Registered Nursing Salaries by State

Registered nurses (RNs) are dedicated professionals serving citizens across the lifespan. Beyond the satisfaction of doing such honorable work, nurses deserve to earn a salary equal to their knowledge, skill, and experience.

Keeping track of changes in national and local nurse salary data can help professionals make good career choices in terms of where to live and work. It may also provide insights to help you negotiate higher pay.

This article covers newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of May 2023. Read on to discover the latest nurse salary data and which states pay nurses the most.

Source: BLS, 2023

The interactive map below displays average annual RN salaries, according to the BLS. As you can see, RN salaries vary by state. You can also expect nurse salary differences between various metropolitan areas and facilities in the same city or neighborhood.

Using the map, hover over any state for more detailed information, including state ranking, median annual salary, and cost-of-living index score.

According to newly released salary data, the highest-paying states for RNs are:

Among the lowest-paying states for RNs are:

You might immediately notice that there is a stark contrast between the median annual RN salary in California ($133,990) compared to Alabama ($65,900). That said, California’s cost-of-living index score is 112.5, compared to Alabama’s 87.8. The cost-of-living index measures the amount you need to spend to reach a certain standard of living, where 100 equals the national average.

When we adjust for cost of living, RN salaries by state and their relative earning power change. In the BLS data, salaries in the top 10 states were adjusted for cost of living according to the cost-of-living index, or regional price parity (RPP), by state from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

RPP demonstrates how far your dollars go in each state. Even after adjusting for cost of living, the top 10 states remain relatively the same, with two significant changes: Nevada and Delaware rank within the top 10, New Jersey falls to 13th position, and Massachusetts falls to 14th position after adjusting.

Awareness of significant increases or decreases in median annual RN salaries can help you choose the right location for your career. No economist can truly tell us where salaries might be heading, but trends are worth paying attention to.

Oklahoma, West Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky had the largest increases in median annual salary for RNs. Demand may drive changes, as can increased employer competition due to regional nursing shortages. Changing demographics, such as an aging population caused by an influx of retired people moving from other states, can also impact salary variants.

If you’re a nurse considering relocation, explore the area’s wages, cost of living, job opportunities, and economic projections. Take into consideration the quality of schools if you have children, access to nature, air and water quality, the level of sprawl and growth, crime, and other statistics. After all, a higher salary will not improve your life if you don’t like the overall environment and location.

If you’re looking for more information on RN salaries in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the following table is a helpful resource that includes adjustments for cost of living. Find your state, a state where you previously lived, or perhaps a state where you might wish to relocate, and compare the data to your personal economic reality, desired lifestyle, and what that state has to offer you and your family.

Source: BLS and BEA, 2023