SOC 29-2061 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses — Portland
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA · 7 metro areas compared
In Portland, OR the median wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses reaches $83,510 a year.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +2.6%
- Openings per year
- 54,400
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Portland, OR the median wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses reaches $83,510 a year. That is 29.7% more than the national median of $64,400. Pay ranges from under $65,060 at the tenth percentile to more than $102,780 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $77,280 to $93,090.
The area has 2,250 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.45 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Bend records the highest median at $83,260. Of the 681 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 230th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $65,060 | +1.0% |
| 25th | $77,280 | +20.0% |
| Median (50th) | $83,510 | +29.7% |
| 75th | $93,090 | +44.5% |
| 90th | $102,780 | +59.6% |
| Mean | $84,440 | +31.1% |
Other metro areas in Oregon
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Portland run 5.4% above the national average, so the median of $83,510 buys what $79,231 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 23.0% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$83,510as reported by BLSLocal price level
105.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$79,231US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $83,510 a year, 29.7% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $65,060 to $102,780 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 2,250 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Bend, at $83,260.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in Portland, OR?
The median annual wage is $83,510, or $40.15 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $64,400, so pay in Portland, OR is 29.7% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Portland, OR earns more than $102,780 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $65,060 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Bend, at $83,260 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 2,250 jobs in this occupation in Portland, OR. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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