Home » Specialties » Licensed Practical Nurse

Learn How to Become an LPN: Licensed Practical Nurse Education & Licensing

By: All Allied Health Staff

Updated: December 3, 2025

Licensed Practical Nurse At a Glance

What you’ll do: You’ll provide basic bedside care for the sick, injured, and convalescent, under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. You’ll do such tasks as give injections, take vital signs, perform diagnostic tests, dress wounds, and administer medication.

Where you’ll work: Health care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, mental health institutions, private homes, community health clinics, and public health departments

Degree you’ll need: Graduation from an accredited LPN program and pass the National Council Licensure Exam

Median annual salary: $62,340

Education Requirements

In order to become a practicing LPN, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED, and then you’ll need to graduate from an accredited LPN program. LPN programs generally include one year of coursework and practical application at a hospital, vocational technical school or community college.

Standard coursework in an LPN program—in addition to supervised clinical practice in patient care—covers the following studies:

LPN Program Coursework

Biology
First aid
Chemistry
Physical education
Anatomy
Foods and nutrition
Psychology
Child growth and development
Emergency medical technology

LPN to RN

Licensed practical nurses often transition into registered nursing. You can go back to the technical school or community college for an additional year to earn an associate’s degree, which will qualify you to become a Registered Nurse after taking the NCLEX exam in your state. Another way to become an RN is to enter an LPN to Baccalaureate program. Some colleges have special LPN programs which will allow you to get credit for some of your prior courses, and then go on to earn a BSN degree and RN. These are called LPN-to-BSN Programs.

Median Annual LPN Salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median annual salaries for LPNs rest at $62,340. You can find your state’s median annual pay below.

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

National data

Median Salary: $62,340

Projected job growth: 2.6%

10th Percentile: $47,960

25th Percentile: $55,220

75th Percentile: $73,160

90th Percentile: $80,510

Projected job growth: 2.6%

State data

State	Median Salary	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
Alabama	$50,100	$36,470	$63,170
Alaska	$77,670	$60,060	$96,490
Arizona	$74,020	$58,330	$82,580
Arkansas	$51,030	$38,700	$63,370
California	$77,170	$62,390	$99,840
Colorado	$67,480	$52,320	$82,850
Connecticut	$69,130	$59,490	$80,410
Delaware	$66,090	$55,210	$75,670
District of Columbia	$70,420	$58,500	$81,410
Florida	$60,080	$48,970	$72,950
Georgia	$58,490	$44,500	$73,040
Hawaii	$65,560	$53,920	$81,120
Idaho	$61,720	$28,190	$76,290
Illinois	$66,030	$51,150	$83,940
Indiana	$63,690	$49,660	$75,000
Iowa	$59,460	$48,510	$75,320
Kansas	$59,920	$48,540	$73,260
Kentucky	$58,450	$46,230	$69,310
Louisiana	$53,930	$42,860	$64,240
Maine	$70,870	$50,840	$99,860
Maryland	$69,870	$59,430	$85,570
Massachusetts	$76,560	$62,990	$90,230
Michigan	$63,810	$53,360	$77,290
Minnesota	$60,870	$50,130	$72,960
Mississippi	$48,850	$37,540	$61,440
Missouri	$59,030	$46,390	$74,810
Montana	$59,750	$47,040	$74,500
Nebraska	$60,740	$47,110	$73,520
Nevada	$73,820	$59,190	$85,120
New Hampshire	$74,660	$54,800	$94,130
New Jersey	$71,180	$60,110	$79,980
New Mexico	$60,760	$37,980	$75,640
New York	$64,030	$51,490	$80,400
North Carolina	$61,380	$49,050	$75,580
North Dakota	$60,820	$49,420	$73,260
Ohio	$60,990	$48,300	$73,580
Oklahoma	$55,870	$42,600	$64,870
Oregon	$76,570	$62,980	$94,880
Pennsylvania	$62,010	$48,890	$76,890
Rhode Island	$77,940	$62,540	$90,720
South Carolina	$59,050	$48,140	$69,910
South Dakota	$49,170	$38,520	$61,300
Tennessee	$54,530	$38,680	$65,140
Texas	$60,150	$47,820	$73,610
Utah	$61,710	$41,720	$79,350
Vermont	$64,560	$50,050	$99,240
Virginia	$62,310	$48,160	$77,450
Washington	$79,700	$62,400	$96,680
West Virginia	$49,850	$40,290	$64,200
Wisconsin	$61,040	$50,560	$74,880
Wyoming	$61,880	$48,340	$74,370

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2024 median salary; projected job growth through 2034. Actual salaries may vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

LPN Licensing

To earn an LPN license, you must pass a state administered nursing examination, called the NCLEX-PN. To qualify to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam, you must first complete a LPN/LVN education program that is approved by your state’s Board of Nursing.