Best States for LVN Salary
50 states ranked by highest-paying states for LVN licensing, updated for 2026.
#1
Washington
$84K
Washington ranks #1 for highest-paying states among all states for LVN licensing.
View Washington LVN requirements →Full Rankings
| # | State | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington (WA) | $84K |
| 2 | California (CA) | $82K |
| 3 | Oregon (OR) | $81K |
| 4 | Rhode Island (RI) | $80K |
| 5 | Alaska (AK) | $80K |
| 6 | Massachusetts (MA) | $79K |
| 7 | New Hampshire (NH) | $77K |
| 8 | Arizona (AZ) | $76K |
| 9 | New Jersey (NJ) | $75K |
| 10 | Nevada (NV) | $74K |
| 11 | Maryland (MD) | $74K |
| 12 | Illinois (IL) | $73K |
| 13 | Connecticut (CT) | $73K |
| 14 | Maine (ME) | $72K |
| 15 | Hawaii (HI) | $72K |
| 16 | Colorado (CO) | $71K |
| 17 | Vermont (VT) | $70K |
| 18 | Delaware (DE) | $70K |
| 19 | New York (NY) | $69K |
| 20 | Michigan (MI) | $67K |
| 21 | Virginia (VA) | $66K |
| 22 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $66K |
| 23 | Wisconsin (WI) | $66K |
| 24 | Indiana (IN) | $66K |
| 25 | Minnesota (MN) | $65K |
| 26 | Nebraska (NE) | $65K |
| 27 | Idaho (ID) | $64K |
| 28 | North Carolina (NC) | $64K |
| 29 | Iowa (IA) | $63K |
| 30 | Wyoming (WY) | $63K |
| 31 | South Carolina (SC) | $63K |
| 32 | Texas (TX) | $63K |
| 33 | Kansas (KS) | $63K |
| 34 | Missouri (MO) | $62K |
| 35 | Montana (MT) | $62K |
| 36 | North Dakota (ND) | $62K |
| 37 | Florida (FL) | $62K |
| 38 | Utah (UT) | $62K |
| 39 | Ohio (OH) | $62K |
| 40 | Georgia (GA) | $62K |
| 41 | Kentucky (KY) | $60K |
| 42 | New Mexico (NM) | $59K |
| 43 | Oklahoma (OK) | $57K |
| 44 | Louisiana (LA) | $57K |
| 45 | Tennessee (TN) | $56K |
| 46 | West Virginia (WV) | $56K |
| 47 | Arkansas (AR) | $56K |
| 48 | Alabama (AL) | $55K |
| 49 | South Dakota (SD) | $55K |
| 50 | Mississippi (MS) | $51K |
Methodology
Rankings are based on official state licensing data collected from state nursing boards. Salary data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data is verified regularly and updated for 2026.
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