Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

29-2061 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Care for ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled persons 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
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
682,590 0.7 % $15.97 $33,210 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.26 $13.05 $15.57 $18.47 $21.51
Annual Wage (2) $23,420 $27,140 $32,390 $38,410 $44,740

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
General medical and surgical hospitals 179,560 $15.30 $31,820 1 34
Nursing care facilities 176,420 $16.45 $34,210 2 13
Offices of physicians 88,740 $14.74 $30,660 3 39
Home health care services 48,550 $16.36 $34,030 4 14
Employment services 36,910 $19.94 $41,480 5 3

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Druggists' goods merchant wholesalers 60 $21.52 $44,760 44 1
Computer systems design and related services 290 $20.01 $41,620 32 2
Employment services 36,910 $19.94 $41,480 5 3
Management and technical consulting services 800 $19.43 $40,410 25 4
Scientific research and development services 150 $19.20 $39,930 39 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Arkansas 12,290 $13.00 $27,040 1.099% 350
West Virginia 6,900 $12.43 $25,850 1.013% 411
Louisiana 18,380 $13.42 $27,920 0.994% 415
Oklahoma 13,350 $13.35 $27,770 0.939% 406
North Dakota 2,870 $13.36 $27,780 0.914% 302

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
District of Columbia 1,760 $21.85 $45,450 0.296% 220
Connecticut 7,420 $21.58 $44,890 0.452% 253
Rhode Island 1,870 $19.93 $41,460 0.394% 217
Massachusetts 16,200 $19.80 $41,180 0.510% 325
Delaware 2,240 $19.69 $40,960 0.556% 198

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Punta Gorda, FL MSA 930 $14.73 $30,640 2.291%
Pine Bluff, AR MSA 550 $12.47 $25,930 1.644%
Alexandria, LA MSA 870 $12.86 $26,760 1.600%
Wheeling, WV-OH MSA 970 $11.91 $24,770 1.593%
Abilene, TX MSA 800 $14.56 $30,280 1.492%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,730 $22.12 $46,000 0.197%
Bridgeport, CT PMSA 820 $21.95 $45,660 0.444%
Lawrence, MA-NH PMSA 890 $21.74 $45,220 0.576%
Hartford, CT MSA 2,720 $21.57 $44,850 0.455%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 3,370 $21.49 $44,710 0.345%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

All Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004