LPN Salary By State
How Much Do LPNs Make ?
The reports from the United States BLS show that the profession has seen a noticeable growth of around 16% in employment between the years 2004 and 2014. The rise in need of the LPNs had resulted in their annual mean wage of $44,090 in May 2016. Moreover, the employment in the sector is expected to go uphill in the next decade too. We can anticipate a rise of 12% in the jobs of LPNs from 2016 to 2026. More and more people are getting aware that someone can help them with their small requirements or day to day tasks like walking, eating, dressing, taking care of them, etc., which they are not able to fulfill due to an inappropriate health condition.
The practical nurses are hired by both, the government and privately. The government employs them for healthcare facilities, whereas they are also hired for home care services for old or ill patients. The present generation is already dealing with issues like obesity and diabetes which leads to a number of other diseases too. These health problems demand healthcare solutions at an early age, and if an enhanced number of patients would require the medical services, the employment of LPNs will also increase at a considerable rate. You can go through the hourly, annual and statewise LPN salary distribution below –
The Wage Distribution of LPNs percentage wise is as follows :
Percentile |
10 Percent |
25 Percent |
50 percent |
75 percent |
90 percent |
Hourly wage |
$15.63 |
$17.81 |
$21.20 |
$24.63 |
$29.05 |
Annual Wage |
$32,510 |
$37,040 |
$44,090 |
$51,220 |
$60,420 |
State-wise Average Annual Salary/Hourly Wage of LPNs as Per US BLS :
STATES |
TOTAL EMPLOYMENT |
AVERAGE HORLY WAGE |
AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY |
Alabama |
13,030 |
$17.45 |
$36,300 |
Alaska |
500 |
$ 25.85 |
$53,760 |
Arizona |
6100 |
$17.45 |
$36,300 |
Arkansas |
12,100 |
$17.69 |
$36,800 |
California |
68,110 |
$25.32 |
$52,670 |
Colorado |
5,010 |
$23.41 |
$48,690 |
Connecticut |
7,780 |
$26.69 |
$55,720 |
Delaware |
2,120 |
$24.20 |
$50,330 |
Florida |
44,820 |
$20.65 |
$42,960 |
Georgia |
26,510 |
$19.35 |
$40,250 |
Hawaii |
1,280 |
$23.55 |
$48,980 |
Idaho |
2,390 |
$19.56 |
$40,680 |
Illinois |
20,140 |
$23.11 |
$48,070 |
Indiana |
16,090 |
$19.97 |
$41,540 |
Iowa |
6,340 |
$19.57 |
$40,710 |
Kansas |
7,380 |
$19.65 |
$40,880 |
Kentucky |
10,520 |
$18.97 |
$39,460 |
Louisiana |
20,580 |
$18.31 |
$38,070 |
Maine |
1,250 |
$21.00 |
$43,680 |
Maryland |
11,640 |
$24.99 |
$51,980 |
Massachusetts |
15,890 |
$26.53 |
$55,190 |
Michigan |
14,980 |
$22.43 |
$46,660 |
Minnesota |
17,070 |
$20.97 |
$43,620 |
Mississippi |
8,990 |
$17.71 |
$36,840 |
Missouri |
15,810 |
$19.04 |
$39,600 |
Montana |
2,490 |
$19.68 |
$40,920 |
Nebraska |
5,100 |
$19.54 |
$40,630 |
Nevada |
2,570 |
$25.72 |
$53,500 |
New Hampshire |
2,290 |
$23.58 |
$49,040 |
New Jersey |
16,360 |
$25.84 |
$53,740 |
New Mexico |
2,100 |
$22.97 |
$47,770 |
New York |
46,990 |
$22.68 |
$47,170 |
North Carolina |
17,930 |
$20.44 |
$42,510 |
North Dakota |
2,670 |
$20.77 |
$43,200 |
Ohio |
39,920 |
$19.87 |
$41,320 |
Oklahoma |
11,580 |
$18.89 |
$39,290 |
Oregon |
2,780 |
$24.11 |
$50,160 |
Pennsylvania |
38,020 |
$22.03 |
$45,810 |
Rhodes Island |
1,060 |
$26.64 |
$55,410 |
South Carolina |
9,440 |
$19.28 |
$40,090 |
South Dakota |
1,820 |
$17.84 |
$37,100 |
Tennessee |
23,620 |
$18.23 |
$37,920 |
Texas |
70,810 |
$22.17 |
$46,110 |
Vermont |
1,350 |
$22.50 |
$46,790 |
Virginia |
21,410 |
$19.93 |
$41,450 |
Washington |
7,250 |
$ 24.39 |
$50,740 |
West Virginia |
6,090 |
$17.33 |
$36,050 |
Wisconsin |
7,990 |
$21.07 |
$43,820 |
Wyoming |
680 |
$21.92 |
$45,590 |
The Highest Paying States for a Licensed Practical Nurses
The salary of LPNs differs from one state to another due to obvious reasons like the cost of living, essential amenities, personal expenses and more. Based on the statistics in the United States, the state that pays the highest wages to their LPN consultants is Connecticut. It is followed by Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Alaska. LPNs can also find highest employment and salaries in Metropolitan. New York-Jersey City-White Plains, CA Metropolitan Division, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, and other metropolitan offer the highest LPN Job opportunities. Licensed Practical Nurses should consider these considerations when searching for higher remunerations and employment.
Highest LPN Salary Paying States:
STATE |
EMPLOYMENT |
LOCATION QUOTIENT |
HOURLY MEAN WAGE |
ANNUAL MEAN WAGE |
Connecticut |
7,780 |
0.93 |
$26.79 |
$55,720 |
Rhode Island |
1,060 |
0.44 |
$26.64 |
$55,410 |
District of Columbia |
1,720 |
0.49 |
$26.54 |
$55,200 |
Massachusetts |
15,890 |
0.92 |
$26.53 |
$55,190 |
Alaska |
500 |
0.31 |
$25.85 |
$53,760 |
Metropoliton Areas With Maximun LPN Job Concentration:
Metropoliton Area |
Employment |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Hourly Mean Wage |
Annual Mean wage |
Wichiti Falls, TX |
1,010 |
18.07 |
$19.57 |
$40,710 |
Alexandria, LA |
1,080 |
17.66 |
$17.88 |
$37,180 |
Homosassa Springs, FL |
560 |
17.53 |
$19.36 |
$40,270 |
Johnson city, LN |
1,260 |
16.14 |
$17.01 |
$35,370 |
Jackson, TN |
980 |
15.40 |
$16.18 |
$33,650 |
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
2,660 |
14.95 |
$18.30 |
$38,060 |
Sherman-Denison, TX |
640 |
14.79 |
$19.82 |
$41,220 |
Monroe, LA |
1,110 |
14.46 |
$17.70 |
$36,830 |
Jonesboro, AR |
770 |
14.28 |
$17.00 |
$35,350 |
Pine Bluff, AR |
420 |
13.83 |
$15.48 |
$32,210 |
Salary For LPN Related Jobs
The wage details have been taken from the U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Outlook, Payscale.com, and Indeed.com. The occupations related to LPN include nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; Registered Nurses; Physical Therapist Assistants and aides, Medical Assistants, Nurse Educator, Family Nurse Practitioner, etc.
Nursing Career/ Job title |
Average Wage |
Psychiatric Technicians and Aides |
$28,670 |
Nursing Assistants and Orderlies |
$26,590 |
Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides |
$45,290 |
Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides |
$56,070 |
Registered Nurses |
$68,450 |
Surgical Technologists |
$45,160 |
Nurse Educator |
$73,020 |
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) |
$124,104 |
Healthcare Consultant |
$75,097 |
Family Nurse Practitioner |
$90,227 |
Account Manager Healthcare |
$58,000 |
Nursing Director |
$90,168 |
Clinical Psychologist |
$74,505 |
Nursing Home Adminstrator |
$87,056 |
Licensed Clinical Social Worker |
$55,460 |
Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner |
$98,498 |
Director of Nurses |
$81,588 |
Registered Nurse, Emergency Room |
$63,945 |
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner |
$92,039 |
Factors Affecting Practical Nurse’s Salary
Years of Experience – As a fresher, you start with less practical knowledge. But as you keep on moving forward with the similar work for a couple of years, it is apparent to say that you will keep on growing in the sector. Your knowledge makes you compelling in terms of both – confidence and salary. If you compare two professionals, out of which one has just entered Practical Nursing, and the other has only completed four years of dedicated working, you will find that later one beams with more confidence for the same kind of work. When you are doing your best consistently, after a particular time, you can expect to get a raise in the pay as the appreciation of your duties aligned in the interests of the healthcare facility you are working for. You may start with an income you are not satisfied with according to the norms and educational background you belong to. But, it is legitimate to say that in the coming time, your pay will get increased in proportion to your work experience and knowledge.
A person with the same designation, doing the same work as you on a daily basis may get an income difference as compared to you. Some healthcare facilities don’t even look for freshers. So, it is essential if you target those health care centers where there is a demand for practical nurses. You may come to know that via available vacancies. Make sure that you pay attention to theories and practicals during the time you are studying in a medical school. With developing your mind to work with different age groups and various conditions, you will be increasing your chances of getting a job too. The interviewer necessarily glances on the relevant experiences you may have obtained while getting an education. If there are details to tell about internships or other extracurricular activities you have attended, you will have a plus point over those candidates who haven't done those courses.
Geographical Location – As you see the statistics for the salary, you will find that the mean wages differ for different locations. The geographic location is one of the significant factors that affect the pay. The distribution of the salary depends on the number of healthcare professionals working and patients coming in the healthcare facility. The figure has to vary as the population of every city differs.
IV Therapy Certificate – Not every practical nurse holds an IV Therapy Certificate. Holding this certificate allows you to do more work which correlates with getting extra pay. The pay is decided based on the responsibilities you handle on a daily basis. A practical nurse with IV therapy certificate will be earning more as compared to the professional with same title who is not holding this document. Some aspiring practical nurses take an interest in obtaining licenses before applying for a job. The interviewer may give priority to a candidate who is capable of doing IV therapy over the others. More often than not, a person who couldn't earn IV therapy certificate initially does receive it later in the career.
Advanced Care Life Support (ACLS) Certificate – You get paid for the work you do. With earning advanced care life support certificate, you will be increasing the range of duties you are eligible to perform. If such is the case, you can expect a higher salary too, as compared to a person who doesn't own an ACLS certificate. Generally, an aspiring candidate increases the chances of getting the job by earning a certification before he or she starts working on a post. A practical nurse having an experience of a few years is likely to hold this certificate to enhance the role and get paid higher than before. ACLS certification is one of the exceptional credentials that offer more wages to a practical nurse, given he or she owns this certificate.
Work Sector – There are many different schemes and norms for various sectors such as government and private sectors. Two practical nurses with similar educational background starting the professional life at the same time may have different salary figures.
Telemetry Training – A telemetry trainer is skilled at monitoring the activities of the heart, which makes him or her superior to a practical nurse who hasn't gone through this training. If you have some additional knowledge in comparison to others, it is legitimate that you will gain better incentives.
You need to keep a check on these significant factors of affecting a Practical Nurse’s income. You may come across these aspects time and again in your career.
How to Improve Nursing Salary?
Proper Research – Applying to a job without researching about it is going to get you upset with the salary you may end up with. At least, you should know what is the minimum wage offered for the position you are applying for. When you do proper research, you may end up prioritizing different health care centers. You should feel that you deserve the best for what you have on offer for the company. Either research online to get general information about the job you are applying for or talk to an expert who can guide you and tell you the real side of it. In this way, you will be satisfied with what you get at the end of the day. Remember that doing this will play an important role in your success.
Updated Skills – You get paid because of the work you do. For doing a job effectively and efficiently, it is necessary to have its complete knowledge. To succeed and perform better in your career, you need to keep on updating your knowledge and skills with various training and certifications. Thus, increasing the exposure to work, which will undoubtedly reflect on your salary.
Willingness to Move – As we have already discussed that Practical Nursing is career option whose salary varies according to the location. So, if you are looking to grow as a professional as well as increase your pay, you can move to a place that offers more in the field of practical nursing. More opportunities in the industry mean better chances of getting an increased income.
Specialized Certifications – Certifications will certainly help you grow as an individual and as a professional working in any industry. If you go for the courses suitable to benefit your career and make you learn more, it can be stated that you will get better results than the one who is less knowledgeable. Once you have extended information about the subject and you can provide more services to the company you will work with; the salary raise will always be on the cards.
Recruitment Incentives or Additional Benefits
Due to increased requirements in the field of healthcare, hospitals are providing their practical nurses with additional income in the form of incentives to reward them for the services they offer. To retain the Practical Nurses and make them aware of their importance, they are being provided with gifts and some other additional benefits too like bonuses, and mortgage down payments.
LPN Jobs
We all know the rising demand for Licensed Practical Nurses across the world, which has become the reason for Nursing professionals getting a good salary. They have a lot to offer in terms of patients’ regular check-up, assisting the doctors and looking after the health of the patients. Mostly hired by the Government authorities, LPNs can be offered a job of private care too. Moreover, they can work as consultants for the health problems in different areas.
Moving forward, they also have the opportunity to step into other fields related to the medical industry. There is a lot of scope for success as soon as you are a Licensed Practical Nurse. The work profiles you can move into include medical call centers, consulting, medical coding, customer services and more.