PublicPay

Practical Nurse federal salary series 0620

Full-time federal employees in the Practical Nurse series earned a median of $75,642 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 31% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $68,861 and $82,681.

Median pay
$75,642
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$68,861–$82,681
25th–75th percentile
Employees
16,585
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1.7%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Practical Nurse
All federal (full-time)

What shapes practical nurse pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-6 (13,399 employees, median $75,460). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (14,278 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in Hawaii ($93,849) and lowest in Nebraska ($67,022), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 13% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Practical Nurse pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Practical Nurse pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-3 54 $53,308 $46,882–$58,741
GS-4 216 $59,780 $54,660–$65,316
GS-5 498 $64,338 $58,484–$71,618
GS-6 13,399 $75,460 $68,824–$82,409
GS-7 2,380 $78,734 $72,753–$84,937
GL-7 31 $75,528 $72,328–$78,853

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Practical Nurse pay by agency

Practical Nurse pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 14,278 $75,759 $68,997–$82,971
Department of Health and Human Services 151 $69,849 $66,294–$73,625
Armed Forces Retirement Home 48 $65,599 $60,553–$71,209
Department of Justice 31 $75,528 $72,328–$78,853

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Practical Nurse pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Practical Nurse pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 1,604 $88,508 $81,332–$93,292
Texas 1,269 $76,872 $70,388–$85,250
Florida 965 $72,342 $66,993–$77,403
Ohio 738 $77,361 $71,902–$82,279
Pennsylvania 701 $73,844 $67,679–$79,561
North Carolina 568 $73,928 $69,703–$78,444
Georgia 483 $71,983 $66,745–$76,560
New York 481 $73,085 $67,463–$81,158
Tennessee 445 $71,680 $66,142–$80,417
Michigan 427 $73,299 $68,893–$76,904

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare practical nurse pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.7% from $74,410 in September 2025 to $75,642 in September 2026. Headcount went from 17,121 to 16,585 (−3.1%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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