In these uncertain economic times, salary and benefits are more important to employees than ever. Perhaps that's why a whopping 2,508 nurses responded to our 4th biennial salary survey.  
LPNs from 49 states and Washington, DC, took time out of their busy lives to complete the 30-question survey. After crunching the numbers, we've compiled a synopsis of the information you seek. Though our results and analyses are indicators only, based on an unscientific poll, we believe our survey gives a clear picture of the LPN market.

So, without further ado, we present the ADVANCE for LPNs 2008 national salary survey.

Affairs Of States
OK, let's start by answering the big question: what does the average LPN make? According to the information you've provided us, the average full-time LPN in the U.S. is making $41,600 annually - a significant jump from the $38,184 salary reported in our 2006 survey. Whether you're making more or less than this depends on factors such as location, practice specialty and years of experience.

We found most LPN hourly wages also have increased from 2 years ago. Taken on a state-by-state basis, Alaskan LPNs appear to making top dollar at $29 per hour. However, before you pack your bags for the "Land of the Midnight Sun," you may want to consider that these numbers are based on just four respondents.

Among the states with higher number responses, LPNs in the Northeast are leading the way, especially in Connecticut, which remains the highest-paying East Coast state for LPNs for the third-consecutive ADVANCE survey. LPNs in the Constitution State are averaging $25.28 per hour.

Rounding out the top three are fellow New England states Massachusetts ($24.46 per hour) and Rhode Island ($24.43). Like Alaska, another "Western" state, New Mexico, also had a small number of respondents, but those who participated say they're making about $23.75. New Jersey also faired well, with Garden State LPNs averaging $23.41 an hour, an increase of $2.43 over our 2006 results. Still, Cathy Mamola, director of Bayada Nurses, Toms River, NJ, told ADVANCE she's surprised New Jersey LPN salaries aren't higher.

"Actually, I thought the New Jersey average was low," she said. "We are paying much higher rates to LPNs in home care."

Trailing close behind are LPNs in Colorado ($23.14 per hour), New York ($23), Maryland ($22.97), Delaware ($22.94) and New Hampshire ($22.43).

Though her state's average hourly rate didn't make the top 10, Judy Hale, LPN, a nurse at Blair Medical Associates, Altoona, PA, found the $21.45 rate for LPNs in the Keystone State to be much more than the $14 an hour she takes home.

"The higher end of the [Pennsylvania] pay scale really surprised me," said Hale, an LPN representative of the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing. "I'm guessing that LPNs in eastern PA are bringing that number up."

While she said the survey results reflect what she's seeing in most areas, Kerry Naylor, LPN, healthcare recruiter at Capital Hospice, Falls Church, VA, expected the DC-metro area's hourly rate to be higher.

"I am a little surprised by the Washington, DC, and Maryland areas being lower than the other states," she said. "These areas are typically harder to recruit nurses in, and nurses there are working in bigger facilities closer to the bigger city areas."

However, Pat Tobin, LPN, president of the New Hampshire LPN Association, believes our numbers are dead on.

"These rates are accurate and represent what I'm seeing in the field," said Tobin, a nurse at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH. "Healthcare staffing patterns and practices differ across the country, and these numbers match up well with the current trends."

One such trend is the lower pay scale for LPNs in low-cost-of-living areas such as Southern states and most of the Midwest. However, it was LPNs in a Mountain region state, Idaho, who reported the lowest hourly rate. LPNs there make 14.67, the only state to finish below the $15 mark in our survey.

LPNs in a few other states didn't fair much better. This includes practical nurses in North Dakota ($15 average hourly rate), West Virginia ($15.25) and Nebraska ($15.75). Also falling in the lower salary tier were LPNs living in Oklahoma, ($16 average hourly rate), Arkansas, ($16.25), Iowa ($16.67), Kentucky ($16.83) and Alabama ($16.93).

While other Southern states didn't fair as well, LPNs in Virginia and Florida experienced a significant boost in pay from our 2006 survey. LPNs in the Old Dominion now make $19.19 an hour, well above the $16 hourly rate they averaged 2 years ago. Florida LPNs also received a $3 increase from 2006, now averaging $19.02 per hour.

For a complete listing of LPN hourly pay rates by state, see Table 1

More The Merrier?
For the past few years, LPNs across the country have told ADVANCE they're being squeezed out of large acute-care facilities. According to our numbers, it appears there's merit to these assertions.

Today, a total of 67 percent of LPNs work in facilities with fewer than 200 beds. Thirty percent of the respondents said they work in facilities with 101-200 beds while 20 percent care for patients in workplaces with fewer than 50 beds and another 17 percent work in facilities with 50-100.

In past surveys, the higher the facility's bed count, the higher the paycheck for LPNs. But this year's survey bucked the trend. LPNs in workplaces of 101-200 beds are now receiving the top hourly rate of $21.78. The next highest? LPNs in facilities that have 301-400 beds ($21.70). Still, some things remain the same. LPNs working in facilities with 50-100 beds receive the lowest hourly pay at about $20.

Beneficial Benefits
Of course, a paycheck isn't the only factor that determines salary. As healthcare costs continue to rise, medical benefits remain a significant part of one's net worth. Based on our survey results, one could assume healthcare coverage is a major concern for LPNs in this election year.

The percentage of LPNs who receive at least 50 percent of their healthcare benefits paid by their employer dropped from 76 percent in 2006 to 69 percent in 2008. But a trend that did continue is the likelihood of salaried practical nurses receiving more benefits than their hourly counterparts. In 2008, 79 percent of salaried respondents said they have company-provided insurance compared to 67 percent of their hourly paid colleagues.

Of all LPNs who said they receive benefits, 90 percent are offered medical coverage and 48 percent receive vision insurance. However, 61 percent of salaried practical nurses claim they receive prescription benefits comparedto 58 percent of LPNs paid hourly. But, hourly LPNs are more likely to receive dental-care coverage, besting their salaried compatriots by more than 5 percent (65 percent vs. 60 percent). The good news for everyone is, compared to 2006, the numbers of those receiving this benefit jumped 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Hourly employees also faired better in receiving long-term disability benefits (29 percent vs. 25 percent), while salaried LPNs are more likely to have an employer-sponsored savings plan such as a pension or 401(k) (47 percent vs. 41 percent). Salaried employees also are slightly more likely to receive tuition reimbursement from their employers (44 percent vs. 42.5 percent).

Daycare remained a benefit few LPNs receive with only 4 percent of all respondents claiming it as part of their coverage. Of those, 2.4 percent of hourly and 1.7 percent of salaried LPNs are in that number.

Having such benefits available is important to many LPNs, Hale said, especially those who aren't in the higher end of the salary range.