Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017

29-2061 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
702,700 0.7 % $21.98 $45,710 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $15.85 $18.27 $21.65 $25.11 $29.34
Annual Wage (2) $32,970 $38,010 $45,030 $52,220 $61,030


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 208,740 12.87 $22.61 $47,030
Offices of Physicians 94,610 3.71 $20.42 $42,470
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 91,770 1.67 $21.23 $44,150
Home Health Care Services 88,480 6.34 $22.27 $46,320
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 50,960 5.58 $22.46 $46,710

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 208,740 12.87 $22.61 $47,030
Home Health Care Services 88,480 6.34 $22.27 $46,320
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 50,960 5.58 $22.46 $46,710
Offices of Physicians 94,610 3.71 $20.42 $42,470
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 8,780 3.67 $21.57 $44,860

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Insurance Carriers 910 0.08 $25.56 $53,160
Religious Organizations 500 0.26 $24.42 $50,800
Junior Colleges 30 (7) $24.38 $50,710
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 320 0.02 $24.36 $50,660
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities 250 0.02 $24.28 $50,500


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 72,010 6.06 1.23 $22.10 $45,980
California 66,350 3.97 0.81 $25.77 $53,600
Florida 47,550 5.65 1.15 $20.90 $43,480
New York 45,950 4.99 1.01 $22.92 $47,670
Ohio 40,660 7.57 1.54 $20.35 $42,340




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 20,340 10.69 2.17 $18.52 $38,530
Arkansas 12,350 10.29 2.09 $18.35 $38,180
West Virginia 5,900 8.56 1.74 $17.40 $36,190
Tennessee 24,000 8.23 1.67 $18.71 $38,910
Mississippi 8,970 8.01 1.62 $17.92 $37,280




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island 1,040 2.19 0.45 $27.79 $57,800
Massachusetts 16,680 4.73 0.96 $27.79 $57,800
Connecticut 7,750 4.68 0.95 $27.51 $57,210
Alaska 520 1.63 0.33 $27.20 $56,580
Nevada 2,630 2.01 0.41 $26.60 $55,340



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Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 25,890 3.87 0.78 $25.93 $53,920
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 19,280 4.35 0.88 $24.91 $51,820
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 13,810 4.72 0.96 $23.53 $48,950
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 12,440 4.75 0.96 $20.61 $42,860
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 11,890 4.77 0.97 $23.08 $48,000
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 9,340 2.55 0.52 $26.18 $54,450
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 9,160 4.74 0.96 $22.77 $47,370
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 8,790 6.87 1.39 $20.87 $43,400
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 8,610 3.42 0.69 $23.78 $49,470
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 7,210 5.02 1.02 $23.26 $48,390


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Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Sherman-Denison, TX 740 16.33 3.31 $19.73 $41,040
Wichita Falls, TX 900 15.98 3.24 $20.66 $42,980
Victoria, TX 630 15.68 3.18 $18.85 $39,210
Johnson City, TN 1,160 15.11 3.06 $17.23 $35,830
Monroe, LA 1,120 14.48 2.94 $18.05 $37,540
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 2,500 14.32 2.90 $18.60 $38,680
Alexandria, LA 850 14.05 2.85 $18.79 $39,080
Jackson, TN 910 13.97 2.83 $16.75 $34,830
Beckley, WV 590 13.78 2.80 $16.43 $34,170
Jonesboro, AR 740 13.54 2.75 $16.94 $35,220


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Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 2,270 2.03 0.41 $31.25 $65,000
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division 6,310 3.43 0.70 $30.49 $63,420
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 2,920 2.68 0.54 $29.50 $61,360
Salinas, CA 650 3.79 0.77 $29.00 $60,330
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 1,530 3.69 0.75 $28.67 $59,640
Santa Rosa, CA 710 3.53 0.72 $28.57 $59,430
Napa, CA 210 2.84 0.58 $28.49 $59,250
Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, MA NECTA Division 280 6.57 1.33 $28.19 $58,640
Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division 4,630 4.07 0.83 $28.17 $58,590
Peabody-Salem-Beverly, MA NECTA Division 540 5.71 1.16 $28.10 $58,450

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 3,560 10.73 2.18 $19.44 $40,440
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 3,370 12.51 2.54 $19.97 $41,530
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,380 12.31 2.50 $21.72 $45,180
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,210 8.76 1.78 $19.10 $39,720
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,190 11.43 2.32 $19.68 $40,930

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,340 20.37 4.13 $18.03 $37,500
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,360 17.49 3.55 $17.53 $36,460
South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 1,630 17.18 3.49 $17.45 $36,300
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 1,950 15.26 3.10 $16.78 $34,900
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 1,650 14.24 2.89 $17.04 $35,440

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Balance of Alaska nonmetropolitan area 60 0.88 0.18 $28.86 $60,030
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area 30 1.82 0.37 $28.25 $58,760
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 50 1.34 0.27 $28.12 $58,490
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 180 4.19 0.85 $26.17 $54,430
North Nevada nonmetropolitan area 70 1.72 0.35 $26.02 $54,130


About May 2017 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2017 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 30, 2018