Chiropractors vs Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses: $79K vs $64K Median Pay

Chiropractors vs Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses: what changes?

Consider Chiropractors if you want to assess, treat, and care for patients by manipulation of spine and musculoskeletal system. Consider Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses if you would rather care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. Entry credentials differ: Chiropractors, doctoral or professional degree; Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, postsecondary nondegree award.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Chiropractors and Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Chiropractors

National median pay (2025): $79,200
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Evaluate the functioning of the neuromuscularskeletal system and the spine using systems of chiropractic diagnosis.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,600

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Chiropractors brief

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

National median pay (2025): $64,400
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 51,800

Know before you choose

Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.

See the full Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses brief

How the national numbers differ

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses has the edge on annual openings

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses is at 51,800 annual openings, compared with 2,600 annual openings for Chiropractors.

Chiropractors has the edge on projected growth

Chiropractors is at 8.7% projected growth, compared with 3% projected growth for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses.

Typical preparation differs.

Chiropractors: Doctoral or professional degree Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses: Postsecondary nondegree award Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Chiropractors has the edge on median pay

Chiropractors is at $79,200, compared with $64,400 for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses.

56.4/ 100

Chiropractors

63.8/ 100

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence