state's total respondents. They were also well represented in Florida (12 percent of total respondents) as well as Colorado, New York and Texas (10 percent each).

California was the top state among Asian Americans, who accounted for 23 percent of the Golden State's total respondents. Next was Michigan with 11 percent, followed by District of Columbia (10 percent); Illinois and New York (3 percent).

LPNs of Native American/Alaskan Native descent had their strongest national showing in Texas (10 percent of total respondents); Illinois (3 percent); Ohio (2 percent) and New Jersey and Florida (1 percent). The higher percentages of LPNs declaring "mixed race" hailed from New Hampshire (7 percent); Alabama (6 percent); and Georgia, Connecticut, New York and North Carolina (3 percent).

Among states with 10 or more respondents, New Hampshire had the highest number of white participants (93 percent) followed by Iowa (90 percent), Massachusetts and Ohio (89 percent), and Connecticut (86 percent).

'Burbs' Are Best
Another demographic factor that affects salary is whether one lives in an urban, suburban or rural section of the country.

The suburbs remain the top working environment among LPNs as 48 percent of you work in the "burbs," a 1 percent increase from 2 years ago. However, this isn't necessarily due to "city flight." Nearly 33 percent of LPNs are working in urban centers (a 3 percent increase from 2006), while the number of rural LPNs dropped from 24 to 19 percent.

Salary is obviously an issue here, with more than 11 percent of rural respondents ranking in our lowest salary category (making less than $14 an hour), while only 3 percent of suburban and 2 percent of urban LPNs are in this pay scale. And, for the first time, suburban LPNs are making the most of all groups, averaging $21.54 an hour. LPNs working in urban facilities are close behind at $21.15, while rural practical nurses earn substantially less at $18 an hour.

Unions And Overtime
Among our surveyed readers, 23 percent work at a facility that is primarily unionized. Of states with more than 10 respondents, New York has the largest number of LPNs (54 percent) working in union-staffed facilities. Unions also appear to have a strong workforce presence in Wisconsin (50 percent), Minnesota and California (40 percent), and District of Columbia (33 percent). It appears unions aren't as strong in Southern states with Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia among those reporting less than 10 percent of its respondents as part of a union.  Two exceptions to that group are New Hampshire (7 percent) and Illinois (9 percent).

Barbee wasn't surprised by the lower number of union LPNs in her region. "We really don't see a lot of union-run facilities in the South," she said.

But, does working on a union-staff equate to higher wages? According to our respondents, the answer is "yes." LPNs in these facilities make $22.12 per hour nationwide compared to non-union workers, who make $20.94 per hour.

Also, for the first time in the history of ADVANCE's salary survey, there are more non-union workers working overtime than their union counterparts. Sixty percent of LPNs in non-union facilities are working extra hours (up 1 percent from 2006), compared to 56 percent of LPNs in union-staffed facilities (down 5 percent).

Workers in union-employed facilities also fair better in receiving benefit coverage from their employers in all categories except two: long-term disability and savings plans.

Education Pays Off
With more LPNs being encouraged to go back to school, ADVANCE asked if more LPNs are considering advanced degrees or certifications to improve financial standing.

We found this isn't the case with our respondents. This year, 16 percent of LPNs said they have a higher degree, an 11 percent decrease from 2 years ago. In this group are LPNs who have associate's degrees (9 percent), bachelor's degrees (5 percent) and a master's (1 percent).

The benefit of higher education is paying off for most of the LPNs. Those with associate's degrees average $2 more than those who claim a PN diploma as their highest degree, while those with their bachelor's are making $2.50 more an hour than the average LPN.

About 25 percent of our respondents have some type of specialty credentials after their names. The top five certifications for LPNs are advanced cardiac life support (35 percent); IV (31 percent); wound care (7 percent); long-term care (6 percent) and hospice/palliative care (5 percent).

Taking the time to earn credentials is paying off financially for those who've achieved certification, with credentialed LPNs making about $2,100 more annually than those non-credentialed.  

Tom Kerr is ADVANCE editor.