Compared with the local labor market
Licensed Practical Nurse II pay vs. Massachusetts
Across all employers in Massachusetts, the median wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses — about 13,210 people — is $80,220. Department of Mental Health (Dmh) pays a median base salary of $85,713 for this role, 7% above that figure — about the 77th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Department of Mental Health (Dmh) sits in the local pay range
$61,690
$72,610
$80,220
$84,570
$93,980
Department of Mental Health (Dmh) median · $85,713
The bar is the range of annual wages for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses across every employer in Massachusetts, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Mental Health (Dmh)’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses — about 648,410 people — is $64,400. Department of Mental Health (Dmh)’s median base salary is 33% above that national figure, above the 90th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$49,740
$59,000
$64,400
$76,030
$83,440
Department of Mental Health (Dmh) median · $85,713
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Massachusetts range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of Mental Health (Dmh) is $93,235, 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 Massachusetts
Licensed Practical Nurse II is held in 3 Massachusetts departments. In Department of Mental Health (Dmh), the median of $93,235 ranks #2 of 3.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Licensed Practical Nurse II role in other Massachusettsdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
Licensed Practical Nurse beyond Massachusetts
This role is reported in 19 jurisdictions. In Massachusetts, the median of $93,235 ranks #1 of 19. See Licensed Practical Nurse across all of Massachusetts →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Licensed Practical Nurse roles 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.