Practical Nurse Salary in the United States

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

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Practical Nurse in the United States is $56,327 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $27.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $62,253
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $52,853 to $59,429
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $49,690
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View as table View as graph 25% $52,853 10% $49,690 90% $62,253 75% $59,429 $56,327 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Practical Nurse Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $59,429 $4,952 $1,143 $29
Average $56,327 $4,694 $1,083 $27
25th Percentile $52,853 $4,404 $1,016 $25
Check out Practical Nurse Job Openings in the United States
Licensed Practical Nurse

Ohio Jobs - Columbus, OH

Licensed Practical Nurse

Alternate Solutions Health Network - Columbus, OH

License Practical Nurse

Careers Integrated Resources Inc - Columbus, OH

Licensed Practical Nurse

UnitedHealth Group - Columbus, OH

Search More Practical Nurse Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Practical Nurse Salaries

A 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 Practical Nurse Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a 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): $55,989
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $56,085
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $57,293
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $58,652
  • Expert (over 8 years): $58,749
Levels Salary
Entry Level Practical Nurse$55,989
Intermediate Level Practical Nurse$56,085
Senior Level Practical Nurse$57,293
Specialist Level Practical Nurse$58,652
Expert Level Practical Nurse$58,749
$55,989 0 yr
$56,085 < 2 yrs
$57,293 2-4 yrs
$58,652 5-8 yrs
$58,749 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Practical Nurses

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: $71,045
  • San Francisco: $70,267
  • Oakland: $68,786

What Skills Can Increase a 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.
See More Skills
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 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
$58,580
4%
Delegation
$58,016
3%
Communication Skills
$58,016
3%
Attention to Detail
$58,016
3%
Time Management
$58,016
3%
Infection Control
$58,016
3%
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Practical Nurse Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For 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, Practical Nurse positions in Biotechnology or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Practical Nurse as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Practical Nurse

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Business Services$70,408$34.025%
Healthcare$61,959$30.010%

How Education impacts a Practical Nurse's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Practical Nurses enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Practical Nurse with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $51,625 and $54,559).

Practical Nurse Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for 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%
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Practical Nurse Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a 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

Salary Trends for Practical Nurse

Salaries for a Practical Nurse can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $63,734 in 2023 to around $63,272 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Practical Nurse salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Practical Nurse Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$63,734
2024
$64,210
2025
$63,272
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $63,734
2024 $64,210
2025 $63,272
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Practical Nurse

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Practical Nurse

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

Find Your Next Practical Nurse Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Practical Nurse job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
  • VITAS Healthcare

    Columbus, OH

    VITAS Healthcare | Columbus, OH

    Licensed Practical Nurse. The LPN/LVN administers nursing care according to the plan of care to terminally ill patients admitted to the VITAS program, in a... more

    9 Days Ago

  • StoryPoint

    Columbus, OH

    StoryPoint | Columbus, OH

    Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) StoryPoint. Must haves from you to be an LPN. Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in the state. Assisted Living/Memory Care exper... more

    9 Days Ago

  • Optum

    Columbus, OH

    Optum | Columbus, OH

    Explore opportunities with Caretenders, a part of LHC Group, a leading post-acute care partner for hospitals, physicians and families nationwide. As member... more

    10 Days Ago

  • American Senior Communities

    Columbus, OH

    American Senior Communities | Columbus, OH

    Licensed Practical Nurse Opportunity at Seymour Crossing. Full-Time Days, Evenings, and Nights Available. $29-$32/hr. The American Health Care Association ... more

    11 Days Ago

  • Luminary Hospice of Indiana

    Columbus, OH

    Luminary Hospice of Indiana | Columbus, OH

    Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Evening. Columbus, Ohio. Reports To: Director of Clinical Services. About Luminary Hospice. At Luminary Hospice, we are a mi... more

    7 Days Ago

  • National Church Residences

    Columbus, OH

    National Church Residences | Columbus, OH

    Licensed Practical Nurse. Stygler Commons located in Gahanna, OH is an independent living, assisted living and memory care community with a team of health ... more

    8 Days Ago

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FAQ about Practical Nurse

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Practical Nurse?

The Business Services industry offers the highest average compensation for 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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