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Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses pay in California and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses is $79,750 per year in California. It is $83,150 per year in Washington. California is 4.1% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 29-2061 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 82,850 wage and salary jobs in California and 6,780 in Washington. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings