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Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses: pay, training and the programs that lead there
Healthcare (clinical) · SOC 29-2061
$64,400US median pay, 2025
+3%Projected growth, 2025–35
51,800Openings per year
CertificateUsual way in
How you get in
A certificate or short program is the usual way in.
Postsecondary nondegree award
Work in: licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
Programs that lead to this job
These are the federal program codes (CIP) that the Department of Education maps to this
occupation, and how many US colleges, community colleges or trade schools report awarding
credentials in each.
Program
Code
Schools
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
CIP 51.3901
925
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, Other
Typically a few months to two years for the certificate. That is the usual route rather than a rule — people arrive by other paths all the time.
How much do licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses make?
The US median is $64,400 a year, meaning half earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by state, employer and experience.
Do you need a degree for this work?
Not a full degree. A certificate or short program is the usual route.
Where can you train for this work?
1,005 US colleges, community colleges and trade schools award credentials in a matching program. See which ones →
Pay and growth are national figures. What you earn depends on where you work,
your employer and your experience, and these are projections rather than promises. Education
requirements describe how most people enter the job, not a rule — plenty of people take another route.
Pay, growth, openings and entry requirements: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment
Projections 2025–35. Program-to-occupation mapping: NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk (2020/2018).
School counts: IPEDS completions, 2022–23.