Licensed practical nurses (LPN), or licensed vocational nurses (LVN) as they are known in some states, work in many healthcare settings, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals, physician offices, and home health care agencies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that, as of May 2019, nearly 698,000 LPNs and LVNs were working in the the United States, earning a national mean wage of $48,500 per year. That compared to a $53,490 annual mean wage being earned at the same time by workers in all occupations in the U.S. From region-to-region there was wide variation in the annual mean wages earned by LPNs and LVNs, with practitioners in some regions of the country earning 50% or more than their counterparts elsewhere. From BLS data of May 2019, LPN pay in the top 20 metropolitan areas looked as follows:
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 37,110 | $56,610 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 26,250 | $58,710 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 13,020 | $57,690 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 16,280 | $51,130 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 14,120 | $48,340 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 10,540 | $54,940 | ||
| 7 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 11,080 | $47,810 | ||
| 8 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 15,870 | $56,770 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 9,980 | $44,870 | ||
| 10 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 5,430 | $55,790 | ||
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 10,410 | $62,620 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 6,870 | $69,490 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 7,560 | $58,520 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 5,900 | $53,700 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 4,210 | $60,360 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 8,200 | $50,890 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 6,190 | $62,310 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 7,940 | $45,790 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 2,500 | $55,490 | ||
| 20 | St. Louis | 5,930 | $47,270 | ||
| National | 697,510 | $48,500 | |||
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on October 31, 2020