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 median · BLS
$64,400
▲ +3.3%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$67,050
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
648,410
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$49,740
25th
$59,000
Median (50th)
$64,400
75th
$76,030
90th — top pay
$83,440
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
BLS projects employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 51,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
666,900 → 686,700
+19,700 jobs
Projected change
+3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
51,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Service Orientation4.1
Coordination4.0
Social Perceptiveness4.0
Active Listening3.9
Monitoring3.9
Speaking3.9
Critical Thinking3.8
Reading Comprehension3.8
Judgment and Decision Making3.6
Time Management3.6
Top knowledge areas
Customer and Personal Service4.0
English Language3.9
Psychology3.7
Medicine and Dentistry3.7
Administration and Management3.3
Education and Training3.2
Therapy and Counseling3.1
Mathematics3.0
Software and technology used
eClinicalWorks EHR softwareEpic SystemsMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordZoomDiagnostic and procedural coding softwareElectronic medical record EMR softwareFaceTimeGoogle DriveHealthcare common procedure coding system HCPCSInfusion management softwareInventory tracking softwareMedical condition coding softwareMedical procedure coding software
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses do
Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
Licensed Care Coordinator (LCC)Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)Long Term Care LPN (Long Term Care Licensed Practical Nurse)Medical LPN (Medical Licensed Practical Nurse)Nursing Home LPN (Nursing Home Licensed Practical Nurse)Private Duty Licensed Practical Nurse (Private Duty LPN)
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $64,400.
