FederalPay.org
Practical Nurse - Federal Salaries of 2021
Pay Rates for "Practical Nurse"
How much does a Practical Nurse in the federal government get paid? $57,791.02* *Based on the 2021 average.Practical Nurse was the 23rd most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 15,742 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.
In 2021, the Veterans Health Administration hired the most employees titled Practical Nurse, with an average salary of $57,807.
Government Practical Nurse jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.
This occupation covers positions which involve a variety of nursing care and practices which do not require full professional nurse education, but require the knowledges and skills represented by the licensing of practical and vocational nurses by a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia.
Agencies that have hired a Practical Nurse
| Agency | Employees Hired | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Health Administration | 15,421 | $57,806.51 |
| Indian Health Service | 197 | $57,957.01 |
| Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System | 48 | $61,373.15 |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | 40 | $55,417.53 |
| Office Secretary Health and Human Services | 14 | $37,860.86 |
| Immigration and Customs Enforcement | 14 | $0.00 |
| Forest Service | 6 | $48,323.83 |
| National Institutes of Health | 1 | $59,981.00 |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | 1 | $47,298.00 |
Practical Nurse Pay Distribution
The average pay for a Practical Nurse is $57,791.02. The highest paid Practical Nurse made $127,648 in 2021.
Common Practical Nurse Payscales
| Payscale | Number of Practical Nurse Employees |
|---|---|
| GS - General Schedule | 15,694 |
| GL - Gs Employees In Grades 3 Through 10 Paid A Law Enforcement Officer Special Base Rate | 48 |
| Category: | N/A |
| Occupation Family: | 0600 MEDICAL, HOSPITAL, DENTAL, AND PUBLIC HEALTH GROUP |
Average Practical Nurse Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021
In 2004, the average pay for a Practical Nurse was $37,019. Since then, the average pay has increased to $57,791 in 2021.
Data Sources
The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.
Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.
The series code of this occupation is 0620.