Becoming an LPN in Seattle

Last Updated/Verified: Jan 9, 2024

Like all major cities in the United States, Seattle, WA is experiencing a period of rapid growth in the healthcare industry. As the Baby Boomer generation begins retiring and aging out of the workforce, their dependence on frequent healthcare will increase. That will drive up the demand for qualified healthcare professionals like Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s), especially in large cities like Seattle.

Seattle is part of the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metropolitan area, which employs 3,170 LPN’s. These perform a wide variety of healthcare-related tasks in diverse industries and facilities, such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, and nursing homes. LPN’s in the Seattle metro area make average annual salaries of $50,290 per year. That’s $7,238 more than the national median salary of LPN’s. It’s also almost $4,000 more than the median salary in all of Washington.

There are many colleges and career centers in the Seattle area that offer courses, degrees, and licensure for people who want to become LPN’s. Some of these programs include North Seattle Community College, South Seattle Community College, Everett Community College, and South Puget Sound Community College. Aspiring nurses who are willing to commute can also find more than 20 accredited LPN programs in the state.

Upon graduation, LPN’s in Seattle have many options to enter the workforce and begin using their degrees. Some of the healthcare facilities in this region that rely on LPN’s include Kindred Healthcare, Providence Health & Services, Tacoma General Hospital, Evergreen Health Hospice Services, Schick Shadel Hospital, and Overlake Hospital.

With its large population of Baby Boomers and elderly, the Seattle metro already has many employment opportunities for recent LPN graduates. The aging population will only make that number increase in the future, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of LPN jobs in Washington will go up 15 percent each year until the year 2020.