Best programs to become a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse
You do not need a college degree to become a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Practical Nursing (IPEDS completions).
2 college programs at 1,054 schools train licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, graduating 60,643 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $64,400 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
Best programs to study to become a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.3901 | 55,090 | 90.8% | 985 | $44,377 | $15,018 |
| 2 | CIP 51.3999 | 5,553 | 9.2% | 74 | $44,377 | $15,018 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $79,750 | 82,850 | 1.09× | 89 | 9,186 |
| Kentucky | $60,460 | 8,570 | 1.03× | 23 | 5,366 |
| Ohio | $61,950 | 39,900 | 1.72× | 62 | 4,059 |
| Texas | $62,240 | 57,560 | 0.98× | 69 | 3,833 |
| New York | $67,180 | 39,400 | 0.98× | 45 | 3,579 |
| Florida | $61,770 | 38,620 | 0.93× | 75 | 2,840 |
| Iowa | $62,630 | 5,510 | 0.85× | 16 | 2,691 |
| Virginia | $64,920 | 15,550 | 0.91× | 32 | 2,127 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,940 | 38,260 | 1.51× | 46 | 2,063 |
| Alabama | $57,030 | 11,580 | 1.31× | 22 | 1,809 |
| Tennessee | $58,870 | 20,830 | 1.52× | 25 | 1,625 |
| Illinois | $75,000 | 17,440 | 0.69× | 38 | 1,525 |
| New Jersey | $75,160 | 17,410 | 0.97× | 24 | 1,520 |
| Louisiana | $57,470 | 17,600 | 2.18× | 21 | 1,203 |
| Oklahoma | $58,320 | 11,540 | 1.62× | 31 | 1,165 |
| Michigan | $65,460 | 10,880 | 0.59× | 24 | 1,040 |
| Wisconsin | $63,760 | 7,390 | 0.60× | 11 | 973 |
| Missouri | $61,530 | 14,700 | 1.20× | 33 | 961 |
| North Carolina | $63,270 | 18,010 | 0.87× | 44 | 880 |
| Georgia | $62,030 | 21,060 | 1.03× | 21 | 808 |
| Arkansas | $56,620 | 10,010 | 1.84× | 25 | 794 |
| Indianamoderate | $65,720 | 14,480 | 1.08× | 3 | 794 |
| Mississippi | $50,220 | 9,850 | 2.03× | 15 | 790 |
| Minnesota | $63,750 | 12,840 | 1.04× | 20 | 763 |
| Kansas | $61,760 | 7,530 | 1.26× | 18 | 647 |
| Oregon | $80,470 | 4,260 | 0.52× | 10 | 602 |
| Utah | $63,230 | 1,680 | 0.23× | 13 | 589 |
| Massachusetts | $80,220 | 13,210 | 0.87× | 17 | 554 |
| Arizona | $77,070 | 6,530 | 0.48× | 17 | 522 |
| Colorado | $73,880 | 4,920 | 0.41× | 15 | 410 |
| South Carolina | $61,820 | 9,400 | 0.98× | 15 | 406 |
| Connecticutmoderate | $73,690 | 8,540 | 1.21× | 4 | 393 |
| Nebraska | $62,660 | 4,580 | 1.07× | 7 | 359 |
| West Virginia | $55,360 | 6,050 | 2.07× | 23 | 345 |
| Maryland | $74,660 | 9,560 | 0.83× | 13 | 343 |
| Washington | $83,150 | 6,780 | 0.46× | 7 | 271 |
| Rhode Islandmoderate | $80,090 | 1,290 | 0.62× | 3 | 258 |
| South Dakota | $52,750 | 2,050 | 1.08× | 5 | 255 |
| Wyoming | $63,460 | 480 | 0.41× | 5 | 223 |
| New Mexico | $59,330 | 2,460 | 0.68× | 9 | 205 |
| North Dakota | $62,300 | 1,920 | 1.07× | 8 | 197 |
| Vermontlimited | $69,930 | 1,130 | 0.89× | 1 | 178 |
| Idaho | $63,800 | 1,880 | 0.53× | 8 | 174 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $77,110 | 2,220 | 0.78× | 3 | 145 |
| Delawaremoderate | $68,710 | 2,240 | 1.11× | 3 | 112 |
| Nevadalimited | $76,160 | 3,350 | 0.52× | 2 | 93 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $71,140 | 840 | 0.32× | 3 | 87 |
| Mainemoderate | $73,200 | 760 | 0.28× | 3 | 47 |
| Montanamoderate | $62,210 | 1,620 | 0.76× | 4 | 45 |
| Alaskalimited | $80,800 | 290 | 0.21× | 2 | 34 |
| District of Columbialimited | $75,740 | 1,040 | 0.36× | 1 | 31 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
- Supervise nurses' aides or assistants.
- Evaluate nursing intervention outcomes, conferring with other healthcare team members as necessary.
- Work as part of a healthcare team to assess patient needs, plan and modify care, and implement interventions.
Skills
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Active Learning3.4
- Writing3.3
- Learning Strategies3.1
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.0
- English Language3.9
- Psychology3.7
- Medicine and Dentistry3.7
- Administration and Management3.3
- Education and Training3.2
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Problem Sensitivity4.0
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Near Vision3.8
Core activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.6
- Documenting/Recording Information4.5
- Getting Information4.4
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.2
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.2
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.2
How to get in
How to become a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.3901Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
- 51.3999Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse?+
You do not need a college degree to become a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Practical Nursing (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a licensed practical and licensed vocational nurse?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Practical Nursing (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this job, which together graduate about 60,643 people a year.
How much do licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn?+
The median is $64,400 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $49,740 at the 10th percentile to $83,440 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses growing?+
BLS projects a +2.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 54,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,054 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Charge Nurse, Clinic Nurse, Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-2061.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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