Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse pay in California
Median hourly pay in California · BLS May 2025
$38.34
an hour · $79,750 a year
- 10th
- $30.96
- 25th
- $35.98
- Median
- $38.34
- 75th
- $45.06
- 90th
- $48.29
Hourly pay range: 10th percentile $30.96/hr, median $38.34/hr, 90th percentile $48.29/hr.
Employed in CA
82,850
BLS estimate
Vs. U.S. median
+$7.38
U.S. median $30.96/hr
Licensing for LPNs and LVNs in California
Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT). Board, lookup and requirements
Licensed Practical / Vocational Nurse pay by California metro area
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim33,590 jobs$38.13/hr
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont8,800 jobs$45.34/hr
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario8,200 jobs$37.01/hr
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad6,610 jobs$38.33/hr
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom4,760 jobs$39.22/hr
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara3,290 jobs$45.83/hr
- Fresno2,360 jobs$36.34/hr
- Bakersfield-Delano1,480 jobs$36.60/hr
- Stockton-Lodi1,430 jobs$37.42/hr
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura1,230 jobs$37.99/hr
- Modesto1,120 jobs$37.59/hr
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma870 jobs$44.51/hr
- Vallejo870 jobs$41.07/hr
- Visalia830 jobs$35.36/hr
- Salinas710 jobs$38.90/hr
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara650 jobs$37.99/hr
- Redding510 jobs$35.64/hr
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles440 jobs$38.43/hr
- Chico380 jobs$37.86/hr
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville340 jobs$38.94/hr
- Yuba City330 jobs$37.63/hr
- Hanford-Corcoran310 jobs$37.33/hr
- El Centro300 jobs$35.92/hr
- Merced300 jobs$36.49/hr
- Napa280 jobs$40.24/hr
Metropolitan statistical areas as defined by BLS, sorted by number of jobs.
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: California, Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (SOC 29-2061), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Checked against these sources on Oct 1, 2026.
Medians cover wage and salary workers (not the self-employed) and don't include benefits. Use them as a baseline, not a quote.