Healthcare Practitioners
Licensed Practical Nurses
SOC 29-2061
Give hands-on nursing care in clinics, homes, and long-term care.
The job
Median pay
$64k
$59k to $76k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+3.0% projected
Openings a year
52k
BLS projection
Typical education
Postsecondary cert
Our model
AI displacement risk
Very low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
16/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
6th pct
More exposed than 6% of occupations · modeled estimate · 7th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
62/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 82,850 | 4.5 | 1.1× | $80k |
| Texas | 57,560 | 4.1 | 1.0× | $62k |
| Ohio | 39,900 | 7.2 | 1.7× | $62k |
| New York | 39,400 | 4.1 | 1.0× | $67k |
| Florida | 38,620 | 3.9 | 0.9× | $62k |
| Pennsylvania | 38,260 | 6.3 | 1.5× | $64k |
| Georgia | 21,060 | 4.3 | 1.0× | $62k |
| Tennessee | 20,830 | 6.4 | 1.5× | $59k |
| North Carolina | 18,010 | 3.6 | 0.9× | $63k |
| Louisiana | 17,600 | 9.1 | 2.2× | $57k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 17,440 | 2.9 | 0.7× | $75k |
| New Jersey | 17,410 | 4.1 | 1.0× | $75k |
| Virginia | 15,550 | 3.8 | 0.9× | $65k |
| Missouri | 14,700 | 5.0 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Indiana | 14,480 | 4.5 | 1.1× | $66k |
| Massachusetts | 13,210 | 3.6 | 0.9× | $80k |
| Minnesota | 12,840 | 4.4 | 1.0× | $64k |
| Alabama | 11,580 | 5.5 | 1.3× | $57k |
| Oklahoma | 11,540 | 6.8 | 1.6× | $58k |
| Michigan | 10,880 | 2.5 | 0.6× | $65k |
| Arkansas | 10,010 | 7.7 | 1.8× | $57k |
| Mississippi | 9,850 | 8.5 | 2.0× | $50k |
| Maryland | 9,560 | 3.5 | 0.8× | $75k |
| South Carolina | 9,400 | 4.1 | 1.0× | $62k |
| Kentucky | 8,570 | 4.3 | 1.0× | $60k |
| Connecticut | 8,540 | 5.0 | 1.2× | $74k |
| Kansas | 7,530 | 5.2 | 1.3× | $62k |
| Wisconsin | 7,390 | 2.5 | 0.6× | $64k |
| Washington | 6,780 | 1.9 | 0.5× | $83k |
| Arizona | 6,530 | 2.0 | 0.5× | $77k |
| West Virginia | 6,050 | 8.6 | 2.1× | $55k |
| Iowa | 5,510 | 3.5 | 0.8× | $63k |
| Colorado | 4,920 | 1.7 | 0.4× | $74k |
| Nebraska | 4,580 | 4.5 | 1.1× | $63k |
| Oregon | 4,260 | 2.2 | 0.5× | $80k |
| Nevada | 3,350 | 2.2 | 0.5× | $76k |
| New Mexico | 2,460 | 2.8 | 0.7× | $59k |
| Delaware | 2,240 | 4.6 | 1.1× | $69k |
| New Hampshire | 2,220 | 3.2 | 0.8× | $77k |
| South Dakota | 2,050 | 4.5 | 1.1× | $53k |
| North Dakota | 1,920 | 4.5 | 1.1× | $62k |
| Idaho | 1,880 | 2.2 | 0.5× | $64k |
| Utah | 1,680 | 1.0 | 0.2× | $63k |
| Montana | 1,620 | 3.2 | 0.8× | $62k |
| Rhode Island | 1,290 | 2.6 | 0.6× | $80k |
| Vermont | 1,130 | 3.7 | 0.9× | $70k |
| Washington DC | 1,040 | 1.5 | 0.4× | $76k |
| Hawaii | 840 | 1.3 | 0.3× | $71k |
| Maine | 760 | 1.2 | 0.3× | $73k |
| Wyoming | 480 | 1.7 | 0.4× | $63k |
| Alaska | 290 | 0.9 | 0.2× | $81k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA33,590 jobs · $79k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ32,410 jobs · $76k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD15,920 jobs · $71k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX12,590 jobs · $64k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN11,420 jobs · $78k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX10,730 jobs · $64k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA9,710 jobs · $65k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL8,900 jobs · $63k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Licensed Practical Nurses interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.