Licensed practical nurse salary in California

Open licensed practical nurse jobs in California post a median of $37.75 an hour, the middle half $34.50–$41.50 (about $78,500 a year full time), $5.75 above the national posted median. From 284 jobs at 65 employers that state their pay.

Median posted /hr

Middle half /hr

A year, full time

estimate, 2,080 hours

BLS median in CA

May 2025

The jobs themselves: Licensed practical nurse jobs in California · Licensed practical nurse pay nationwide

What licensed practical nurses are paid in California

Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint).

Posted hourly rates of 284 open jobs in California. Lowest posted $20, highest $68.45.

Posted on open jobs in California

$34.50–$41.50/hr

Middle half of 150 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $37.75. 64% of the 442 open licensed practical nurse jobs in California state an hourly rate.

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Licensed practical nurse pay by town in California

Towns where at least three open jobs state an hourly rate, the towns with the most such jobs first.

Town	Median posted	Posted range	Jobs (employers)
Los Angeles	$39.75	$26–$52.28	29 (8)
San Diego	$38.75	$30.37–$48.28	29 (6)
Riverside	$35.50	$22–$39.33	16 (2)
La Mesa	$37	$30.37–$48.28	12 (4)
Beverly Hills	$40	$30.59–$49.79	10 (1)
Fontana	$36.75	$34.14–$39.33	8 (1)
Pasadena	$29.75	$20–$47.41	7 (4)
San Francisco	$40	$38–$53.73	6 (6)
Long Beach	$34	$29.33–$46.68	6 (4)
El Cajon	$40.50	$24.64–$55	5 (3)
Moreno Valley	$36.75	$34.14–$39.33	5 (1)
Chula Vista	$34.75	$30.37–$39.18	5 (1)
San Bernardino	$34.50	$23.11–$45.98	5 (4)
Downey	$42.50	$37.44–$51.50	4 (1)
Sacramento	$42.25	$33.82–$52.21	4 (3)
Pomona	$38.50	$28.53–$50.59	4 (2)
Rancho Mirage	$36.75	$26.50–$51.24	4 (2)
Bonita	$36	$30.37–$40.45	4 (2)
Loma Linda	$33.50	$27.78–$39.28	4 (1)
Temecula	$33	$21–$49.20	4 (4)
Bakersfield	$32.75	$28–$39	4 (2)
Visalia	$30.50	$29–$45.26	4 (2)
Roseville	$44.75	$36.14–$59.91	3 (2)
Quincy	$40.75	$30.62–$52.38	3 (1)
Hayward	$40.50	$35–$43.81	3 (2)
Ventura	$39.50	$29.09–$45.88	3 (2)
Santee	$37.50	$30.37–$48.28	3 (2)
Coalinga	$35	$30–$40	3 (1)
Inglewood	$34	$28–$37.68	3 (1)
El Monte	$32.50	$30–$36	3 (2)

Median of employers' rates in the town, the lowest and highest rate posted, and the jobs and employers behind them. A town opens its own job page.

Licensed practical nurse pay by employer in California

What each employer posts for licensed practical nurses here, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first.

Employer	Median posted	Posted range	Jobs stating pay
Kaiser Permanente	$37.75	$32.81–$59.91	77
Cedars-Sinai	$39	$30.50–$52.28	26
Sharp HealthCare	$34.25	$30.37–$43.09	23
PACS Group	$33	$28–$55	23
Sutter Health	$46.50	$33.82–$68.45	10
Providence	$41.25	$30.34–$63.48	6
MemorialCare	$38	$29.20–$46.68	6
Scripps Health	$40.75	$33.39–$48.28	5
Silverado	$39	$30–$48	5
CommonSpirit Health	$37.25	$23.11–$51.07	5
Loma Linda University Health	$32.50	$27.78–$39.28	5
AltaMed Health Services	$32	$31.93–$40.67	5
Eisenhower Health	$42.50	$29.14–$51.24	3
Compassus	$41.75	$30.10–$53.49	3
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center	$41.25	$28.53–$50.59	3
TheKey	$40	$40	3
TheKey Concierge Nursing	$40	$40	3
Huntington Health	$38	$30.30–$45.95	3
Kaweah Health	$37.75	$29–$45.26	3
Plumas District Hospital	$37.25	$30.62–$52.38	3
Community Memorial Hospital - Ventura	$35.50	$29.09–$45.88	3
Coalinga Regional Medical Center	$35	$30–$40	3
Prime Healthcare	$32.75	$28–$37.68	3
Easterseals Southern California	$29.75	$29.33–$30	3
By the Bay Health	$44.75	$38.65–$49.45	2
Cornerstone Healthcare	$43.50	$40–$47	2
Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center	$41.25	$38.71–$43.81	2
US Renal Care	$39	$38–$39.76	2
Mendocino Community Health Clinic	$38.75	$32.60–$45	2
Transforming Age	$38.25	$35–$41.50	2
Marshall Medical Center	$36.50	$33.17–$39.81	2
Acadia Healthcare	$35	$31–$38	2
Cambrian Homecare	$33.75	$30–$35	2
St Jude Neighborhood Health	$32	$25–$38.03	2
ScionHealth	$30.25	$24.97–$34.91	2
Alameda Health System	$53.75	$53.86	1
Sonoma Specialty Hospital	$47.50	$45–$50	1
Crossover Health	$43.25	$37.35–$49	1
El Camino Health Medical Network	$43	$34–$52	1
Wellpath	$42.50	$40–$45	1

Median of each employer's jobs in California (a range at its midpoint), and its lowest and highest rate here. An employer's name opens its pay for licensed practical nurses nationwide when it has such a page.

Night shift licensed practical nurse pay in California

Where one employer posts both night and other licensed practical nurse jobs in the same state (6 such employers and states), the night jobs post a median $1.25 an hour more than the rest. Many employers state a night differential apart from the base pay, which this does not count.

Employer, state	Night jobs, median	Other jobs, median
PACS Group, CA	$30.50 (3)	$33 (20)
Sharp HealthCare, CA	$34.25 (4)	$34.25 (19)
Silverado, CA	$43.50 (1)	$37.50 (4)
Coalinga Regional Medical Center, CA	$35 (2)	$32.50 (1)
Kaweah Health, CA	$37.75 (1)	$33.25 (2)
ScionHealth, CA	$28.75 (1)	$31.50 (1)

A job counts as a night job when its title names nights ("Nights", "NOC", "7p-7a"). Jobs in brackets.

Jobs that state a yearly salary

Measured on their own, never converted to hourly.

7 open jobs in California state a yearly salary: a median of $75,000, the middle half $72,600 to $79,100.

Best-paid open licensed practical nurse jobs in California

The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

Licensed Vocational Nurse II (IV Certified), Family Medicine
Sutter Health · Santa Cruz, CA· 4d ago
$48.90–$68.45/hr
Licensed Vocational Nurse I.V. Certified
Kaiser Permanente · Roseville, Vacaville and 1 more, CA· 3d ago
$55.56–$59.91/hr
AHD Licensed Vocational Nurse IV Certified
Alameda Health System · Alameda, CA· 1w ago
$53.86/hr
Supervisor Clinic LPN LVN - Float Personnel
Providence · Mission Viejo, CA· 1mo ago
$40.89–$63.48/hr
Supervisor Clinic LPN LVN - Specialty
Providence · Burbank, CA· 2w ago
$40.89–$63.48/hr
LVN IP - FT - H
PACS Group · El Cajon, CA· 3mo ago
$43.00–$55.00/hr
Licensed Vocational Nurse
CommonSpirit Health · Sacramento, CA· 2d ago
$45.27–$51.07/hr
LVN Care Coordinator, Home Health, Part Time, Weekends
Sutter Health · San Mateo, CA· 2mo ago
$39.85–$55.79/hr
LICENSED VOCATIONAL NURSE
Sonoma Specialty Hospital · Sebastopol, CA· 2w ago
$45–$50/hr
Part-Time Home Health LVN
By the Bay Health · San Francisco, CA· 4mo ago
$42.00–$49.45/hr
Case Management Coordinator, LVN/LPN II
Kaiser Permanente · Downey, CA· 3d ago
$39.8–$51.5/hr
Licensed Vocational Nurse - SNF - Per Diem
Plumas District Hospital · Quincy, CA· 5d ago
$36.74–$52.38/hr

What BLS measures in California

What people employed in the occupation earned in the state, at every level of experience, from the BLS survey. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered.

Hourly wages, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California. Each figure opens its BLS page.
BLS occupation	10th pct	25th pct	Median	75th pct	90th pct	Employed
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (29-2061)	$30.96 (source: BLS OEWS, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, opens in a new tab)	$35.98 (source: BLS OEWS, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, opens in a new tab)	$38.34 (source: BLS OEWS, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, opens in a new tab)	$45.06 (source: BLS OEWS, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, opens in a new tab)	$48.29 (source: BLS OEWS, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, opens in a new tab)	82,850 (source: BLS OEWS, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, opens in a new tab)

BLS median by metro area

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$38.13/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, opens in a new tab)
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$45.34/hr (source: BLS OEWS, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, opens in a new tab)
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$37.01/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, opens in a new tab)
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$38.33/hr (source: BLS OEWS, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, opens in a new tab)
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$39.22/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, opens in a new tab)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$45.83/hr (source: BLS OEWS, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, opens in a new tab)
Fresno, CA$36.34/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Fresno, CA, opens in a new tab)
Bakersfield-Delano, CA$36.60/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Bakersfield-Delano, CA, opens in a new tab)

Licensed practical nurse salary in California: common questions

How much does a licensed practical nurse make in California?

Open licensed practical nurse jobs in California that state an hourly rate post a median of $37.75, the middle half $34.50–$41.50 (284 jobs from 65 employers). Full time that is about $78,500 a year. BLS measured a median of $38.34/hr ($79,750 a year) for people employed in the occupation in California (May 2025).

Where in California do licensed practical nurses earn the most?

By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: Los Angeles ($39.75), San Diego ($38.75), Riverside ($35.50) and La Mesa ($37). The town table lists 30.

Which employers in California pay licensed practical nurses the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: Sutter Health ($46.50), Eisenhower Health ($42.50) and Compassus ($41.75).

How does California compare with the rest of the country?

The posted median in California ($37.75) is $5.75 above the national posted median of $32. In the BLS survey California ranks 6 of 52 by median wage.

Where do these figures come from?

From the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 284 of 442 open licensed practical nurse jobs in California (64%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.

Sources and method

Only pay a job states is used, a range at its midpoint. In the state's median and middle half each employer's advertised range counts once, so an employer posting one range in many towns does not set the figure; a town's median follows the same rule. "Up to" ceilings, weekly travel rates and rates far from the occupation's median are left out. A state has a page while at least 8 jobs from 3 employers state a rate there. The yearly estimate is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours. BLS figures are as published.

CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (SOC 29-2061), every state, published May 15, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, national, published May 15, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses by metropolitan area, published May 15, 2026

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). Licensed practical nurse salary in California. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/licensed-practical-nurse/california

How the board counts