Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) salary: $33.67/hr$1,347/wk$70,023/yr median.
Pay range $28.67$1,147$59,634–$35.50/hr$1,420/wk$73,840/yr across the middle 50% of active Direct Care Nursing postings nationwide.
10 unique employers · 51 cities · 13 states.
How Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $28.67/hr$1,147/wk$59,634/yr. The top 10% pay above $39.02/hr$1,561/wk$81,162/yr.
How Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $33.54 in Nov 2025 to $35.00 in Mar 2026 (+4.4%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $33.54$1,342$69,763 | $28.67$1,147$59,634–$35.48$1,419$73,798 | 89 |
| Dec 2025 | $29.00$1,160$60,320 | $23.50$940$48,880–$30.50$1,220$63,440 | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | $35.48$1,419$73,798 | $31.48$1,259$65,478–$36.95$1,478$76,856 | 36 |
| Feb 2026 | $36.00$1,440$74,880 | $36.00$1,440$74,880–$36.00$1,440$74,880 | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | $35.00$1,400$72,800 | $35.00$1,400$72,800–$35.00$1,400$72,800 | 1 |
Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 5 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ll still be able to contribute to our mission of providing high quality health care at a local facility. shawn bsn | RN · RN | $37.13$1,485$77,230 | $35.23$1,409$73,278–$39.51$1,580$82,181 | 12 |
| san diego | CA · CALIFORNIA | $36.00$1,440$74,880 | $35.19$1,408$73,195–$36.95$1,478$76,856 | 13 |
| denver | CO · COLORADO | $33.54$1,342$69,763 | $33.54$1,342$69,763–$33.54$1,342$69,763 | 10 |
| atlanta | GA · GEORGIA | $28.67$1,147$59,634 | $28.67$1,147$59,634–$28.67$1,147$59,634 | 19 |
Where the top of the market is paying for Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn).
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| kaiser permanente | $33.79$1,352$70,283 | $28.35$1,134$58,968–$52.37$2,095$108,930 | 120 |
Showing all 1 employer with live pay data.
How Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Temporary pays the most at $52.37/hr$2,095/wk$108,930/yr median — 72% above Fulltime at $30.50/hr$1,220/wk$63,440/yr. Staff Position drives the volume with 116 active postings.
How to become a Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn).
Nursing covers the broader nursing workforce when a role doesn't fit neatly into the RN, APRN, LPN/LVN, or nursing support buckets. The licensure path is shared across nursing: pass an NCLEX exam (RN or PN) administered by your state board of nursing. From there, scope, autonomy, and pay diverge sharply by license tier (LPN/LVN vs RN vs APRN).
Pick the license tier first: LPN/LVN for the shortest path (12-18 months), RN for hospital-based bedside nursing (2-4 years), APRN for independent practice with prescriptive authority (BSN + RN experience + 2-4 more years). Every step requires graduation from a state-board-approved nursing program plus passing the appropriate NCLEX exam.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Practical / Vocational Nursing diplomaLPN / LVN | 12-18 months | Shortest nursing route. Eligible for NCLEX-PN. Predominantly long-term care, clinic, and home health employment. |
| Associate Degree in NursingADN | 2-3 years | Eligible for NCLEX-RN. Standard community-college nursing entry. Many ADN graduates pursue RN-to-BSN bridge programs while working. |
| Bachelor of Science in NursingBSN | 4 years | Preferred or required by most hospitals, especially Magnet-designated centers. Standard prerequisite for graduate nursing programs. |
| Master of Science in NursingMSN | 2-3 years post-BSN | Required for APRN roles (NP, CNS, CNM, CRNA) and most nursing leadership tracks. |
| Doctor of Nursing PracticeDNP | 3-4 years post-BSN | Terminal practice degree for APRNs. Required for CRNA programs starting 2025 and increasingly preferred for executive nursing roles. |
Required to practice as an RN. Eligibility requires graduation from an approved ADN, diploma, or BSN program plus passing NCLEX-RN.
Required to practice as an LPN/LVN. Eligibility requires graduation from an approved practical nursing program plus passing NCLEX-PN.
Required at hire for essentially every patient-facing nursing role.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty board certifications CCRN, CEN, CNOR, OCN, RNC-OB, etc. Specialty certifications exist for virtually every nursing area and reliably move pay and scope. Standard upgrade after 1-2 years on a specialty unit. | Specialty boards (AACN, BCEN, CCI, ONCC, NCC) | +5-15% |
- 0-1 yearsNew-grad LPN / RN
Newly licensed nurse, often in a residency or supervised orientation period.
- 1-5 yearsStaff nurse
Independent practice in a specialty setting. Many pick up the relevant specialty certification.
- 5-10 yearsSenior or charge nurse
Shift-level or specialty leadership. Common point at which nurses choose between bedside leadership, education, or APRN school.
- 8+ yearsAdvanced practice or leadership
APRN (NP, CNS, CRNA, CNM) practice, nurse education, or nurse manager / director. Requires MSN or DNP.
Schedule. Wide variation. Hospitals run 24/7 with 12-hour shifts. Clinics run business hours. Home health is largely daytime with travel.
Physical demands. Physically and emotionally demanding in acute care; less physical in clinic, telehealth, and ambulatory roles.
Nursing remains one of the largest and fastest-growing US occupations. RN demand is driven by an aging population and a wave of nurse retirements; APRN demand is driven by primary care and specialty access gaps.
What clinicians ask about Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) pay.
What is the average Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) salary in 2026?
The median Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) salary is $33.67/hr (approximately $70,023/yr) based on 134 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn)?
Hourly pay ranges from $28.67 at the 25th percentile to $35.50 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $39.02/hr.
Which state pays Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) roles the most?
Alabama currently leads with a median of $31.89/hr across 0 postings.
How many employers are hiring Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn)s?
Our dataset shows 10 unique employers posting Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) roles across 13 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse (lpn / Lvn) salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 180-day window and weighted by posting volume.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 180-day window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.