Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in Hawaii
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$54,914
after federal, FICA and Hawaii tax
Tax takes
$16,226
22.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,561
Hawaii costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Hawaii — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$71,140
Kept after tax
$54,914
Worth in national money
$50,561
State rank
17
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Hawaii pays this job a middle wage of $71,140, ranking 17 of 51 states and sitting about 10.47% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 437 occupations Hawaii reports figures for, this is number 180.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $71,140 the take-home is $54,914. But Hawaii costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $50,561 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $71,560, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Hawaii's median for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses is $71,140, about 10.47% above the national figure and 17 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- In Hawaii's occupational distribution, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses sits at 180 of 437 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Hawaii income tax is $54,914 for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, from $71,140. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $50,561. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $71,560 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $59,620 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $71,140 |
| Top tenth earn over | $88,340 |
| This salary | $71,140 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Hawaii | $54,914 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $58,877 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$10,028 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $65,630 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$12,705 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 109 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $71,140 as a midpoint for Hawaii, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $59,620 and the ninetieth is $88,340 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $54,914 take-home in Hawaii comes from $71,140. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 180 of 437.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $50,561 uses one figure for the whole of Hawaii. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 437 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 180.
- The Hawaii median of $71,140 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $59,620 to $88,340. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $54,914, from $71,140, assumes a single Hawaii filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 180 of 437 locally, and the state ranks 17 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $50,561, worked from $71,140, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Hawaii address, on work sitting at 180 of 437 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $59,620 and the top tenth $88,340, so most people doing this work in Hawaii sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $50,561 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Hawaii then takes its own share, leaving $54,914.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($59,620 to $88,340) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Hawaii rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Hawaii's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $50,561 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $54,914 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Hawaii income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.