Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

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)
692,290 0.7 % $15.53 $32,300 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.99 $12.71 $15.12 $17.81 $21.17
Annual Wage (2) $22,860 $26,430 $31,440 $37,050 $44,040

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 182,680 $14.97 $31,140 1 37
Nursing care facilities 180,080 $15.73 $32,710 2 23
Offices of physicians 88,310 $14.44 $30,030 3 43
Home health care services 50,120 $16.03 $33,330 4 19
Employment services 36,260 $19.61 $40,800 5 3

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Druggists' goods merchant wholesalers 70 $20.74 $43,130 46 1
Technical and trade schools 40 $20.41 $42,460 52 2
Employment services 36,260 $19.61 $40,800 5 3
Computer systems design and related services 240 $19.41 $40,380 35 4
Insurance agencies, brokerages, and related 260 $18.94 $39,400 34 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 12,700 $12.56 $26,130 1.133% 342
West Virginia 6,730 $12.07 $25,100 0.987% 387
Louisiana 17,740 $13.01 $27,050 0.967% 400
Oklahoma 13,590 $13.14 $27,340 0.953% 372
North Dakota 2,670 $13.10 $27,260 0.853% 286

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Connecticut 7,110 $20.97 $43,610 0.433% 235
District of Columbia 1,770 $20.37 $42,360 0.297% 223
Rhode Island 1,950 $19.28 $40,110 0.413% 211
Massachusetts 16,210 $19.12 $39,770 0.507% 321
Delaware 2,190 $18.93 $39,380 0.546% 202

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 940 $14.75 $30,670 2.288%
Alexandria, LA MSA 910 $12.58 $26,180 1.668%
Victoria, TX MSA 590 $12.49 $25,980 1.665%
Pine Bluff, AR MSA 550 $12.18 $25,330 1.633%
Wheeling, WV-OH MSA 980 $12.01 $24,990 1.589%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Bridgeport, CT PMSA 850 $21.70 $45,130 0.462%
San Jose, CA PMSA 2,300 $21.23 $44,160 0.258%
Hartford, CT MSA 2,660 $21.15 $43,990 0.450%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 3,300 $21.05 $43,790 0.331%
Oakland, CA PMSA 3,870 $21.05 $43,770 0.386%

About 2002 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) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for 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

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003