Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by State (2026): LPN/LVN Pay Compared Across All 50 States

Licensed practical nurse salary by state varies meaningfully across the U.S. — the spread between top and bottom states is wider than for most certificate-required nursing roles because state scope-of-practice rules, the local mix of SNF versus hospital versus clinic employers, and state-mandated SNF staffing rules differ substantially. The national median for Licensed Practical Nurses sits at $68,071, but state-by-state pay across the 52 states tracked here ranges widely — from $32,955 in Puerto Rico to $87,635 in Washington. That spread reflects state-level cost of living, state IV-therapy certification rules, state SNF concentration and staffing rules, state LPN/LVN title regulation, and the regional density of correctional and behavioral-health LPN demand.

This page compares the average licensed practical nurse salary by state across 1690+ metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas — drawing on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for SOC 29-2061. If you're a working LPN/LVN evaluating relocation, a practical nursing student planning your first SNF or clinic job, or an SNF chain regional manager benchmarking pay, the state-level comparison below is the central reference point.

How LPN Salary by State Is Measured

The BLS reports state-level LPN salary through three numbers:

• Annual median (50th percentile) — used to rank state-level pay in the table below.
• Annual mean (average) — typically runs 3–6% above median; states with strong IV-certified premium pay and senior charge-LPN roles show wider mean-median spreads.
• Percentile distribution (P10 / P25 / P75 / P90) — P10 reflects entry-level LPNs at long-term care facilities; P90 reflects senior IV-certified LPNs, charge LPNs at SNFs, correctional facility LPNs, and home-health LPNs on high-acuity caseloads.

The state-comparison table below applies BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) adjustment so both nominal pay and real purchasing power are visible.

1. LPN vs LVN: State Title Distinction

The licensed practical nurse credential goes by two titles across the U.S., depending on the state:

• LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) — used in 48 states.
• LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) — used only in California and Texas. The license, scope of practice, and pay scale are functionally identical to LPN; only the title differs.

Both LPN and LVN require completion of a state-approved practical nursing diploma or certificate program (typically 12 months) and a passing score on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). For state-by-state comparison purposes, treat California LVN and other-state LPN data as comparable.

2. State Cost of Living: Nominal vs Real Pay

Cost of living is the largest driver of nominal LPN salary differences across states. West Coast and Northeast states — California (LVN), Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Connecticut — consistently lead the nominal pay rankings. After BEA RPP adjustment, the real-purchasing-power gap narrows. Lower-cost states in the South and rural Midwest typically sit at the bottom of nominal salary rankings, but their lower cost of living shrinks the real-dollar gap.

3. State LPN Scope-of-Practice Rules

State-level scope rules around what LPNs can do under RN or physician supervision shape state pay distributions:

• State IV-therapy certification rules — Texas, Florida, California (LVN), New York, Pennsylvania, and other states require a separate IV-therapy course and competency exam for LPNs to start IVs, push IV-push medications, or hang piggybacks. IV-certified LPNs earn $2–$5/hour above non-IV peers, supporting state-level pay differentials in states with strong IV-cert programs.
• State medication administration scope — every state lets LPNs administer most oral and IM medications under supervision, but rules for IV-push narcotics, blood-product administration, and central-line access differ substantially. Broader scope correlates with higher state-level LPN market rates.
• State LPN charge-nurse authority — many states explicitly allow LPNs to serve as charge nurse on evening/night shifts at SNFs. State-level SNF reliance on LPN charge nurses correlates with state pay ranking.
• State APRN-LPN delegation rules — variations in what tasks RNs and APRNs can delegate to LPNs shape staffing economics in each state.

4. State Demand-Supply Dynamics for LPNs

State-level LPN pay reflects the demand-supply balance:

• State SNF concentration — states with high skilled-nursing-facility concentration relative to population (Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee) show LPN pay distributions concentrated around SNF rates. SNF chain employers (Genesis HealthCare, Brookdale Senior Living, Life Care Centers of America, Encompass Health, ProMedica Senior Care, Ensign Group, HCR ManorCare, Trilogy Health) compete for LPN talent.
• State Medicaid SNF reimbursement rates — Medicaid nursing-home reimbursement rates translate directly into LPN hourly rates because of CMS minimum-staffing rules. States with strong Medicaid SNF reimbursement (California, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut) anchor higher state LPN pay floors.
• State CMS minimum staffing rules — California's state-mandated SNF staffing ratios and similar laws in Florida, Massachusetts, and several other states drive competition for LPN talent and support upper-percentile state pay.
• State correctional and behavioral-health LPN demand — states with substantial correctional system LPN employment (California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania) or strong behavioral-health LPN demand support competitive pay because correctional/behavioral roles are structurally hard to staff.
• State home-health LPN volume — states with high Medicare Advantage penetration and dense home-health networks (Florida, Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio) support strong home-health LPN per-visit pay.

How to Compare LPN Salary by State Effectively

When comparing the average licensed practical nurse salary by state, work through this checklist:

• Treat California LVN and other-state LPN data as comparable — the scope and pay scale are functionally identical; only the title differs.
• Compare nominal and real (cost-adjusted) pay together — a state with the highest nominal median can have lower real purchasing power if its cost of living is higher.
• Check state income tax — LPNs in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar.
• Verify state IV-therapy certification scope — IV-certified LPNs earn $2–$5/hour premium in states that recognize the certification. Target states where the IV-cert pathway is established.
• Compare percentile distribution, not just median — a state with a high median but compressed range may pay less to senior LPNs than a state with a moderate median and strong P90 senior pay.
• Factor in setting mix — SNF-heavy states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee) have LPN distributions skewed toward SNF rates. Hospital-LPN-friendly states often pay above SNF baseline.

2026 State-Level LPN Salary Outlook

LPN pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 5.70% nationally over the past five years. States with persistent SNF staffing shortages and Medicaid SNF reimbursement increases (California, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania), states with broad IV-therapy and expanded scope (Texas, Florida, California — LVN), and rural shortage states using state-funded loan repayment to recruit (Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska, West Virginia) are seeing the fastest state-level pay growth through 2026. The BLS projects Licensed Practical Nurses employment growth at 3% through 2033 with roughly 54,000 LPN openings each year on average — keeping upward pressure on state-level wages, especially in SNF-heavy states.

Browse the state-by-state comparison table below to see the $68,071-baseline state ranking, top 10 and bottom 10 states by projected median, regional groupings (Northeast / Midwest / South / West), and direct links to per-state pages for deeper city-level breakdown.