Are you a licensed practical nurse (LPN) living in New Mexico or considering a relocation to the sunny state? Perhaps you’re considering a career as a licensed practical nurse and conducting some research into LPN salary in New Mexico and how it compares to other areas. Regardless of your motivations, you’ve come to the right place. By gathering information from public resources and compiling it into one place, we hope this guide can be a helpful resource for you.
What's the Average LPN Salary in the State of New Mexico?
Let’s start by answering the broad question and giving it context by comparing it to the overall national average and the averages of some neighboring states. In the following table, review how the LPN salary in New Mexico per hour and per year compare:
As you can see, data shows the LPN pay in New Mexico to be slightly above the national average, and while it’s not the highest of its neighbors, neither is it the lowest.
If you’re interested in the highest-paying states for LPNs, check out our article, “Ranking: Top 10 Best Paying States for LPNs.”
How Much Do Nurses Make in New Mexico?
Although we’ve established, on a broad scale, how much New Mexico LPNs earn on average, we should acknowledge that the data on LPN income within the state varies, often according to location and work experience. The following table identifies average LPN wage data from the BLS by geographic area, number of LPNs employed in the specified areas, and the location quotient.
The BLS uses the location quotient to quantify the variance between employment distribution for a specific location and employment distribution across the nation. In this table, the areas that have a location quotient lower than one, it means that the LPN profession for the area has a smaller share of the area’s total employment than the LPN profession as whole does for the nation’s total employment.
The above table demonstrates the average range of LPN earnings geographically; what it does not show is the full range of LPN compensation, including the highest and the lowest. There are more than 1400 LPNs working in New Mexico; for information about the full range of their incomes, the BLS publishes wage data in percentiles which are as follows:
This resource provides publicly available information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the MIT Living Wage Calculator about average LPN salaries, employment, location quotient, and living wage in New Mexico (most recent information as of February 2024). While Nursa currently offers independent contractor LPNs in New Mexico the opportunity to access per diem jobs that pay on an hourly basis rather than access to salaried or wage-based employment opportunities, this information may be a helpful frame of reference for you as you assess the market landscape both in regard to per diem jobs and employment opportunities.
What’s the Cost of Living in New Mexico?
Knowing how much you can earn in New Mexico may help you choose the best option when considering independent contractor work or applying for salaried or wage-based employment. The cost of living is impacted by the number of dependents (how many people you are financially responsible for) and where you live. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the living wage for a single working adult with no children in New Mexico is $20.10.
What Are the Highest Paying Cities for LPNs in New Mexico?
Knowing that the cost of living and nurse salary in New Mexico can both be influenced by location naturally prompts the question, “What are the highest-paying cities?” The data on metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas above helps to provide a little guidance here, showing that the Santa Fe metropolitan area and the Eastern nonmetropolitan area have the highest average wages. So we can look at the cities and towns included in those areas for a start.
The Santa Fe metropolitan area is all of Santa Fe County, which includes the following:
The Eastern nonmetropolitan area covers a much larger area (17 counties), which includes the following:
Furthermore, per diem (PRN) nursing jobs often offer higher hourly pay rates than traditional employment, so consider looking at PRN jobs in other New Mexico cities and towns as well, such as the following:
How Can I Become an LPN in New Mexico?
The New Mexico Board of Nursing regulates LPN licensing, which includes handling New Mexico LPN license verification and maintaining a list of approved LPN programs in New Mexico. If you’re interested in a bridge LPN to RN New Mexico program, be sure it is board-approved before making a commitment. You can find the board’s list of LPN nursing schools in New Mexico here.
How can I find LPN jobs in New Mexico?
Nursing skills and knowledge are essential to the successful day-to-day functioning of our healthcare system. As such, LPN jobs in New Mexico are available in several different healthcare settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and more. For LPNs interested in higher hourly pay rates and flexibility, picking up PRN LPN jobs with Nursa as an independent contractor has its perks.
What Are Per Diem Independent Contractor Jobs with Nursa?
Nursa is an open healthcare marketplace that connects healthcare facilities with registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants to fill crucial shift gaps due to vacancies, call-offs, and patient intake fluctuations.
Facilities using Nursa post their PRN shift needs so nurses and nursing assistants can browse the available shifts and pick them up. Per diem LPN jobs in New Mexico need nurses like you to fill the gap. Join Nursa today and start picking up PRN jobs in your community.
