Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Salary in Philadelphia, PA (2024)
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earn a median of $67,150 per year ($32.28 per hour) based on 13,050 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +7.7% against the national median of $62,340 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses actually sit across the pay range in Philadelphia, PA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27.76 | $57,740 | |
| 25th percentile | $30.14 | $62,700 | |
| Median | $32.28 | $67,150 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $36.08 | $75,050 | |
| 90th percentile | $38.09 | $79,230 | |
| Average (mean) | $32.87 | $68,370 |
How Philadelphia, PA compares
The local median of $67,150 runs +7.7% above the US median of $62,340 for this occupation; it pays 29.7% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($51,760); within the metro it ranks 280th of 710 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA — this occupation | $67,150 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $62,340 | +7.7% |
| Philadelphia, PA — all occupations | $51,760 | +29.7% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $90,810 | -26.1% |
The location quotient of 1.11 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.9%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 280th of 710 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Philadelphia, PA
To put $67,150 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 280th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrists | $236,740 | 600 |
| Pediatricians, General | $220,310 | 1,190 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $215,060 | 100 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $202,290 | 110 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $200,150 | 220 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $181,200 | 190 |
| Physicians, All Other | $179,220 | 8,290 |
| Dentists, General | $174,220 | 2,090 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $172,710 | 3,230 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $170,330 | 12,820 |
Where licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $60,050 to $90,810. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $90,810 | 8,290 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $80,480 | 3,500 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $78,870 | 2,340 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,670 | 9,910 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $77,280 | 6,640 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $76,290 | 32,320 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $75,560 | 8,460 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $74,670 | 3,660 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $72,920 | 11,800 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $72,800 | 32,000 |
See the full national picture on the Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in Philadelphia, PA?
The median annual wage is $67,150, or $32 per hour. That means half of the licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses working in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $68,370.
What do the highest and lowest paid licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in Philadelphia, PA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $57,740 or less, while the top 10% earn $79,230 or more — a spread of $21,490 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $62,700 and $75,050.
Is licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses pay in Philadelphia, PA above the local average?
Yes, it is 29.7% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $51,760. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Philadelphia, PA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $67,150 the metro median is 7.7% higher than the US median of $62,340 for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $60,050 to $90,810.
How many licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses work in Philadelphia, PA?
BLS counts about 13,050 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.55 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.11 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 4.3%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.