U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Department of Health and Human Services / Practical Nurse

Job-title file

Practical Nurse

Provide direct patient care — assess conditions, administer treatment and medication, and coordinate with physicians.

196 employees hold this title in Department of Health and Human Services. Median total compensation for the role is $66,166, below the department median of $129,759.

Employees: 196
Total payroll: $12.9M
Role median: $66,166
Agency median: $129,759
Comparison: Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$39,576$78,017+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 196 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Practical Nurse pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses — about 648,410 people — is $64,400. Department of Health and Human Services pays a median base salary of $66,166 for this role, 3% above that figure — about the 54th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Department of Health and Human Services sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$49,740

$59,000

$64,400

$76,030

$83,440

Department of Health and Human Services median · $66,166

The bar is the range of annual wages for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Health and Human Services’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Median total compensation for this role at Department of Health and Human Services is $66,166, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

Practical Nurse is held in 4 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Department of Health and Human Services, the median of $66,166 ranks #2 of 4.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Department of Veterans Affairs

$72,194 · 15,567

Armed Forces Retirement Home

$62,740 · 46

Department of Agriculture

$56,675 · 6

Median total compensation for the Practical Nurse role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Practical Nurse beyond U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), the median of $72,084 ranks #2 of 3. See Practical Nurse across all of U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

New York Public Authorities

$83,995 · 15

New Jersey

$69,772 · 140

Median total compensation for comparable Practical Nurseroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Jennifer Fife-Justice

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Lawton
Work county: Comanche
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 402750031
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jennifer Fife-Justice works as a Practical Nurse for Department of Health and Human Services based in Lawton, Oklahoma. Jennifer earned $64,328 in 2024. Their pay grade is 06.

Stephanie Walker

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Lawton
Work county: Comanche
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 402750031
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Stephanie Walker works as a Practical Nurse for Department of Health and Human Services based in Lawton, Oklahoma. Stephanie earned $64,328 in 2024. Their pay grade is 06.

Michelle Farina

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Anadarko
Work county: Caddo
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 400160015
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Michelle Farina works as a Practical Nurse for Department of Health and Human Services based in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Michelle earned $64,328 in 2024. Their pay grade is 06.

Chelsea Azure

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Belcourt
Work county: Rolette
Work state: North Dakota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 380265079
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Chelsea Azure holds the role of Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Belcourt, North Dakota. In 2024, their total compensation was $64,328. Their pay grade is 06.

Dana Beard

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Pawnee
Work county: Pawnee
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 403690117
Length of Service (Years): 6
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Dana Beard is a Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Pawnee, Oklahoma. 2024 total compensation came to $64,328. They are classified at grade 06.

Rebecca Denny

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Redlake
Work county: Beltrami
Work state: Minnesota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 275827007
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Rebecca Denny holds the role of Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Redlake, Minnesota. In 2024, their total compensation was $64,328. Their pay grade is 06.

Anna Gardiner

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Claremore
Work county: Rogers
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 400990131
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Anna Gardiner works as a Practical Nurse for Department of Health and Human Services based in Claremore, Oklahoma. Anna earned $64,328 in 2024. Their pay grade is 06.

Christine Kaiser

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: White Earth
Work county: Becker
Work state: Minnesota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 277555005
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Christine Kaiser holds the role of Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in White Earth, Minnesota. In 2024, their total compensation was $64,328. Their pay grade is 06.

Rachel Keel

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Lawton
Work county: Comanche
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 402750031
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Rachel Keel is a Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Lawton, Oklahoma. 2024 total compensation came to $64,328. They are classified at grade 06.

Melva Mitchell

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Lawton
Work county: Comanche
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 402750031
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Health and Human Services, Melva Mitchell serves as a Practical Nurse based in Lawton, Oklahoma. Their 2024 pay totaled $64,328. They are classified at grade 06.

Brianna Reece

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Pawnee
Work county: Pawnee
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 403690117
Length of Service (Years): 12
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Brianna Reece works as a Practical Nurse for Department of Health and Human Services based in Pawnee, Oklahoma. Brianna earned $64,328 in 2024. Their pay grade is 06.

Carolina Sanchez-Vankomen

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Wellpinit
Work county: Stevens
Work state: Washington

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 532455065
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Carolina Sanchez-Vankomen works as a Practical Nurse for Department of Health and Human Services based in Wellpinit, Washington. Carolina earned $64,328 in 2024. Their pay grade is 06.

Georgia Wilson

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Lower Brule
Work county: Lyman
Work state: South Dakota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 461687085
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Georgia Wilson is a Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Lower Brule, South Dakota. 2024 total compensation came to $64,328. They are classified at grade 06.

Leigha Zerr

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Belcourt
Work county: Rolette
Work state: North Dakota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 380265079
Length of Service (Years): 8
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Leigha Zerr holds the role of Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Belcourt, North Dakota. In 2024, their total compensation was $64,328. Their pay grade is 06.

Lorie Watts

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,328

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,328
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,328
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Lawton
Work county: Comanche
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,328
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,060
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 402750031
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Health and Human Services, Lorie Watts serves as a Practical Nurse based in Lawton, Oklahoma. Their 2024 pay totaled $64,328. They are classified at grade 06.

Michelle Wiley

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$64,013

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $64,013
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $64,013
Pay grade: 07
Work city: Pinon
Work county: Navajo
Work state: Arizona

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $64,013
Basic Pay (before locality): $44,764
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 040381017
Length of Service (Years): 11
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Michelle Wiley holds the role of Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Pinon, Arizona. In 2024, their total compensation was $64,013. Their pay grade is 07.

Crystal Long

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$63,507

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $63,507
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $63,507
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Pawhuska
Work county: Osage
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $63,507
Basic Pay (before locality): $42,910
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 403680113
Length of Service (Years): 15
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Crystal Long holds the role of Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. In 2024, their total compensation was $63,507. Their pay grade is 05.

Leah Fixico

Practical Nurse/Department of Health and Human Services

2024 total comp

$63,489

Sub-department: Indian Health Service
Base pay: $62,489
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $1,000
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $63,489
Pay grade: 06
Work city: Wewoka
Work county: Seminole
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $62,489
Basic Pay (before locality): $42,801
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 405160133
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 0620
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Leah Fixico is a Practical Nurse at Department of Health and Human Services based in Wewoka, Oklahoma. 2024 total compensation came to $63,489. They are classified at grade 06.