Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Salary in California

Median annual wage
$79,750
Median hourly wage
$38.34
Employment
82,850

+$15,350 (+23.8%) versus the national median

Salary by metro area
Metro areaMedian annualMedian hourlyEmployment
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$95,320$45.833,290
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$94,310$45.348,800
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$92,580$44.51870
Vallejo, CA$85,430$41.07870
Napa, CA$83,690$40.24280
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$81,570$39.224,760
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$81,000$38.94340
Salinas, CA$80,910$38.90710
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA$79,940$38.43440
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$79,720$38.336,610
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$79,310$38.1333,590
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$79,020$37.991,230
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$79,010$37.99650
Chico, CA$78,750$37.86380
Yuba City, CA$78,260$37.63330
Modesto, CA$78,200$37.591,120
Stockton-Lodi, CA$77,830$37.421,430
Hanford-Corcoran, CA$77,650$37.33310
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$76,970$37.018,200
Bakersfield-Delano, CA$76,130$36.601,480
Merced, CA$75,890$36.49300
Fresno, CA$75,580$36.342,360
El Centro, CA$74,710$35.92300
Redding, CA$74,140$35.64510
Visalia, CA$73,540$35.36830

— = estimate missing or suppressed by BLS; # = suppressed for insufficient reporting units; * = estimate not comparable.

California vs. the national average

In California, the OEWS May 2025 median annual wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses was $79,750, compared with $64,400 nationally. The median hourly wage was $38.34 in California and $30.96 in the United States. OEWS employment was 82,850 in California and 648,410 nationwide for this occupation. The California median was 23.8 percent higher than the national median.

Other healthcare salaries in California

Data source and method

Figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 release. A wage shown as $239,200 or More means the estimate falls in BLS's highest, open-ended wage interval and is a lower bound, not a maximum. In tables, — means the estimate is missing or suppressed by BLS; # means suppressed because of insufficient reporting units; * means the estimate is not comparable.

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