Licensed Practical Nurses
Licensed Practical Nurses earn an average annual salary of $81,239, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Licensed Practical Nurses workforce.
Employment Over Time
79,610 Workforce in 2023
The Licensed Practical Nurses workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$81,239 Average Wage
In 2023, Licensed Practical Nurses earned an average of $81,239.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Salary distribution for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Employment Growth Projections
1.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
340,831 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 7.8%
367,382 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 16.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Licensed Practical Nurses and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Licensed Practical Nurses employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 74,730 employees, $81,366 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 25,520 employees, $79,045 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 8,460 employees, $76,484 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 6,800 employees, $80,510 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 6,640 employees, $80,048 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 5,110 employees, $92,692 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 4,350 employees, $84,722 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 2,930 employees, $94,141 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 2,690 employees, $94,235 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 2,380 employees, $75,600 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 1,480 employees, $76,545 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Diversity
Demographic information on Licensed Practical Nurses in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Licensed Practical Nurses in 2023 was 79,610 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Licensed Practical Nurses in 2023 were Practical Nursing, Health Sciences, Biology.
Common majors for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Licensed Practical Nurses workers.
Education level distribution for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Skills
Licensed Practical Nurses need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, Speaking.
Required skills for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Licensed Practical Nurses include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Psychology, Medicine and Dentistry, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Licensed Practical Nurses include Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Licensed Practical Nurses.
Daily Activities
Licensed Practical Nurses spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Licensed Practical Nurses.
About
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
The average yearly wage for Licensed Practical Nurses was $81,239 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-2061 - Licensed Practical Nurses
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Licensed Practical Nurses reports an average salary of $81,239.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 79,610 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.