How much does an LPN make?
An LPN makes $64,400 a year at the national median, and the middle half of LPNs and LVNs earn between $59,000 and $76,030.[onet_lpn][oews] Licensed practical nurse (LPN) and licensed vocational nurse (LVN) are the same job: California and Texas use the LVN title, and BLS counts both in one occupation, SOC 29-2061. BLS estimated 648,410 LPN and LVN jobs in May 2025.[oews_api]
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Take-home* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $49,740 | $23.91 | $42,146 |
| 25th | $59,000 | $28.37 | $49,587 |
| Median (50th) | $64,400 | $30.96 | $53,925 |
| 75th | $76,030 | $36.55 | $62,317 |
| 90th | $83,440 | $40.12 | $67,530 |
*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.
The LPN pay range is narrow: the 90th percentile is only $33,700 above the 10th. For registered nurses that spread is $68,530. LPN pay rises with experience and shifts more slowly than RN pay, which is why many LPNs eventually look at LPN to RN bridge programs.
LPN hourly pay
LPN hourly pay is $30.96 at the median, $23.91 at the 10th percentile and $40.12 at the 90th.[onet_lpn] These are straight-time rates; BLS leaves out overtime and shift differentials, which matter in nursing homes where LPNs often work evenings, nights and weekends.[oews_faq]
| Percentile | Hourly | 32 h/week | 36 h/week | 40 h/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $23.91 | $39,792 | $44,766 | $49,740 |
| 25th | $28.37 | $47,200 | $53,100 | $59,000 |
| Median | $30.96 | $51,520 | $57,960 | $64,400 |
| 75th | $36.55 | $60,824 | $68,427 | $76,030 |
| 90th | $40.12 | $66,752 | $75,096 | $83,440 |
LPN salary in Texas
The LPN salary in Texas, where the license is called LVN, is $62,240 a year at the median ($29.92 an hour), which ranks 34th of 51 states and is $2,160 below the national median.[onet_lpn] Texas has no state income tax on wages, so a single LVN at the state median keeps about $52,190 after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare.[txtax][irs] BLS estimated 57,560 LVN jobs in Texas, second only to California.[oews_api]
| Area | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $64,580 | $31.05 | $51,690 | $78,270 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $64,370 | $30.95 | $53,930 | $77,620 |
| Midland, TX | $64,240 | $30.88 | $52,700 | $76,670 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $63,670 | $30.61 | $51,850 | $77,910 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $63,390 | $30.48 | $47,190 | $87,940 |
| Odessa, TX | $62,490 | $30.04 | $45,530 | $74,650 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $62,280 | $29.94 | $50,320 | $77,360 |
| Waco, TX | $62,070 | $29.84 | $51,050 | $78,570 |
| Amarillo, TX | $61,330 | $29.49 | $47,500 | $74,820 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $61,120 | $29.38 | $49,490 | $73,960 |
| Abilene, TX | $60,950 | $29.30 | $47,320 | $71,340 |
| Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $60,630 | $29.15 | $48,630 | $73,960 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | $60,460 | $29.07 | $50,350 | $72,110 |
| North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $60,450 | $29.06 | $47,220 | $73,500 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | $60,330 | $29.00 | $47,710 | $72,930 |
| Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $60,250 | $28.97 | $48,340 | $72,690 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $60,210 | $28.95 | $48,870 | $73,580 |
| Longview, TX | $60,190 | $28.94 | $48,050 | $73,150 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | $60,020 | $28.86 | $48,900 | $74,160 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $59,810 | $28.75 | $46,130 | $72,700 |
| Tyler, TX | $59,550 | $28.63 | $46,900 | $71,520 |
| San Angelo, TX | $59,340 | $28.53 | $47,050 | $72,280 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $59,080 | $28.40 | $45,780 | $73,920 |
| El Paso, TX | $58,770 | $28.25 | $46,680 | $68,890 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $58,590 | $28.17 | $44,020 | $73,370 |
| Lubbock, TX | $58,510 | $28.13 | $47,420 | $70,130 |
| Victoria, TX | $58,130 | $27.95 | $47,770 | $69,310 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | $57,370 | $27.58 | $46,900 | $68,700 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | $57,250 | $27.52 | $43,310 | $64,260 |
| Laredo, TX | $56,850 | $27.33 | $43,590 | $70,650 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $56,250 | $27.04 | $44,420 | $65,570 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $56,250 | $27.04 | $45,640 | $64,520 |
Pay inside Texas varies by $8,330 between the best-paid area (Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX) and the lowest-paid (McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX). Choose Texas and a metro in the calculator above to see a take-home figure for your city.
LPN salary by state
Washington pays LPNs the most at a median of $83,150, followed by Alaska ($80,800) and Oregon ($80,470); Mississippi pays the least at $50,220.[onet_lpn][oews_api] The full ranking, with job counts, is below.
| State | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington | $83,150 | $39.98 | $64,230 | $100,950 | 6,780 |
| 2. Alaska | $80,800 | $38.85 | $62,400 | $96,700 | 290 |
| 3. Oregon | $80,470 | $38.69 | $64,000 | $98,990 | 4,260 |
| 4. Massachusetts | $80,220 | $38.57 | $61,690 | $93,980 | 13,210 |
| 5. Rhode Island | $80,090 | $38.50 | $65,650 | $94,540 | 1,290 |
| 6. California | $79,750 | $38.34 | $64,390 | $100,450 | 82,850 |
| 7. New Hampshire | $77,110 | $37.07 | $59,860 | $93,660 | 2,220 |
| 8. Arizona | $77,070 | $37.05 | $61,050 | $89,850 | 6,530 |
| 9. Nevada | $76,160 | $36.62 | $61,750 | $89,420 | 3,350 |
| 10. District of Columbia | $75,740 | $36.41 | $62,880 | $87,470 | 1,040 |
| 11. New Jersey | $75,160 | $36.13 | $63,210 | $85,400 | 17,410 |
| 12. Illinois | $75,000 | $36.06 | $58,880 | $89,810 | 17,440 |
| 13. Maryland | $74,660 | $35.89 | $60,720 | $90,010 | 9,560 |
| 14. Colorado | $73,880 | $35.52 | $50,820 | $84,440 | 4,920 |
| 15. Connecticut | $73,690 | $35.43 | $62,610 | $81,060 | 8,540 |
| 16. Maine | $73,200 | $35.19 | $56,160 | $82,600 | 760 |
| 17. Hawaii | $71,140 | $34.20 | $59,620 | $88,340 | 840 |
| 18. Vermont | $69,930 | $33.62 | $50,230 | $84,710 | 1,130 |
| 19. Delaware | $68,710 | $33.03 | $59,210 | $77,580 | 2,240 |
| 20. New York | $67,180 | $32.30 | $54,480 | $81,530 | 39,400 |
| 21. Indiana | $65,720 | $31.60 | $50,550 | $77,220 | 14,480 |
| 22. Michigan | $65,460 | $31.47 | $56,160 | $77,780 | 10,880 |
| 23. Virginia | $64,920 | $31.21 | $50,580 | $79,170 | 15,550 |
| 24. Pennsylvania | $63,940 | $30.74 | $51,500 | $77,750 | 38,260 |
| 25. Idaho | $63,800 | $30.67 | $47,890 | $77,850 | 1,880 |
| 26. Wisconsin | $63,760 | $30.65 | $51,820 | $78,490 | 7,390 |
| 27. Minnesota | $63,750 | $30.65 | $51,700 | $77,380 | 12,840 |
| 28. Wyoming | $63,460 | $30.51 | $46,700 | $77,000 | 480 |
| 29. North Carolina | $63,270 | $30.42 | $50,480 | $74,730 | 18,010 |
| 30. Utah | $63,230 | $30.40 | $37,480 | $77,540 | 1,680 |
| 31. Nebraska | $62,660 | $30.13 | $50,890 | $77,940 | 4,580 |
| 32. Iowa | $62,630 | $30.11 | $50,550 | $77,710 | 5,510 |
| 33. North Dakota | $62,300 | $29.95 | $50,950 | $74,130 | 1,920 |
| 34. Texas | $62,240 | $29.92 | $48,910 | $76,140 | 57,560 |
| 35. Montana | $62,210 | $29.91 | $49,230 | $74,330 | 1,620 |
| 36. Georgia | $62,030 | $29.82 | $46,010 | $76,690 | 21,060 |
| 37. Ohio | $61,950 | $29.78 | $50,030 | $74,120 | 39,900 |
| 38. South Carolina | $61,820 | $29.72 | $50,370 | $76,420 | 9,400 |
| 39. Florida | $61,770 | $29.70 | $50,450 | $74,320 | 38,620 |
| 40. Kansas | $61,760 | $29.69 | $49,780 | $77,290 | 7,530 |
| 41. Missouri | $61,530 | $29.58 | $48,580 | $77,120 | 14,700 |
| 42. Kentucky | $60,460 | $29.07 | $48,420 | $73,220 | 8,570 |
| 43. New Mexico | $59,330 | $28.52 | $38,090 | $78,110 | 2,460 |
| 44. Tennessee | $58,870 | $28.30 | $41,110 | $67,540 | 20,830 |
| 45. Oklahoma | $58,320 | $28.04 | $45,440 | $66,410 | 11,540 |
| 46. Louisiana | $57,470 | $27.63 | $45,810 | $66,150 | 17,600 |
| 47. Alabama | $57,030 | $27.42 | $39,880 | $69,120 | 11,580 |
| 48. Arkansas | $56,620 | $27.22 | $44,670 | $65,020 | 10,010 |
| 49. West Virginia | $55,360 | $26.62 | $45,690 | $70,960 | 6,050 |
| 50. South Dakota | $52,750 | $25.36 | $40,770 | $67,700 | 2,050 |
| 51. Mississippi | $50,220 | $24.14 | $39,320 | $60,910 | 9,850 |
Jobs: BLS OEWS employment estimate, May 2025.
Highest-paying metro areas for LPNs
California, which employs the most LVNs, has its own page with every metro area: LVN salary in California. The best-paying metro area for LPNs is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, at a median of $95,320.[onet_lpn]
| Metro area | Median | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $95,320 | $45.83 |
| 2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $94,310 | $45.34 |
| 3. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $92,580 | $44.51 |
| 4. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $85,690 | $41.20 |
| 5. Vallejo, CA | $85,430 | $41.07 |
| 6. Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $85,040 | $40.88 |
| 7. Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $83,940 | $40.36 |
| 8. Napa, CA | $83,690 | $40.24 |
| 9. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $83,510 | $40.15 |
| 10. Bend, OR | $83,260 | $40.03 |
LPN pay vs CNA and RN pay
An LPN earns about $22,140 more a year than a CNA and about $33,150 less than a registered nurse at the national medians.[onet_lpn][onet_cna][onet_rn] Those two gaps frame the career math: CNA to LPN is the cheaper, faster step, and the RN step is worth more in dollars. The full comparison is on RN vs LPN; compare the two for your own state on nurse salary by state, or see how the license is earned on how to become an LPN.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an LPN make an hour?
$30.96 at the national median (BLS, May 2025). The 10th percentile is $23.91 and the 90th is $40.12.
How much does an LVN make in Texas?
The Texas LVN median is $62,240 a year, or $29.92 an hour. With no state income tax, a single filer at that pay keeps about $52,190 a year.
Is an LVN the same as an LPN?
Yes. California and Texas license "vocational" nurses and the other states license "practical" nurses, but the scope of practice is similar and BLS reports one combined wage.
What state pays LPNs the most?
Washington, with a median of $83,150, then Alaska and Oregon. Mississippi pays the least at $50,220.
How much does an LPN make a month?
About $5,367 before tax at the national median, or roughly $4,494 after federal tax and FICA for a single filer with no state tax.
Sources
- Local Wages: 29-2061.00 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (state and metro percentiles)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates
- OEWS May 2025 employment and median wage series (OEUN/OEUS), Public Data API v2
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions (wage definition; 2,080-hour year)
- Texas Taxes (Texas does not have a state personal income tax)
- IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- Local Wages: 31-1131.00 Nursing Assistants (state and metro percentiles)
- Local Wages: 29-1141.00 Registered Nurses (state and metro percentiles)