LPN Salary Information
Job Numbers
Being an LPN can lead to a very fulfilling role in health care service, but beyond the personal satisfaction there is still the need for economic pay back. Salaries as a licensed practical nurse vary widely and you may find that while starting earnings seem on the low side, you will have the opportunity for steady and significant raises during the course of your employment. Additionally, strong labor unions for nurses often translate into great benefits for their members including health care and vacation days that far exceed the national average. There were about seven hundred and fifty thousand LPN and LVN jobs available in 2006 and that number is expected to grow by about one hundred thousand by the year 2016.
Average LPN Salaries
The overall average salary for LPNs was slightly over thirty six thousand dollars, but it varies widely by the type of job and the setting. Besides standard cost of living adjustments, the lowest paid jobs are generally in physician offices. This makes sense because often these are the least strenuous jobs as well. While those make around thirty-two thousand, the average increases about three thousand when looking at jobs in hospitals, and increases further for home health care employment. Home care is expected to grow in the coming years thanks to advances in technology and demand, so if you are the type who would enjoy that sort of working environment it is very exciting news indeed. In order to be eligible for those jobs however, experience is mandatory.
Highest Paying LPN Jobs
The highest earning jobs according to federal data are those within the employment services sector. These positions register an average of over forty-two thousand dollars per year. Of course, all these numbers quoted are just averages. To provide further background, the middle fifty percent of LPNs earned between thirty-one and forty-three thousand, and the top ten percent earned over fifty thousand per year. So all in all, you can expect to be compensated quite handsomely.