Nurse Salaries / LPN Salary
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) – sometimes called licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) – provide basic nursing care and comfort to patients, but generally do not perform more complex nursing duties that a registered nurse is responsible for carrying out, such as administering medication, or creating patient care plans.
As of May 2021, the average salary for a licened practical nurse in the United States is $51,850 – an effective hourly rate of $24.93.
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Highest-paying states for licensed practical nurses
In addition to specialty, license, and experience, location also plays a major factor in an LPN’s expected wages – driven by cost-of-living and the overall job market in each area.
For licensed practical nurses, California tops the list of highest-paying states with an average annual wage of $65,140. Alaska comes in at second with an average LPN salary of $63,650, followed by Washington state at $63,250.
Top 10 highest-paying states for licensed practical nurses
| Rank | State | Average LPN Salary | Local Estimates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $65,140 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca |
| 2 | Alaska | $63,650 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ak |
| 3 | Washington | $63,250 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/wa |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $61,820 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ma |
| 5 | Nevada | $60,490 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/nv |
| 6 | Oregon | $60,090 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/or |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $59,800 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ri |
| 8 | Connecticut | $59,440 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ct |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $59,140 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/nh |
| 10 | New Jersey | $58,590 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/nj |
Top 10 highest-paying cities for licensed practical nurses
| Rank | City | Average LPN Salary | Local Estimates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napa, CA | $76,890 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/napa |
| 2 | San Jose, CA | $75,880 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/san-jose |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $75,410 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/san-francisco |
| 4 | Santa Rosa, CA | $71,180 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/santa-rosa |
| 5 | Vallejo, CA | $70,720 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/vallejo |
| 6 | San Luis Obispo, CA | $68,940 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/san-luis-obispo |
| 7 | Santa Cruz, CA | $66,800 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/santa-cruz |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $66,380 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/wa/seattle |
| 9 | Sacramento, CA | $66,090 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/ca/sacramento |
| 10 | Carson City, NV | $65,460 | Get local estimate | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/salaries/lpn/nv/carson-city |
More local LPN salaries
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LVN/LPN vs RN Salary
With over 600 thousand LPNs currently employed in the United States, licensed practical nurses are among the largest group of healthcare professionals in the nation. In addition, the job category is projected to grow in demand by 10.7% over the next few years. However, it does pay less than many other healthcare positions – about 37% less than registered nurses earn on average. Below are the average nationwide salaries, according to the BLS, for 5 different nursing categories.
| Category | Average Salary | # Employed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $202,470 | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/nurse-anesthetists-salary/ | 43,950 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $118,040 | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/nurse-practitioner-salary/ | 234,690 |
| Nurse Midwives | $114,210 | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/nurse-midwife-salary/ | 7,750 |
| Registered Nurses | $82,750 | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/the-highest-paying-states-for-nurses/ | 3,047,530 |
| Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurses | $51,850 | https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/lvn-vs-rn-salary/ | 641,240 |
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