The highest-paying states for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $68,370, Washington is the highest paying state for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. It is followed by California (average annual salary $66,090). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $68,370 |
$54,700 | 6,430 |
| 2 | California | $66,090 |
$52,000 | 73,740 |
| 3 | Oregon | $64,990 |
$52,580 | 3,550 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $64,680 |
$58,710 | 15,630 |
| 5 | Alaska | $64,340 |
$50,270 | 390 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $63,170 |
$50,360 | 2,110 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $62,810 |
$57,500 | 940 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $62,540 |
$52,000 | 1,090 |
| 9 | Arizona | $61,840 |
$50,990 | 6,280 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $61,770 |
$51,970 | 8,800 |
| 11 | Colorado | $61,700 |
$47,730 | 4,840 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $61,460 |
$51,390 | 16,220 |
| 13 | Nevada | $60,920 |
$50,450 | 3,170 |
| 14 | Maryland | $60,890 |
$48,720 | 7,650 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $60,210 |
$45,500 | 1,490 |
| 16 | Vermont | $59,940 |
$46,220 | 1,060 |
| 17 | Illinois | $59,310 |
$47,490 | 17,530 |
| 18 | Delaware | $58,880 |
$48,120 | 2,100 |
| 19 | Michigan | $58,010 |
$46,450 | 10,460 |
| 20 | New York | $57,670 |
$46,240 | 38,590 |
| 21 | Indiana | $56,980 |
$45,410 | 11,990 |
| 22 | Maine | $56,050 |
$44,720 | 930 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $55,920 |
$46,750 | 890 |
| 24 | Utah | $55,290 |
$40,930 | 1,340 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $54,370 |
$44,910 | 32,950 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $54,270 |
$47,150 | 14,660 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $54,180 |
$45,880 | 630 |
| 28 | Montana | $51,740 |
$38,860 | 1,900 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $51,300 |
$43,670 | 16,230 |
| 30 | Virginia | $51,150 |
$39,640 | 18,490 |
| 31 | Texas | $50,910 |
$41,550 | 62,240 |
| 32 | Idaho | $50,850 |
$41,100 | 2,020 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $50,760 |
$41,610 | 6,620 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $50,710 |
$46,800 | 2,510 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $50,680 |
$40,190 | 5,570 |
| 36 | Ohio | $50,590 |
$40,720 | 37,310 |
| 37 | Florida | $50,200 |
$39,920 | 36,970 |
| 38 | Georgia | $50,050 |
$38,680 | 22,900 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $50,020 |
$39,100 | 9,080 |
| 40 | Virgin Islands | $49,400 |
$38,200 | 60 |
| 41 | Iowa | $49,350 |
$40,620 | 5,440 |
| 42 | Kansas | $49,250 |
$39,200 | 6,820 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $49,210 |
$38,430 | 10,370 |
| 44 | Missouri | $48,450 |
$38,220 | 12,110 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $47,860 |
$38,270 | 12,170 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $47,590 |
$37,920 | 19,230 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $47,500 |
$37,190 | 2,120 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $46,930 |
$36,360 | 20,480 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $46,190 |
$36,690 | 10,790 |
| 50 | Alabama | $46,000 |
$31,090 | 10,290 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $45,730 |
$36,260 | 8,660 |
| 52 | West Virginia | $44,410 |
$37,120 | 6,200 |
| 53 | Guam | $39,440 |
$32,890 | 100 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $23,120 |
$18,290 | 3,710 |