Salaries

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary.

Across 81 U.S. cities.

$62,000

estimated national base salary

$55,000 to $73,000. Last updated September 2026.

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Government benchmark for this occupation

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $64,400 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (SOC 29-2061) across the United States, based on 648,410 employed workers (May 2025 release).

10th percentile

$49,740

25th percentile

$59,000

Median

$64,400

75th percentile

$76,030

90th percentile

$83,440

Workers surveyed

648,410

What BLS published in each release

May 2024 release

$62,340

May 2025 release

$64,400

These are two separate published estimates, not a time series. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not encourage the use of OEWS data for time-series analysis. Differences between releases reflect changes in occupational classification, survey methodology, and the three-year pooled sample as well as any change in pay, so the two figures should not be read as a rate of wage growth.

BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (SOC 29-2061) rather than Licensed Practical Nurse specifically. The national range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.

View the BLS source for SOC 29-2061

Highest Paying

$85,000

San Jose, CA

Best Purchasing Power

$65,000

Minneapolis, MN

Lowest Paying

$47,000

Charleston, WV

The salary figures on this page are computed estimates, not observed wages. Each one is a national role baseline scaled by a Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity cost-of-living multiplier (2025 index) and rounded to the nearest $1,000. No published wage percentile is consulted and no wage survey response enters the calculation, so an Orbyt estimate must not be cited as a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure or as measured pay. The published wage data Orbyt holds is Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application filings, which record a filed minimum visa base wage rather than market pay. Where BLS publishes a wage for the occupation a role maps to, it is shown on that role's page as a separate benchmark, labelled with its occupation code, metro area and the number of employed workers it covers. Last updated September 2026. This role maps to BLS occupation code 29-2061. Full methodology.

Orbyt estimates the average Licensed Practical Nurse salary in the United States at $62,000 in 2026, within a range of $55,000 to $73,000. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page. San Jose is the highest of the 81 cities at $85,000, while Minneapolis offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Work setting creates the widest pay gap, with skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies paying above physician offices.

Licensed Practical Nurse salary by city.

Salary comparison across 81 cities
CityMedianRangeCOLAdjustedRank
San Jose, CA$85,000$75,000 to $100,0001.38x$62,000#3389 of 3445
San Francisco, CA$82,000$73,000 to $97,0001.35x$61,000#3394 of 3445
Honolulu, HI$80,000$71,000 to $94,0001.30x$62,000#3389 of 3445
New York, NY$79,000$70,000 to $93,0001.28x$62,000#3385 of 3445
Seattle, WA$78,000$70,000 to $92,0001.24x$63,000#3379 of 3445
Washington DC, DC$78,000$69,000 to $91,0001.25x$62,000#3378 of 3445
Boston, MA$76,000$68,000 to $90,0001.22x$62,000#3381 of 3445
Arlington, VA$73,000$64,000 to $85,0001.22x$60,000#3393 of 3445
Princeton, NJ$73,000$65,000 to $86,0001.15x$63,000#3377 of 3445
Jersey City, NJ$72,000$64,000 to $85,0001.20x$60,000#3394 of 3445
Boulder, CO$72,000$64,000 to $85,0001.15x$63,000#3382 of 3445
Los Angeles, CA$71,000$63,000 to $84,0001.18x$60,000#3395 of 3445
San Diego, CA$71,000$63,000 to $84,0001.17x$61,000#3389 of 3445
Newark, NJ$71,000$63,000 to $84,0001.18x$60,000#3399 of 3445
Portland, OR$70,000$62,000 to $82,0001.10x$64,000#3380 of 3445
Hartford, CT$69,000$61,000 to $81,0001.08x$64,000#3377 of 3445
Chicago, IL$68,000$60,000 to $80,0001.07x$64,000#3373 of 3445
Denver, CO$68,000$61,000 to $80,0001.08x$63,000#3378 of 3445
Philadelphia, PA$68,000$61,000 to $80,0001.09x$62,000#3382 of 3445
Minneapolis, MN$68,000$60,000 to $80,0001.05x$65,000#3371 of 3445
Miami, FL$67,000$59,000 to $78,0001.12x$60,000#3389 of 3445
Anchorage, AK$67,000$60,000 to $79,0001.13x$59,000#3402 of 3445
Baltimore, MD$66,000$59,000 to $78,0001.08x$61,000#3387 of 3445
Portland, ME$66,000$58,000 to $77,0001.05x$63,000#3377 of 3445
Providence, RI$66,000$59,000 to $78,0001.04x$63,000#3377 of 3445
Burlington, VT$66,000$58,000 to $77,0001.06x$62,000#3377 of 3445
Ann Arbor, MI$66,000$58,000 to $77,0001.02x$65,000#3369 of 3445
Atlanta, GA$65,000$57,000 to $76,0001.02x$64,000#3372 of 3445
Manchester, NH$65,000$58,000 to $77,0001.06x$61,000#3385 of 3445
Sacramento, CA$65,000$58,000 to $77,0001.10x$59,000#3398 of 3445
Austin, TX$64,000$57,000 to $75,0001.03x$62,000#3378 of 3445
Dallas, TX$63,000$56,000 to $74,0001.01x$62,000#3381 of 3445
Nashville, TN$63,000$56,000 to $74,0001.00x$63,000#3375 of 3445
Charleston, SC$63,000$56,000 to $74,0000.98x$64,000#3375 of 3445
Charlotte, NC$62,000$55,000 to $73,0000.97x$64,000#3371 of 3445
Houston, TX$61,000$54,000 to $72,0000.97x$63,000#3378 of 3445
Tampa, FL$61,000$54,000 to $71,0000.96x$64,000#3375 of 3445
Wilmington, DE$61,000$54,000 to $72,0001.02x$60,000#3393 of 3445
Las Vegas, NV$61,000$54,000 to $71,0000.96x$64,000#3375 of 3445
Richmond, VA$61,000$54,000 to $72,0001.01x$60,000#3395 of 3445
Raleigh, NC$60,000$53,000 to $71,0000.99x$61,000#3390 of 3445
Salt Lake City, UT$60,000$53,000 to $70,0000.98x$61,000#3391 of 3445
Columbus, OH$60,000$53,000 to $71,0000.93x$65,000#3373 of 3445
Indianapolis, IN$59,000$52,000 to $69,0000.91x$65,000#3373 of 3445
Boise, ID$59,000$53,000 to $70,0000.95x$62,000#3380 of 3445
Phoenix, AZ$58,000$51,000 to $68,0000.96x$60,000#3389 of 3445
Pittsburgh, PA$58,000$52,000 to $69,0000.92x$63,000#3381 of 3445
New Orleans, LA$58,000$51,000 to $68,0000.92x$63,000#3379 of 3445
Virginia Beach, VA$58,000$52,000 to $69,0000.98x$59,000#3403 of 3445
Albany, NY$58,000$52,000 to $69,0000.96x$60,000#3390 of 3445
Orlando, FL$58,000$51,000 to $68,0000.95x$61,000#3390 of 3445
Madison, WI$58,000$51,000 to $68,0000.95x$61,000#3388 of 3445
Reno, NV$58,000$51,000 to $68,0000.96x$60,000#3393 of 3445
Detroit, MI$57,000$50,000 to $67,0000.90x$63,000#3375 of 3445
Kansas City, MO$57,000$51,000 to $67,0000.93x$61,000#3383 of 3445
Columbus, OH$57,000$50,000 to $67,0000.93x$61,000#3388 of 3445
San Antonio, TX$57,000$51,000 to $67,0000.91x$63,000#3378 of 3445
Columbia, SC$57,000$51,000 to $68,0000.90x$63,000#3372 of 3445
North Charleston, SC$57,000$51,000 to $67,0000.94x$61,000#3388 of 3445
St. Louis, MO$56,000$50,000 to $66,0000.90x$62,000#3382 of 3445
Albuquerque, NM$56,000$50,000 to $66,0000.88x$64,000#3375 of 3445
Cincinnati, OH$56,000$50,000 to $66,0000.90x$62,000#3383 of 3445
Knoxville, TN$56,000$49,000 to $66,0000.89x$63,000#3375 of 3445
Des Moines, IA$55,000$49,000 to $65,0000.86x$64,000#3371 of 3445
Louisville, KY$55,000$48,000 to $64,0000.88x$63,000#3378 of 3445
Lexington, KY$55,000$49,000 to $65,0000.86x$64,000#3369 of 3445
Baton Rouge, LA$55,000$49,000 to $65,0000.88x$63,000#3376 of 3445
Spokane, WA$55,000$49,000 to $65,0000.92x$60,000#3393 of 3445
Milwaukee, WI$54,000$48,000 to $64,0000.91x$59,000#3402 of 3445
Des Moines, IA$54,000$48,000 to $63,0000.86x$63,000#3378 of 3445
Birmingham, AL$53,000$47,000 to $62,0000.84x$63,000#3373 of 3445
Omaha, NE$53,000$47,000 to $63,0000.88x$60,000#3387 of 3445
Fargo, ND$52,000$46,000 to $61,0000.85x$61,000#3384 of 3445
Oklahoma City, OK$52,000$46,000 to $61,0000.84x$62,000#3382 of 3445
Sioux Falls, SD$52,000$46,000 to $61,0000.85x$61,000#3384 of 3445
Cheyenne, WY$52,000$46,000 to $62,0000.87x$60,000#3398 of 3445
Jackson, MS$51,000$45,000 to $60,0000.79x$65,000#3371 of 3445
Wichita, KS$50,000$45,000 to $59,0000.82x$61,000#3387 of 3445
Tulsa, OK$50,000$44,000 to $59,0000.83x$60,000#3386 of 3445
Little Rock, AR$49,000$43,000 to $57,0000.82x$60,000#3394 of 3445
Charleston, WV$47,000$42,000 to $56,0000.78x$60,000#3391 of 3445

Skills that increase Licensed Practical Nurse pay.

The premiums below are Orbyt's modelled scenarios for Licensed Practical Nurses, not effects measured from job postings: each is a fixed percentage applied to the estimated base. At the top premium that works out to $8,680 a year.

LLM Fine-Tuning+14%

≈ +$8,680 per year

Reinforcement Learning+13%

≈ +$8,060 per year

CUDA+12%

≈ +$7,440 per year

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)+11%

≈ +$6,820 per year

Kubernetes+11%

≈ +$6,820 per year

Transformers+10%

≈ +$6,200 per year

Rust+10%

≈ +$6,200 per year

PyTorch+9%

≈ +$5,580 per year

What you should know.

Work setting creates the widest pay gap, with skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies paying above physician offices. States with nurse licensure compacts offer more flexibility and often higher pay for travel assignments. Shift differentials for evenings and weekends and IV therapy certification also contribute to higher earnings.

New LPNs start at $40,000 to $45,000 in most settings. With five years of experience and specialty skills, pay reaches $52,000 to $60,000. Charge LPNs or unit supervisors can earn $62,000 to $72,000, and many LPNs use the role as a bridge to RN licensure.

LPNs receive standard healthcare benefits including medical, dental, and retirement contributions. Overtime is common and can add $5,000 to $10,000 annually. Some employers offer sign-on bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000 in high-demand areas.

Total compensation breakdown.

Base Salary
$62,000
Equity / Year
$6,000
Annual Bonus
5%
$3,000
Total Comp
$71,000

Salary by company size

Startup
< 50 employees
$53,000
Growth
50-500 employees
$58,000
Scale-up
500-5K employees
$62,000
Public
5K+ employees
$73,000

Remote salary adjustment

Remote Licensed Practical Nurses typically earn $56,000 (10% less than on-site). This reflects location-adjusted pay policies at companies using geographic salary bands. Some companies pay flat national rates regardless of location.

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Related.

Common questions about Licensed Practical Nurse pay.

Orbyt estimates the national median Licensed Practical Nurse salary at $62,000 in 2026, within a range of $55,000 to $73,000. This is a computed estimate, not a measured wage. Where you land depends on your experience, skills, the company's size, and your location.

Entry level Licensed Practical Nurses (0 to 2 years) typically earn $40,000 to $50,000. Mid level (3 to 5 years) run $53,000 to $65,000. Senior (6 to 9 years) reach $68,000 to $81,000, and lead level (10 plus years) $78,000 to $96,000.

Entry level Licensed Practical Nurse roles start around $40,000 to $50,000. Candidates with strong internships, certifications, or portfolio work often negotiate toward the national median of $62,000.

With a national median of $62,000 and senior pay reaching $81,000 to $96,000, Licensed Practical Nurse is a well compensated field. Pay varies by city, so compare cost of living adjusted numbers before judging any single offer.

LPNs receive standard healthcare benefits including medical, dental, and retirement contributions. Overtime is common and can add $5,000 to $10,000 annually. Some employers offer sign-on bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000 in high-demand areas.

New LPNs start at $40,000 to $45,000 in most settings. With five years of experience and specialty skills, pay reaches $52,000 to $60,000. Charge LPNs or unit supervisors can earn $62,000 to $72,000, and many LPNs use the role as a bridge to RN licensure.

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