, change dressings, care for wounds and pressure sores, insert catheters, collect specimens and watch for changes in a patient's condition, then report and chart what they find.
Nursing homes are the biggest employer, with 29% of LPN jobs in our data, followed by hospitals, home health agencies, doctors' offices and assisted living communities. In a nursing home an LPN may be the charge nurse for a hall of residents, supervising nursing assistants and running the medication cart. In a clinic, the job looks more like rooming patients, giving injections and handling phone triage. What an LPN may do, such as starting IVs, depends on the state's nurse practice act and the nurse's training.
A typical day
- Take blood pressure, pulse, temperature and oxygen readings and flag anything abnormal
- Pass scheduled medications and document each dose in the medication record
- Clean and dress wounds, treat pressure sores and care for catheters, feeding tubes and trach sites
- Collect urine, blood and other samples and run simple bedside tests such as fingerstick glucose
- Answer call lights and help patients with eating, moving and bathing alongside aides
- Direct nursing assistants on a unit and report changes in condition to the RN or doctor
- Write shift notes and give report to the next nurse
Also called: licensed practical nurse, licensed vocational nurse, 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 to become an LPN
Full guideTo become an LPN or LVN, you complete a state-approved practical nursing program, which usually takes about 12 months, then pass the NCLEX-PN and get licensed by your state board of nursing. Most people are working as an LPN within 12 to 18 months of starting.
- Typical time
- 18 months
- Fastest: 12 months
- Minimum education
- Certificate or diploma from a state board of nursing-approved practical/vocational nursing program
- License
- Required in all 50 states and DC
- Typical training cost
- $4.8K–$9.4K
- See the guide for what it includes
Read the step-by-step guide to becoming an LPN: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.
Is it worth it? Training cost against pay
Compare careers- Training time
- 18 months
- Typical path in our guide
- Training cost
- $4.8K–$9.4K
- Tuition and exam fees, before aid
- Median pay
- $64,400
- $13,420 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
- Cost vs. one year's pay
- 7–15%
- Training cost as a share of a year at the median
Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($13,420 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (18 months in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.
Job outlook for LPNs
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
- Projected growth
- +3.0%
- All occupations +3.5%
- Jobs in 2025
- 666,900
- 686,700 projected for 2035
- Openings each year
- 51,800
- New jobs plus replacements
- Self-employed
- 0.9%
- Not in the pay figures above
BLS projects LPN employment to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, from 666,900 to 686,700, a little under the 3.5% average for all jobs. Even so, the field is large enough to produce about 51,800 openings a year, mostly from nurses who retire or move into other jobs, including those who go on to become RNs. Demand is driven by an aging population that needs nursing home, assisted living and home health care, and by more people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes. Hospitals hire fewer LPNs than long-term care does, so most openings are outside hospitals.
Related careers and their pay
- Registered Nurse$97,550
- Paramedic$60,600
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- CNA$42,260
- EMT$44,470
- Medical Assistant$45,690
- CRNA$236,590
- Nurse Midwife$134,040
Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
LPN salary FAQ
How much do LPNs make an hour?
The median hourly wage for LPNs was $30.96 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $23.91 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $40.12. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.
Which state pays LPNs the most?
Washington has the highest median pay for LPNs, $83,150 a year, followed by Alaska ($80,800) and Oregon ($80,470). After adjusting for each state's price level, Alaska comes out ahead at about $78,938 in national-average dollars.
Do LPNs make six figures?
Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of LPNs earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $64,400, and the top 10% earn more than $83,440. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.
What is the difference between an LPN and an LVN?
There is no real difference in the job. Licensed vocational nurse is the title used in California and Texas, and licensed practical nurse is used everywhere else. Both complete a state-approved practical nursing program and pass the same national exam, the NCLEX-PN. What either can do day to day is set by the state's nurse practice act, not the title.
What is the difference between an LPN and an RN?
An LPN finishes a program of about a year and passes the NCLEX-PN; a registered nurse needs an associate or bachelor's degree and passes the NCLEX-RN. RNs carry out full patient assessments, create care plans and supervise LPNs, while LPNs give care within the plan an RN or physician sets. Many LPNs later complete an LPN-to-RN bridge program.
Do LPNs work in hospitals?
Some do, but fewer than you might expect. Hospitals employ 13.8% of LPNs in our data, compared with 29% in skilled nursing facilities alone. Many hospitals staff their inpatient units mainly with RNs, so LPN hospital roles tend to be in specific units, rehab or clinics. Nursing homes, home health and physician offices are where most LPN jobs are.
Sources
Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-2061
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
- O*NET 31.0 Database (29-2061.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
- Registration, NCSBN (NCLEX.com) · checked October 28, 2026
- Fees & Payment, NCSBN (NCLEX.com) · checked October 28, 2026
- 2026 NCLEX-PN Test Plan, National Council of State Boards of Nursing · checked October 28, 2026
- Nurse Licensure Compact FAQs, NCSBN (NurseCompact.com) · checked October 28, 2026
- About the NLC, NCSBN (NurseCompact.com) · checked October 28, 2026
- Accreditation for Students, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing · checked October 28, 2026
- Certification: Intravenous Therapy Certification (IVT), CareerOneStop / O*NET · checked October 28, 2026
- License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026
- Results (retake policy), NCSBN (NCLEX.com) · checked October 28, 2026
- Summary of Requirements for Licensure as a Vocational Nurse, California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians · checked October 28, 2026
- Licensed Vocational Nurse Scope of Practice, Texas Board of Nursing · checked October 28, 2026
Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.