How Much Does an LPN Make in the United States in 2026?

Hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies rely on licensed practical nurses for daily bedside care. A practical nurse typically earns $30.96 an hour, which works out to $64,400 a year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). California and Texas license the same job as LVN, or licensed vocational nurse.

That figure is a midpoint, not a fixed rate. What an LPN earns depends on the state, the facility type, years on the job, and the certifications held. 648,410 people hold these jobs nationwide, and the spread across them is wide.

A typical LPN earns $30.96 an hour. Across a full-time year, that comes to $64,400 before taxes. Monthly pay, calculated from the annual figure, works out to about $5,367, and weekly pay to about $1,238. Overtime and shift premiums sit on top of that base for many nurses.

Entry-level positions typically offer around $23.91 an hour, or $49,740 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $40.12 an hour, or $83,440. The spread between the two ends is $33,700, and experience, work setting, and state account for most of it.

Entry-level positions pay around $23.91 an hour, or $49,740 a year, through the first year or two of practice. A few years in, many LPNs reach $28.37 an hour, or $59,000. From there the climb continues toward the typical figure of $64,400.

Experienced LPNs often earn upwards of $36.55 an hour, or $76,030 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $40.12 an hour, or $83,440. Long tenure, a high-paying state, a well-paying setting, and added certifications are what put a nurse in that group.

Typical pay for an LPN was $43,170 a year in 2015. It stands at $64,400 in 2025, a gain of $21,230 and a rise of 49.2 percent across the decade. The most recent year alone added $2,060, or 3.3 percent.

The gain did not arrive evenly. Typical pay rose $4,310 from 2015 through 2019, then $16,330 from 2021 through 2025, close to four times as much over the same span of years. Demand climbed hard through that second stretch. National figures also move slower than local ones, and a single state or metro can run well ahead of or behind them.

Location is often the single biggest factor in what an LPN takes home. Washington leads at $83,150 a year, or $39.98 an hour, then Alaska at $80,800, Oregon at $80,470, Massachusetts at $80,220, and Rhode Island at $80,090. Metros climb higher: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $95,320, or $45.83 an hour, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at $94,310, Santa Rosa-Petaluma at $92,580, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue at $85,690, and Vallejo at $85,430.

Mississippi pays the least at $50,220 a year, or $24.14 an hour, with South Dakota at $52,750, or $25.36, and West Virginia at $55,360, or $26.61. The gap between the top and bottom states is $32,930. California employs the most LPNs at 82,850, paying $79,750, ahead of Texas with 57,560 at $62,240 and Ohio with 39,900 at $61,950. Higher-paying states carry higher living costs. The table below has all 51 state-level figures.

Most LPNs work in nursing care facilities, where 188,210 hold jobs and typical pay is $33.86 an hour, or $70,430 a year. General medical and surgical hospitals employ 89,620 more at $29.13 an hour, or $60,590. Home health care services account for another 80,990 jobs at $30.57 an hour, or $63,580.

Nursing care facilities are also the highest-paying of the common settings, running about 9 percent above the national figure. Outpatient care centers pay close to the same at $33.60 an hour, or $69,900. Continuing care and assisted living communities employ 44,100 at $31.59 an hour, or $65,710, and offices of physicians employ 69,250 at $28.62 an hour, or $59,520. The table below shows each setting.

Evening, night, and weekend shifts often carry extra hourly pay on top of the base rate, usually called a shift differential. Whether an employer offers one, and how large it is, depends on the facility and the local staffing picture. Nurses who work those hours regularly finish the year well above the base rate.

Every LPN reaches the job the same way, by passing the NCLEX-PN exam and holding a state license. Beyond that, IV therapy certification and wound care certification are common add-ons in many states, and employers that recognize them may pay a higher rate. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers LPNs in member states, which simplifies working across state lines.

Specialty focus follows the certifications. A nurse with wound care or IV therapy credentials fits skilled nursing and outpatient work, the two common settings that pay above the national figure. A compact license widens the pool of employers within reach, which is often what it takes to move a rate.

A CNA typically earns $42,260 a year. Moving up to LPN at $64,400 adds $22,140, and practical nursing programs commonly run about 12 months. A registered nurse typically earns $97,550, a gain of $33,150, through LPN-to-RN bridge programs of 12 to 18 months or an ADN of about 2 years. A nurse practitioner typically earns $132,300, another $34,750, and needs a graduate degree.

Most people make the move while still working. Studying part time around a nursing schedule is common, and some employers offer tuition help, though what is on offer varies. Years spent as an LPN carry into the next role, since medication administration, charting, and patient assessment are the same work.

Typical pay for an LPN is $64,400 a year, or $30.96 an hour, up from $43,170 in 2015. BLS projects modest growth and about 51,800 openings a year through 2035. Check your state's salary page for local figures, since the gap between the highest- and lowest-paying states runs $32,930. Then look up the training and licensing requirements where you plan to work.