How Much Does an LPN Make in Texas in 2026?

A typical LPN in Texas earns about $29.92 per hour ($62,240 per year), according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). Calculated from that annual figure, pay works out to roughly $5,187 a month or $1,197 a week. Those numbers describe a licensed practical nurse working full time in a typical role across the state.

Texas pay sits 3% below the national figure of $64,400 a year, placing the state 34th out of 51 states and the District of Columbia. Some of that gap likely reflects lower living costs in Texas compared with higher-paying states. With 57,560 LPNs working across the state, Texas employs a sizable workforce even at pay below the national figure.

Entry-level positions in Texas typically offer around $23.52 an hour ($48,910 a year), based on the latest government wage data (May 2025). That figure reflects LPNs who are new to a role or just starting out in the state. Pay tends to move toward the typical $29.92 hourly rate within a few years. Setting and location also shape how quickly that happens.

Experienced LPNs in Texas often earn upwards of $32.89 to $36.61 an hour, with the top 10% of earners making over $76,140 a year. That leaves a spread of $27,230 between entry-level and top-tier pay in the state. Experience explains part of that gap, but so does the type of setting and the city where an LPN works, with hospitals and larger metro areas tending toward the higher end.

Texas LPN pay rose steadily over the past decade, climbing from $44,200 in 2015 to $62,240 in 2025. That is a gain of $18,040, or 41%, over ten years. The increase was not perfectly even year to year, but each year from 2015 onward showed higher pay than the one before it.

Nationally, LPN pay rose 49% over the same decade, a steeper climb than Texas saw. That gap suggests Texas pay has grown somewhat more slowly than the country as a whole, even as it moved up in dollar terms. For someone starting an LPN career in Texas now, the decade of data shows pay has moved consistently upward, though it makes no promise about future years.

Pay runs highest in Round Rock, Austin, and San Marcos, where LPNs typically earn $64,580 a year ($31.05 an hour), about 4% above the statewide figure. These figures cover the full metro area around each city, not just the city limits. Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth follow closely behind at $64,370 a year.

Mission and several other Rio Grande Valley cities, including Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen, sit at the low end, with LPNs typically earning $56,250 a year ($27.04 an hour). That is a spread of $8,330 between the highest- and lowest-paying metro areas in the state. Dallas holds the largest LPN workforce among Texas cities, with 12,590 LPNs earning a typical $64,370 a year. Pay differences like these often track local living costs.

Texas LPN pay compares favorably with its neighbors. New Mexico pays 5% less ($59,330 a year), Oklahoma pays 6% less ($58,320), Louisiana pays 8% less ($57,470), and Arkansas pays 9% less ($56,620). All four neighboring states fall below the Texas figure of $62,240. Licensure as an LPN in one state can often be transferred or endorsed into a neighboring state, though requirements vary.

Texas LPNs typically earn $62,240 a year ($29.92 an hour), a figure that has climbed 41% over the past decade. Pay runs a few percentage points below the national figure but sits close to it, with plenty of variation by city and setting. Readers considering this path should check the Texas Board of Nursing for licensing requirements and review city-specific pages for local pay figures before choosing where to work.