Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035 (about 19,700 more jobs), with about 51,800 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $64,400 a year ranks 367th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +3.0%
- Openings a year
- 51,800
- Median pay
- $64,400
- Pay rank
- 367th of 825
Is employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses to rise 3.0% (about 19,700 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +8.0% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 71 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations with a projection. That change ranks 393rd of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 666,900 |
| Employment, 2035 | 686,700 |
| Projected change | +3.0% |
| Openings a year | 51,800 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 666,900 jobs here differ from the 648,410 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 51,800 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 76th most of 830 occupations. About 96% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,970 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses rank?
The median of $64,400 a year ranks 367th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: postsecondary nondegree award.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | +5.6% | 180,800 | $97,550 |
| Paramedics | +5.7% | 4,300 | $60,600 |
| Nurse Practitioners | +41.0% | 29,400 | $132,300 |
| Emergency Medical Technicians | +5.8% | 13,800 | $44,470 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | +9.7% | 2,400 | $236,590 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | +3.2% | 900 | $335,550 |
| Nurse Midwives | +11.5% | 400 | $134,040 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | +3.3% | 2,900 | $244,180 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.