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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

29-2061 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.

National estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Industry profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Geographic profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

National estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
676,440 0.7 % $ 24.08 $ 50,090 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.10 $ 20.22 $ 23.47 $ 27.82 $ 31.50
Annual Wage (2) $ 35,570 $ 42,060 $ 48,820 $ 57,860 $ 65,520

Industry profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 199,760 13.02 $ 24.62 $ 51,200
Offices of Physicians 88,300 3.41 $ 21.90 $ 45,550
Home Health Care Services 84,460 5.65 $ 24.80 $ 51,580
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 80,820 1.44 $ 22.75 $ 47,310
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 53,280 5.66 $ 24.57 $ 51,100

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 199,760 13.02 $ 24.62 $ 51,200
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 53,280 5.66 $ 24.57 $ 51,100
Home Health Care Services 84,460 5.65 $ 24.80 $ 51,580
Outpatient Care Centers 33,540 3.49 $ 27.08 $ 56,320
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 8,430 3.48 $ 23.58 $ 49,050

Top paying industries for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Junior Colleges 60 0.01 $ 29.12 $ 60,570
Outpatient Care Centers 33,540 3.49 $ 27.08 $ 56,320
Insurance Carriers 910 0.08 $ 27.05 $ 56,260
Religious Organizations 540 0.29 $ 26.49 $ 55,100
Scientific Research and Development Services 210 0.03 $ 26.20 $ 54,490

Geographic profile for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 71,320 4.34 0.89 $ 30.81 $ 64,090
Texas 69,650 5.76 1.18 $ 23.26 $ 48,380
New York 44,440 5.11 1.05 $ 24.66 $ 51,300
Florida 41,560 4.92 1.01 $ 22.46 $ 46,710
Ohio 40,850 7.95 1.64 $ 22.40 $ 46,590




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 18,560 10.30 2.12 $ 20.16 $ 41,920
Arkansas 11,540 9.80 2.01 $ 20.08 $ 41,760
West Virginia 5,980 9.20 1.89 $ 18.72 $ 38,940
Mississippi 9,580 8.90 1.83 $ 19.39 $ 40,340
Tennessee 24,610 8.47 1.74 $ 20.35 $ 42,330




Top paying states for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 330 1.13 0.23 $ 32.51 $ 67,620
California 71,320 4.34 0.89 $ 30.81 $ 64,090
Massachusetts 14,790 4.41 0.91 $ 29.04 $ 60,400
Washington 7,870 2.46 0.51 $ 28.74 $ 59,780
Nevada 2,690 2.15 0.44 $ 28.70 $ 59,700





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 34,270 3.88 0.80 $ 27.54 $ 57,270
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 29,230 5.02 1.03 $ 29.91 $ 62,220
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 16,040 4.47 0.92 $ 25.11 $ 52,230
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 15,760 5.84 1.20 $ 27.69 $ 57,590
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 13,150 4.43 0.91 $ 23.54 $ 48,960
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 12,860 2.95 0.61 $ 28.45 $ 59,170
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 10,650 4.25 0.87 $ 23.34 $ 48,540
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 9,730 3.69 0.76 $ 23.16 $ 48,180
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 9,580 3.17 0.65 $ 26.79 $ 55,720
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 9,520 3.66 0.75 $ 29.40 $ 61,160




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Wichita Falls, TX 1,060 19.43 4.00 $ 18.84 $ 39,180
Johnson City, TN 1,220 16.22 3.34 $ 18.50 $ 38,480
Monroe, LA 1,140 15.73 3.23 $ 18.68 $ 38,860
Hot Springs, AR 550 15.59 3.20 $ 18.88 $ 39,260
Alexandria, LA 880 15.41 3.17 $ 19.86 $ 41,310
Jackson, TN 940 14.68 3.02 $ 18.06 $ 37,570
Lafayette, LA 2,590 13.68 2.81 $ 19.08 $ 39,680
Beckley, WV 540 13.40 2.76 $ 16.87 $ 35,080
Killeen-Temple, TX 1,790 13.20 2.71 $ 22.76 $ 47,340
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY 470 12.97 2.67 $ 19.32 $ 40,190