Pay · May 2025 federal data
What a vocational nurse earns, by where they work
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 651,580 licensed practical and vocational nurses. California and Texas, the two states that call the licence “vocational”, employ 140,410 of them between them. Below is the whole distribution rather than a single average, because the gap between the tenth and ninetieth percentile is larger than the gap between most states.
The two LVN states
California and Texas, side by side
Same licence name, $17,510 apart at the median. California pays more everywhere in the distribution, and its cost of living is why that comparison is less decisive than it looks.
California
$79,750
82,850 employed · $38.34 an hour at the median
Texas
$62,240
57,560 employed · $29.92 an hour at the median
Metro areas
The 51 California and Texas metros with published figures
Ranked by how many vocational nurses work there. Pay varies more within a state than between the two, so the metro figure matters more than the state one.
| Metro area | Employed | 10th | Median | 90th | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 33,590 | $64,200 | $79,310 | $96,630 | 25 / 393 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 12,590 | $53,930 | $64,370 | $77,620 | 145 / 393 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 10,730 | $51,850 | $63,670 | $77,910 | 176 / 393 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 8,800 | $75,900 | $94,310 | $109,120 | 2 / 393 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 8,200 | $62,480 | $76,970 | $93,180 | 49 / 393 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 6,610 | $64,950 | $79,720 | $96,390 | 20 / 393 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 5,970 | $50,320 | $62,280 | $77,360 | 214 / 393 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 4,760 | $65,670 | $81,570 | $104,880 | 14 / 393 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 3,620 | $51,690 | $64,580 | $78,270 | 139 / 393 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 3,290 | $77,320 | $95,320 | $113,220 | 1 / 393 |
| Fresno, CA | 2,360 | $62,160 | $75,580 | $94,420 | 64 / 393 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 1,860 | $45,640 | $56,250 | $64,520 | 353 / 393 |
| El Paso, TX | 1,750 | $46,680 | $58,770 | $68,890 | 326 / 393 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 1,480 | $62,070 | $76,130 | $91,460 | 53 / 393 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 1,430 | $63,390 | $77,830 | $96,150 | 45 / 393 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 1,260 | $44,420 | $56,250 | $65,570 | 352 / 393 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 1,230 | $64,530 | $79,020 | $95,270 | 28 / 393 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 1,190 | $47,190 | $63,390 | $87,940 | 183 / 393 |
| Modesto, CA | 1,120 | $61,940 | $78,200 | $102,830 | 39 / 393 |
| Lubbock, TX | 1,080 | $47,420 | $58,510 | $70,130 | 330 / 393 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 990 | $46,130 | $59,810 | $72,700 | 306 / 393 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 950 | $44,020 | $58,590 | $73,370 | 328 / 393 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 870 | $74,280 | $92,580 | $110,300 | 3 / 393 |
| Vallejo, CA | 870 | $68,730 | $85,430 | $106,490 | 5 / 393 |
| Visalia, CA | 830 | $61,070 | $73,540 | $89,270 | 75 / 393 |
| Tyler, TX | 810 | $46,900 | $59,550 | $71,520 | 311 / 393 |
| Waco, TX | 780 | $51,050 | $62,070 | $78,570 | 228 / 393 |
| Salinas, CA | 710 | $64,340 | $80,910 | $96,370 | 18 / 393 |
| Amarillo, TX | 660 | $47,500 | $61,330 | $74,820 | 256 / 393 |
| Longview, TX | 650 | $48,050 | $60,190 | $73,150 | 293 / 393 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 650 | $65,410 | $79,010 | $95,650 | 29 / 393 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 550 | $47,710 | $60,330 | $72,930 | 288 / 393 |
| Abilene, TX | 510 | $47,320 | $60,950 | $71,340 | 268 / 393 |
| Redding, CA | 510 | $60,460 | $74,140 | $91,900 | 73 / 393 |
| Laredo, TX | 490 | $43,590 | $56,850 | $70,650 | 350 / 393 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 480 | $48,900 | $60,020 | $74,160 | 297 / 393 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 440 | $65,690 | $79,940 | $107,280 | 19 / 393 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 440 | $46,900 | $57,370 | $68,700 | 343 / 393 |
| Chico, CA | 380 | $63,470 | $78,750 | $92,660 | 33 / 393 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 380 | $50,350 | $60,460 | $72,110 | 283 / 393 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 340 | $64,510 | $81,000 | $101,820 | 17 / 393 |
| Victoria, TX | 340 | $47,770 | $58,130 | $69,310 | 337 / 393 |
| San Angelo, TX | 330 | $47,050 | $59,340 | $72,280 | 314 / 393 |
| Yuba City, CA | 330 | $64,750 | $78,260 | $90,770 | 38 / 393 |
| Odessa, TX | 320 | $45,530 | $62,490 | $74,650 | 204 / 393 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 310 | $63,760 | $77,650 | $77,960 | 48 / 393 |
| El Centro, CA | 300 | $62,140 | $74,710 | $91,180 | 70 / 393 |
| Merced, CA | 300 | $61,840 | $75,890 | $83,200 | 60 / 393 |
| Midland, TX | 280 | $52,700 | $64,240 | $76,670 | 154 / 393 |
| Napa, CA | 280 | $69,520 | $83,690 | $117,680 | 7 / 393 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 160 | $43,310 | $57,250 | $64,260 | 346 / 393 |
National context
Where the licence pays most, and least
Every state and territory the BLS publishes, at the median. The spread between the top and bottom is $52,390.
Highest paying
- Washington$83,150$64,230$83,150 median$100,950
- Alaska$80,800$62,400$80,800 median$96,700
- Oregon$80,470$64,000$80,470 median$98,990
- Massachusetts$80,220$61,690$80,220 median$93,980
- Rhode Island$80,090$65,650$80,090 median$94,540
- California$79,750$64,390$79,750 median$100,450
- New Hampshire$77,110$59,860$77,110 median$93,660
- Arizona$77,070$61,050$77,070 median$89,850
- Nevada$76,160$61,750$76,160 median$89,420
- District of Columbia$75,740$62,880$75,740 median$87,470
Lowest paying
- Puerto Rico$30,760$23,120$30,760 median$62,170
- Guam$42,870$36,600$42,870 median$58,980
- Mississippi$50,220$39,320$50,220 median$60,910
- South Dakota$52,750$40,770$52,750 median$67,700
- West Virginia$55,360$45,690$55,360 median$70,960
LVN against RN pay in every state
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025