JobsNorth Carolina
LPN jobs in North Carolina
North Carolina employs 18,010 licensed practical nurses at a median of $63,270, which is $30.42 an hour. North Carolina licenses this role as a licensed practical nurse. It is the same licence, the same NCLEX-PN exam and the same scope of work that California and Texas call vocational nursing.
Open roles
The live listings feed is not connected on this deployment yet. In the meantime these searches are already filtered to LPN and licensed practical nurse roles here:
What the job pays here
Half of North Carolina’s 18,010 licensed practical nurses earn more than $63,270 and half earn less. The bottom tenth are on $50,480 and the top tenth on $74,730, a spread of $24,250. Setting and shift matter more than the state does: nursing homes, clinics and home health pay very differently from one another.
Where in North Carolina
| Metro area | Employed | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 3,890 | $65,140 | $76,370 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1,740 | $64,080 | $75,770 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 1,470 | $63,610 | $74,670 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 1,330 | $62,970 | $72,600 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 980 | $64,670 | $77,650 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 960 | $66,950 | $76,190 |
| Asheville, NC | 860 | $65,470 | $75,070 |
| Wilmington, NC | 790 | $63,390 | $72,470 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 740 | $62,430 | $72,130 |
| Greenville, NC | 610 | $61,600 | $68,400 |
| Burlington, NC | 260 | $63,450 | $77,970 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 240 | $61,730 | $70,790 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
LPN jobs in North Carolina: common questions
- What does an LPN earn in North Carolina?
- The median is $63,270 a year, or $30.42 an hour, across the 18,010 licensed practical nurses employed in North Carolina. The bottom tenth are on $50,480 and the top tenth on $74,730. Figures are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- Is an LVN the same as an LPN in North Carolina?
- North Carolina licenses the role as a licensed practical nurse. It is the same licence California and Texas call vocational nursing, the same NCLEX-PN exam and the same scope of work, so search for LPN jobs here rather than LVN.
- Which part of North Carolina pays licensed practical nurses the most?
- Of the 15 North Carolina metro areas the federal survey reports, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC at $66,950, Asheville, NC at $65,470, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC at $65,140. The table above lists them with headcount alongside the wage, because a high median in a metro employing a few hundred nurses is a thinner result than the same median in a large one.
- How do I get licensed to work in North Carolina?
- Complete a program approved by the North Carolina board of nursing, then pass the NCLEX-PN and apply to the board for a licence. Our program directory covers California and Texas in depth; for North Carolina the state board is the authority on which programs are approved.