Licensed Practical Nurse Salary in the United States

How much does a Licensed Practical Nurse make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Licensed Practical Nurse in the United States is $57,389 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $28.

However, a Licensed Practical Nurse's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $63,638
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $54,137 to $60,660
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $51,176

Key Factors That Influence Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries

A Licensed Practical Nurse's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Licensed Practical Nurse's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $56,321
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $56,418
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $57,633
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $59,000
  • Expert (over 8 years): $59,098
Levels Salary
Entry Level Licensed Practical Nurse$56,321
Intermediate Level Licensed Practical Nurse$56,418
Senior Level Licensed Practical Nurse$57,633
Specialist Level Licensed Practical Nurse$59,000
Expert Level Licensed Practical Nurse$59,098

Top Paying Cities for Licensed Practical Nurse

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $72,385
  • San Francisco: $71,592
  • Oakland: $70,083

What Skills Can Increase a Licensed Practical Nurse's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 4.06% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • Long Term Care (Mentioned in 4.14% Job Postings): Long-term care (LTC) is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical needs of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods. Long term care is focused on individualized and coordinated services that promote independence, maximize patients' quality of life, and meet patients' needs over a period of time. It is common for long-term care to provide custodial and non-skilled care, such as assisting with normal daily tasks like dressing, feeding, using the bathroom. Increasingly, long-term care involves providing a level of medical care that requires the expertise of skilled practitioners to address the multiple chronic conditions associated with older populations. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living facilities or in nursing homes. Long-term care may be needed by people of any age, although it is a more common need for senior citizens.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 2.35% Job Postings): Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer term care. Acute care services are generally delivered by teams of health care professionals from a range of medical and surgical specialties. Acute care may require a stay in a hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care centre or other short-term stay facility, along with the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community. Hospital-based acute inpatient care typically has the goal of discharging patients as soon as they are deemed healthy and stable. Acute care settings include emergency department, intensive care, coronary care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and many general areas where the patient could become acutely unwell and require stabilization and transfer to another higher dependency unit for further treatment.
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 4.06%
Long Term Care 4.14%
Acute Care 2.35%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Licensed Practical Nurse's salary.

  • Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
  • Delegation: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Communication Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Leadership $59,685
4%
Delegation $59,111
3%
Communication Skills $59,111
3%

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Licensed Practical Nurse salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $62,763. While startup companies pay approximate $53,337.

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup 1~50 $53,337
Growth Stage 51~500 $56,345
Established 501~5000 $60,671
Enterprise 5000+ $62,763

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Licensed Practical Nurse roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 50% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Business Services and Healthcare sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average. In contrast, Licensed Practical Nurse positions in Biotechnology or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Licensed Practical Nurse as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Licensed Practical Nurse

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Business Services$71,736$34.025%
Healthcare$63,128$30.010%

How Education impacts an Licensed Practical Nurse's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Licensed Practical Nurse enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Licensed Practical Nurse with a Bachelor's Degree is between $52,077 and $55,007.

Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Licensed Practical Nurse
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.0%
High School 65.0%
Associates 26.9%
Bachelors 6.1%
Masters 0.9%
Doctorate 0.1%

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Licensed Practical Nurse's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026
$54,137
Average $57,389/year
$60,660
$4,511
Average $4,782/month
$5,055
$1,041
Average $1,104/week
$1,167
$26
Average $28/hour
$29
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $60,660 $5,055 $1,167 $29
Average $57,389 $4,782 $1,104 $28
25th Percentile $54,137 $4,511 $1,041 $26

Most common benefits for Licensed Practical Nurse

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Licensed Practical Nurse

Here are companies hiring for Licensed Practical Nurse and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Licensed Practical Nurse

1. Where can a Licensed Practical Nurse earn the most?

A Licensed Practical Nurse's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Licensed Practical Nurse earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Licensed Practical Nurse is $72,385.

2. What is the highest pay for Licensed Practical Nurse?

The highest pay for Licensed Practical Nurse is $63,638.

3. What is the lowest pay for Licensed Practical Nurse?

The lowest pay for Licensed Practical Nurse is $51,176.

4. What are the responsibilities of Licensed Practical Nurse?

Administers nursing care under the supervision of a registered nurse or other medical supervisor. Provides basic medical care, including changing bandages, administering medication, and collecting specimens. Ensures the health, comfort and safety of patients by assisting with bathing, feeding, and dressing. Monitors and reports changes in patient's condition to supervisor. Requires a high school diploma. Typically reports to a registered nurse or supervisor. Requires graduation from approved LPN educational program. Requires a state license to practice. Years of experience may be unspecified. Certification and/or licensing in the position's specialty is the main requirement.

5. What industry pays the highest salary for Licensed Practical Nurse?

The Business Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Licensed Practical Nurse roles, with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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