How Much Does an LPN Make in Tacoma, WA in 2026?
Typical pay for LPNs in Tacoma, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across Washington.
BLS OES May 2025 · Seattle · Tacoma · Bellevue metro area
A typical LPN in Tacoma, Washington earns $41.20 per hour, or $85,690 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $7,141 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $70,380, and the top 10% of earners make over $103,310.
That pay is 3% above the Washington figure of $83,150 and 33% above the national figure of $64,400. Tacoma ranks 1st of 12 metro areas in Washington for LPN pay. About 3,470 LPNs work in the Seattle · Tacoma · Bellevue area. Tacoma is part of the Seattle · Tacoma · Bellevue metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Bellevue and Seattle share these figures.
LPN pay in Tacoma at a glance
- Typical pay is $41.20 an hour, or $85,690 a year.
- That is 3% above the Washington figure, ranking 1st of 12 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $70,380; the top 10% make over $103,310.
- Typical pay rose +65% from 2015 to 2025, against +70% for Washington as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does an LPN make in Tacoma?
Pay in Tacoma runs from entry-level positions at around $33.84 an hour to more than $49.67 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the Washington and national figures.
LPN pay by career stage in Tacoma
| Career stage | Tacoma | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $70,380$33.84 an hour | $64,230$30.88 an hour | $49,740$23.91 an hour |
| First years | $80,560$38.73 an hour | $76,920$36.98 an hour | $59,000$28.37 an hour |
| Typical LPN | $85,690$41.20 an hour | $83,150$39.98 an hour | $64,400$30.96 an hour |
| Experienced | $96,620$46.45 an hour | $93,970$45.18 an hour | $76,030$36.55 an hour |
| Top 10% | $103,310$49.67 an hour | $100,950$48.54 an hour | $83,440$40.12 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Seattle · Tacoma · Bellevue area as BLS defines it
LPN pay growth in Tacoma
Typical (median) annual wage for LPNs in the Seattle · Tacoma · Bellevue area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical LPN pay in Tacoma was $51,850 a year. By 2025 it had reached $85,690, a change of +65%, compared with +70% for Washington over the same years.
How Tacoma compares with other Washington cities
Tacoma pays LPNs the most of any metro area in Washington. The lowest-paying area in the state is East Wenatchee at $75,560.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Tacoma | LPNs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tacoma | $85,690 | $41.20 | this city | 3,470 |
| 2 | Mount Vernon metro incl. Anacortes | $83,940 | $40.36 | -2% | 120 |
| 3 | Hillsboro metro incl. Vancouver | $83,510 | $40.15 | -3% | 2,250 |
| 4 | Bremerton metro incl. Port Orchard · Silverdale | $81,580 | $39.22 | -5% | 230 |
| 5 | Tumwater | $81,350 | $39.11 | -5% | 330 |
| 6 | Kennewick metro incl. Richland | $79,630 | $38.28 | -7% | 240 |
| 7 | Spokane Valley metro incl. Spokane | $78,950 | $37.96 | -8% | 670 |
| 8 | Bellingham | $78,740 | $37.86 | -8% | 220 |
| 9 | Walla Walla | $78,690 | $37.83 | -8% | 60 |
| 10 | Longview metro incl. Kelso | $77,940 | $37.47 | -9% | 110 |
| 11 | Yakima | $76,290 | $36.68 | -11% | 220 |
| 12 | Wenatchee metro incl. East Wenatchee | $75,560 | $36.33 | -12% | 90 |
Every metro area in Washington with LPN wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · Washington typical pay $83,150
Is Tacoma a good place to work as an LPN?
LPNs in Tacoma earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $85,690 a year, 33% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Seattle · Tacoma · Bellevue area, about 1.7 are LPN positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 4.2. That makes LPNs a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an LPN make in Tacoma, WA?
- A typical LPN in Tacoma earns $85,690 a year, or $41.20 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $70,380 and the top 10% earn over $103,310.
- How much does an LPN make an hour in Tacoma?
- Typical hourly pay for LPNs in Tacoma is $41.20. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $33.84, and the top 10% earn over $49.67 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for an LPN in Tacoma?
- Entry-level LPN positions in Tacoma typically offer around $33.84 an hour, or $70,380 a year.
- Is LPN pay in Tacoma higher than in the rest of Washington?
- Tacoma pay is 3% above the Washington figure of $83,150 a year, ranking 1st of 12 metro areas in the state.