Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 29.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,544/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses typically earn — is $66K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,939/month. At HUD’s $1,544/month FMR, rent would take 39% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 24% above the national median — $80K here vs. $64K nationally.

Rhode Island pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $64K — that’s +24%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 101.77), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $80,090 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $65,650, and experienced licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses can clear $94,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,175/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,544/month, which eats 29.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Rhode Island has a Regional Price Parity of 101.77 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses salary is worth about $78,697 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.