Average Annual Pay For Licensed Vocational Nurses
Due to its size, Texas has more LVNs than any other state, and the average LVN salary in Texas, $41,720 per year, is marginally higher than the national average of $40,900.
Nursing care facilities, medical and surgical hospitals, health care services and offices of physicians are places where there is maximum number of employment opportunities for LVN’s. In addition to this, office administrative services, rooming and boarding services also make use of their service.
The industry that pays well for this job varies significantly from time to time. A lot depends on the needs of the particular industry. As of 2010, office administration and boarding services were the top paying organization for LVN’s in Texas.
- Number of LVNs in Texas: 70,000
- Average hourly wage of LVNs in Texas: $20.06
- Average annual LVN salary in Texas: $41,720
- Average LVN Salary Nation-wide: $43,170
Texas Has the Most Opportunities for LVN’s
The survey conducted in 2015 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that Texas topped the list of the state with maximum number of job opportunities for LVN. However, Texas didn’t appear in the list of top paying states for LVNs. This shows the vast disparity in job opportunities and salary that this job has in the United States. Studies show that this is because of the comparatively flexible schedule that this job has. For those nurses who suffer from low income sometimes tend to make it up through several compensation packages. But this is not the case always.
In major cities like Dallas and Austin, LVNs earned up to $21 per hour. This is also the case with Houston, Texas. Population plays a major role in job schedule and therefore has a significant influence on the salary of these people. In places like El Paso, the population is above 1,000,000. With the increase in population there is a need for attention towards public healthcare. Hence Texas, with its mounting population needs more LVNs than most other states in the United States.
Coming on to mid-towns in Texas, where the population is between 30,000 and 100,000, the salary of LVNs was just below $20 per hour. This proves that it is population and increased need for healthcare that propels need for nurses. With increased demand there is a directly proportional rise in the salary. In mid-size cities in Texas like Longview and Bryan, the demand for LVNs is much low when compared to populated cities like Houston. This accounts for the relatively low salary.
The Higher the Population, the Higher the LVN Salary
There is a geometric progression for salaries of LVN’s in Texas. This becomes clearer when we move on to smaller towns. In places like Paris and Carlsbad where the population is below 30,000, the salary of LVNs is much less. They receive a salary of $12 and up per hour.
The above statistics show that the population of a particular state does matter when it comes to the salary of an LVN. The more the population of a particular state, the more its healthcare requirements are. Hence it can be deducted that it is advisable for a person to work in a major city in Texas in order to make a handsome amount as salary. The statistics in United States also reflect the same. Annually, an LVN makes a salary of around $42,000. A significant loss in LVN salaries was noted in 2008 and 2009.
Statistics also showed that there is a significant difference between the salaries of nurses working in large cities and small towns. Geographical location also plays an important role in the salary of LVNs. Students who have completed one of the LVN programs in California receive an average salary between $56,000 and $60,000. Similar differences in salaries have also been identified in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana and North Dakota.
Even though vocational nurses are seeing huge fluctuations in pay, completing one of the properly accredited LVN programs is still worth it in the long run. This is especially true if you are planning on finishing an RN bridge program.
Consider Upgrading Your Degree to a Registered Nurse
One of the most common ways of increasing a nurse’s salary is to advance from an LVN to an RN. There are literally dozens of LVN to RN programs in Texas, most of which only take 12 to 18 months. Some prerequisites will need to be taken, such as Microbiology and Chemistry. Additionally, clinical rotations need to be completed to advance to Registered Nurse.
The time invested in moving from a Licensed Vocational Nurse to a Registered Nurse is worth it; the average salary for an RN in Texas is $67,360, almost $25,000 more per year!