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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

29-2061 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.


National estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Industry profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Geographic profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

National estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
632,020 0.8 % $ 26.86 $ 55,860 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 19.47 $ 22.98 $ 26.26 $ 29.86 $ 34.93
Annual Wage (2) $ 40,490 $ 47,800 $ 54,620 $ 62,110 $ 72,650


Industry profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 171,030 12.73 $ 28.10 $ 58,440
Home Health Care Services 83,100 5.41 $ 27.10 $ 56,370
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 80,840 1.45 $ 24.69 $ 51,360
Offices of Physicians 79,130 2.84 $ 23.88 $ 49,660
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 41,350 4.70 $ 27.32 $ 56,830

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 171,030 12.73 $ 28.10 $ 58,440
Home Health Care Services 83,100 5.41 $ 27.10 $ 56,370
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 41,350 4.70 $ 27.32 $ 56,830
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 8,550 3.69 $ 26.80 $ 55,740
Outpatient Care Centers 33,230 3.25 $ 29.62 $ 61,610

Top paying industries for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Personal Care Services 90 0.01 $ 43.72 $ 90,950
Grantmaking and Giving Services 70 0.05 $ 34.94 $ 72,670
Insurance Carriers 480 0.04 $ 31.33 $ 65,170
Employment Services 29,120 0.74 $ 31.09 $ 64,660
Junior Colleges 50 0.01 $ 30.89 $ 64,260


Geographic profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 73,740 4.18 0.98 $ 33.62 $ 69,930
Texas 62,240 4.79 1.12 $ 25.41 $ 52,850
New York 38,590 4.24 0.99 $ 27.67 $ 57,560
Ohio 37,310 6.94 1.62 $ 25.16 $ 52,330
Florida 36,970 4.01 0.94 $ 25.85 $ 53,780


Map of location quotient of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 19,230 10.40 2.43 $ 22.80 $ 47,430
West Virginia 6,200 9.15 2.14 $ 21.89 $ 45,530
Arkansas 10,790 8.76 2.05 $ 22.11 $ 45,990
Mississippi 8,660 7.65 1.79 $ 21.64 $ 45,020
Oklahoma 12,170 7.58 1.77 $ 23.12 $ 48,090


Map of annual mean wages of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 6,430 1.89 0.44 $ 33.63 $ 69,950
California 73,740 4.18 0.98 $ 33.62 $ 69,930
Massachusetts 15,630 4.38 1.03 $ 32.78 $ 68,170
Rhode Island 940 1.97 0.46 $ 32.10 $ 66,770
Alaska 390 1.28 0.30 $ 32.07 $ 66,710



Map of employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 32,620 3.55 0.83 $ 30.31 $ 63,050
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 28,280 4.64 1.08 $ 32.95 $ 68,530
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 14,900 3.92 0.92 $ 26.59 $ 55,320
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 14,170 5.12 1.20 $ 28.52 $ 59,320
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 12,160 3.98 0.93 $ 26.65 $ 55,420
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 10,920 4.00 0.94 $ 26.03 $ 54,140
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 10,880 2.46 0.58 $ 30.01 $ 62,410
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 10,340 3.83 0.90 $ 33.67 $ 70,020
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 8,730 3.65 0.85 $ 38.69 $ 80,470
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 8,670 3.30 0.77 $ 26.47 $ 55,060


Map of location quotient of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rochester, MN 2,110 17.92 4.19 $ 25.78 $ 53,620
Monroe, LA 1,100 14.80 3.46 $ 20.91 $ 43,490
Hammond, LA 600 13.23 3.09 $ 22.61 $ 47,020
Hot Springs, AR 490 12.87 3.01 $ 21.33 $ 44,370
Pine Bluff, AR 370 12.78 2.99 $ 23.13 $ 48,110
Alexandria, LA 760 12.74 2.98 $ 22.20 $ 46,170
Wichita Falls, TX 700 12.50 2.92 $ 23.27 $ 48,390
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 2,060 12.37 2.89 $ 22.86 $ 47,540
Lafayette, LA 2,350 12.27 2.87 $ 21.48 $ 44,670
Beckley, WV 490 12.00 2.81 $ 20.71 $ 43,080


Map of annual mean wages of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 3,020 2.69 0.63 $ 38.75 $ 80,590
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 8,730 3.65 0.85 $ 38.69 $ 80,470
Santa Rosa, CA 890 4.36 1.02 $ 36.88 $ 76,710
Napa, CA 310 4.25 0.99 $ 36.72 $ 76,370
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 850 6.20 1.45 $ 36.66 $ 76,240
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 3,490 1.71 0.40 $ 35.34 $ 73,510
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 4,200 4.08 0.96 $ 34.27 $ 71,280
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 300 3.11 0.73 $ 33.92 $ 70,550
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 10,340 3.83 0.90 $ 33.67 $ 70,020
Salinas, CA 680 3.76 0.88 $ 33.51 $ 69,710

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 2,780 8.65 2.02 $ 23.69 $ 49,280
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,400 8.78 2.05 $ 23.90 $ 49,710
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 2,210 5.77 1.35 $ 22.63 $ 47,060
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 2,000 8.81 2.06 $ 21.28 $ 44,260
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 1,860 9.84 2.30 $ 21.83 $ 45,400

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,190 19.01 4.45 $ 21.98 $ 45,720
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,290 17.21 4.03 $ 21.77 $ 45,290
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 930 13.31 3.12 $ 20.77 $ 43,200
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 870 13.07 3.06 $ 22.11 $ 45,980
Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,460 12.69 2.97 $ 22.52 $ 46,830

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 110 1.04 0.24 $ 34.03 $ 70,780
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 220 3.69 0.86 $ 31.94 $ 66,430
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 370 3.56 0.83 $ 31.91 $ 66,380
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area 100 1.53 0.36 $ 31.48 $ 65,470
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 270 4.34 1.02 $ 31.46 $ 65,440


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023