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LPN to RN Bridge: What the License Jump Really Pays, City by City
Real posted per-diem rates for LPNs and RNs in the same cities, a conservative measure of the raise, and how pick-your-own scheduling keeps income flowing through the bridge program.
Updated September 21, 2026 · live AllShifts shift data
What the jump is actually worth
Every LPN has heard that the RN license pays more. What the career pages never show is the number in your own city, measured honestly. So here it is from live postings: 36 cities currently have both LPN-family and RN shifts posted on AllShifts, and we measured the jump the conservative way, comparing the BOTTOM of the RN posted range against the TOP of the LPN range in the same city. Even measured against yourself on your best LPN day, the median jump is +$8.97 per hour.
| City | LPN posted range | RN posted range | Jump (worst case) | Open slots (both) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Londonderry, NH | $39.91/hr (LPN) | $53.71/hr | +$13.80/hr | 2 |
| Rochester, MN | $36.25-$37.70/hr (LPN) | $50.75/hr | +$13.05/hr | 24 |
| Gettysburg, PA | $34.50-$35.88/hr (LPN) | $48.30-$74.52/hr | +$12.42/hr | 98 |
| Kennebunk, ME | $34.50-$35.88/hr (LPN) | $48.30-$49.68/hr | +$12.42/hr | 17 |
| Essex, MD | $35.88/hr (LPN) | $48.30-$49.68/hr | +$12.42/hr | 14 |
| Walkersville, MD | $34.50-$35.88/hr (LPN) | $48.30/hr | +$12.42/hr | 5 |
| Gwynn Oak, MD | $34.50-$35.88/hr (LPN) | $48.30/hr | +$12.42/hr | 4 |
| Danbury, CT | $38.00/hr (LPN) | $50.40/hr | +$12.40/hr | 6 |
| Jaffrey, NH | $39.15/hr (LPN) | $50.75/hr | +$11.60/hr | 4 |
| Huntington, NY | $40.87-$42.21/hr (LPN) | $53.60-$54.94/hr | +$11.39/hr | 14 |
Per shift, the medians tell the same story: an 8-hour shift at the median LPN market minimum grosses $298.08; the same 8 hours at the median RN market minimum grosses $386.40. On a 12-hour shift the gap widens to $447.12 vs $579.60. In Londonderry, NH, today's widest same-city gap, the worst-case jump is +$13.80/hr before you even reach the top of the RN range.
LVN is the Texas/California name for LPN and is counted with LPN above. Rates are posted hourly ranges for per-diem shifts booked through the AllShifts app, not estimates.
The path, without the fog
- LPN-to-RN bridge programs exist precisely because you are not starting over. Bridge tracks (usually LPN-to-ADN, sometimes LPN-to-BSN) grant advanced placement for your practical nursing education and experience, so you skip repeating the fundamentals you already use every shift.
- Program length and cost vary widely by state and school. Bridge ADN tracks commonly run shorter than a from-scratch RN program precisely because of that advanced placement, but prerequisites, wait-lists, and clinical-hour requirements differ, so compare accredited programs near you rather than trusting a national average.
- The license, not the diploma, changes your rate. You sit the NCLEX-RN after finishing an approved program; the pay jump in the table above arrives when your state RN license posts.
- Your LPN license keeps earning the whole way through. That is the bridge part, and at $37.26/hr median market minimum it is a far better funding engine than the aide-level work many from-scratch nursing students rely on.
How per-diem funds the bridge year
The usual reason LPNs stall on the RN plan is the schedule collision: fixed staff rotations do not bend around lectures and clinical placements. Per diem removes that collision. You pick shifts one at a time in the AllShifts app, so exam weeks can be light, breaks can be heavy, and clinical days are simply days you do not book.
- Book around the syllabus, not against it. There are 1,117 open LPN-family slots on AllShifts right now across 27 states; depth like that is what makes a pick-your-own schedule real rather than theoretical.
- Weekend and evening shifts keep income steady. The shifts that fit around a school day are the same ones facilities struggle to fill, so they are often the better-priced slots in a ranged market.
- Instant pay smooths the tuition months. AllShifts pays 100% of your net pay right after each verified shift, 7 days a week, which matters when fees are due mid-semester rather than on payday.
- No minimum-shift commitment means school comes first. A W-2 per-diem role with no quota lets you drop to one shift a week during finals without losing your place.
Where RN demand is deepest right now
When the RN license posts, this is the market you walk into. The deepest RN markets on AllShifts today:
| City | Posted range | Open slots | Shifts (30 days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg, PA | $48.30-$74.52/hr | 50 | 34 |
| Buzzards Bay, MA | $51.63-$83.43/hr | 31 | 22 |
| Camden, ME | $48.30-$49.68/hr | 28 | 17 |
| Waupaca, WI | $48.30-$49.68/hr | 24 | 16 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $33.28/hr | 23 | 22 |
| Gloucester, MA | $48.81-$52.49/hr | 21 | 16 |
| North Andover, MA | $51.64/hr | 16 | 15 |
| Hollidaysburg, PA | $48.30-$49.68/hr | 15 | 14 |
Full city-by-city tables live in our LPN pay guide and RN pay guide, refreshed from the same live data as this page.
Common questions
Is the LPN-to-RN jump the same everywhere?
No, and that is the point of the table above. Today's same-city jumps range from small to +$13.80/hr worst-case in Londonderry, NH. Check your own market before assuming a national number.
Do I have to quit working while in the bridge program?
Most students cannot afford to, and per-diem is built for exactly this: book LPN shifts around classes and clinicals, scale down at exam time, and scale back up on breaks. No quota, no fixed rotation.
Does AllShifts post shifts for new RN graduates?
AllShifts posts shifts for licensed RNs across 17 states, with 377 open RN slots right now. Download the app (iPhone / Android), upload your new license when it posts, and the shift list opens as soon as your credential file verifies.
Does a compact (multistate) license change the math?
It can widen it. If you live in a Nurse Licensure Compact state, one multistate RN license lets you book shifts in other compact states without extra applications. Our compact license guide covers how that works for per-diem.
I am a CNA reading this. Where do I start?
One rung down, same logic: our CNA-to-LPN bridge guide runs the identical same-city math for the first license jump, and the LPN license is a paying waypoint on the way here.
Pay figures on this page come from shifts currently posted in the AllShifts app and change daily. AllShifts is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.