Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are essential in New Jersey’s healthcare system. Therefore, they are in constant need, so much so that LPN jobs in NJ are projected to grow by 8 percent from 2020 to 2030, significantly faster than the national average.
An LPN salary in New Jersey is about 9 percent higher than the national average, and the Garden State is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). Therefore, if you are a licensed practical nurse in another NLC member state, you can easily move to New Jersey and make excellent pay by picking up PRN LPN jobs.
Characteristics of New Jersey’s LPN Workforce
According to the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (NJCCN), the LPN workforce has the following characteristics:
- Between 2022 and 2023, New Jersey had 23,330 active LPN licenses and 5,768 inactive licenses.
- Of the LPNs who participated in the study, 87 percent obtained their licenses through exams after completing their programs, and 12 percent received their licenses by endorsement.
Demographics of New Jersey’s LPNs
Among the participants of the study, the LPNs identified with the following characteristics:
- Race and Ethnicitysome text
- American Indian: 0.21%
- Pacific Islander: 1%
- Asian: 7%
- Hispanic/Latino: 10%
- Black/African American: 36%
- White: 39%
- Gendersome text
- Male: 10%
- Female: 90%
- Agesome text
- 86+: 0.6%
- 76–85: 1%
- 66–75: 11%
- 56–65: 23%
- 46–55: 24%
- 36–45: 24%
- 26–35: 16%
- 19–25: 1%
LPN Job Characteristics
The following list shows the percentage of LPNs working full-time, part-time, per diem, and other characteristics:
- Working full-time: 74%
- Working part-time: 9%
- Working per diem: 5%
- Unemployed/Seeking a job in the field: 5%
- Working in another field: 4%
- Retired: 3%
The NJCCN also found the percentage of LPNs in the Garden State that have more than one job:
- One job: 83%
- Two jobs: 16%
- Three jobs: 1%
Where Do LPNs Work Most Often?
Since there are different settings where LPNs can find jobs in NJ, the following list shows the most common work environments:
- Extended care/Nursing home: 36%
- Home health: 19%
- Assisted living: 6%
- Hospital: 6%
- Ambulatory care: 6%
- Public health: 4%
- Correctional facility: 4%
- Community health: 2%
- Insurance claims/benefits: 2%
- Other: 14%
These are the most common work settings for LPNs working in New Jersey. However, there are many other settings where LPNs can find nursing jobs in the Garden State.
What Are the Most Common Areas of Healthcare for NJ LPNs?
Out of the various areas of healthcare in which you find licensed practical nurses in New Jersey, the most common is Geriatric/Gerontology. The following list shows the prevalence of different LPN employment by specialty:
- Geriatric/Gerontology: 26%
- Rehabilitation: 11%
- Pediatrics: 9%
- Home health: 9%
- Primary care: 5%
- Adult health: 5%
- Psychiatric/Mental health/Substance abuse: 5%
- Acute care/Critical care: 4%
- Other nursing specialties: 3%
- Public health: 2%
- School health: 1%
- Community: 1%
- Medical surgical: 1%
- Palliative care: 1%
- Women’s health: 1%
There are other areas of healthcare in which you will find LPNs in NJ. Nevertheless, they each represent less than 1 percent of the total LPN employment in New Jersey.
LPN Unemployment in New Jersey
From the LPNs in the NJCCN survey who shared the reasons for their unemployment, the most common answer was due to family and home responsibilities. The following list shows the most common reasons for LPN unemployment in New Jersey:
- Family and home responsibilities: 26%
- Disability: 9%
- School: 4%
- Difficulties finding jobs: 3%
Other reasons not specified in the study represent 58 percent.
LPN Demand in New Jersey
The Garden State is in the 19th position nationwide in terms of LPN job posting concentration, showing that LPNs are in high demand.
The following list shows the counties with the highest concentration of job postings in New Jersey:
- Cape May County has a demand concentration of 3.76
- Ocean County has a demand concentration of 3.17
- Salem County has a demand concentration of 3.09
- Cumberland County has a demand concentration of 2.90
- Gloucester County has a demand concentration of 2.01
- Warren County has a demand concentration of 2.01
- Camden County has a demand concentration of 1.94
- Monmouth County has a demand concentration of 1.90
The average national demand concentration equals one. Therefore, if the demand in a particular location is above or below one, it means a higher or lower concentration of job postings than the national average.
Per Diem Nursing Jobs
Have you heard about per diem nursing jobs in New Jersey? A per diem or PRN job is a fixed-time contract in which nurses are independent contractors able to choose where and when to work.
This type of job can help you meet your professional and personal goals since your schedule is in your control. In addition, if you already have a job and want to take advantage of your free time to make an extra income, you can work per diem when needed. To learn more about unlocking opportunities, read our article about the ban on noncompetes.
PRN Licensed Practical Nursing Jobs in New Jersey
You are probably already intrigued by the benefits that a per diem job can bring to your life. Look for your city in the list below by locating your metropolitan area and county, click on the link, and start picking up PRN shifts near you:
New York-Newark-Jersey City, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Bergen County
- Bergenfield
- Cresskill
- Emerson
- Englewood
- Fair Lawn
- Harrington Park
- Hackensack
- Montvale
- Norwood
- Oradell
- Teaneck
- Paramus
- Rochelle Park
- Tenafly
- Woodcliff Lake
Passaic County
Essex County
Hudson County
Middlesex County
Monmouth County
Morris County
Ocean County
Rockland County
Somerset County
Union County
Trenton-Princeton, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Mercer County
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Warren County
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Camden County
Gloucester County
Salem County
Atlantic City-Hammonton, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Atlantic County
Vineland-Bridgeton, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Cumberland County
How Do You Become an LPN in New Jersey?
Have you decided to become an LPN? New Jersey offers plenty of excellent LPN programs. However, you must be sure that the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), or the New Jersey Board of Nursing accredits the program of your choice.
Once you complete your program and all the New Jersey Board of Nursing and state requirements, you can use this lookup tool for license verification to determine your status.
Benefits of PRN LPN Jobs in New Jersey
LPNs have an array of job options in NJ, from remote nursing jobs to per diem shifts. This is one of the beauties of being an LPN: With extensive job opportunities, LPNs can work in a variety of settings, gaining valuable skills and developing professionally in the areas that interest them most.
In particular, working per diem offers significant advantages since LPNs can earn high hourly pay and maintain flexibility. These are just some of the benefits of choosing per diem jobs.
Nursa is an open market for nurses seeking per diem jobs in their town, city, county, or even another state. LPNs must only complete their professional profiles and upload their licenses for verification to find PRN jobs.
With Nursa, LPNs can connect with various hospitals and other healthcare facilities that need the services of practical nurses. If you didn’t find the job you were looking for in the lists above, you can sign up as an LPN with Nursa today.
Check out the most popular ways to stay hydrated on the job in our post about the best water bottles for nurses.
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