Registered Nurses pay in the U.S.
$101,420avg. a year
$48.76 an hour · 3,379,720 employed
Registered Nurses in the U.S. earn an average of $101,420 a year and a median of $97,550. Pay is highest in California ($150,280) and lowest in Alabama ($77,020).
$97,550Median pay
$48.76Average hourly
+27%Avg. pay since 2020
3,379,720Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for registered nurses
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1338,940 jobs
California
$150,280
$72.25 an hour
212,940 jobs
Hawaii
$124,340
$59.78 an hour
339,730 jobs
Oregon
$123,140
$59.20 an hour
469,260 jobs
Washington
$121,540
$58.43 an hour
588,200 jobs
Massachusetts
$117,960
$56.71 an hour
67,510 jobs
Alaska
$114,870
$55.23 an hour
7205,810 jobs
New York
$113,440
$54.54 an hour
892,680 jobs
New Jersey
$110,100
$52.93 an hour
911,440 jobs
District of Columbia
$106,980
$51.43 an hour
1027,070 jobs
Nevada
$105,710
$50.82 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Registered Nurses pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $87k$87k–$94k$94k–$101k$101k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $194,950 | $93.73 |
| Vallejo, CA | $182,820 | $87.89 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $176,900 | $85.05 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $170,000 | $81.73 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $164,200 | $78.94 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $159,830 | $76.84 |
| Yuba City, CA | $150,970 | $72.58 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $147,410 | $70.87 |
Related jobs
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Pharmacists$140,920
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Dental Hygienists$98,990
- Speech-Language Pathologists$98,170
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Registered Nurses pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $77,020 | $77,080 | 54,340 |
| Alaska | $114,870 | $109,480 | 7,510 |
| Arizona | $99,730 | $99,500 | 73,150 |
| Arkansas | $81,520 | $78,940 | 29,400 |
| California | $150,280 | $140,270 | 338,940 |
| Colorado | $99,370 | $100,260 | 54,490 |
| Connecticut | $105,250 | $102,740 | 40,110 |
| Delaware | $99,460 | $99,520 | 14,290 |
| District of Columbia | $106,980 | $102,540 | 11,440 |
| Florida | $90,650 | $84,190 | 229,940 |
| Georgia | $95,080 | $93,550 | 100,950 |
| Hawaii | $124,340 | $136,320 | 12,940 |
| Idaho | $92,710 | $92,460 | 16,880 |
| Illinois | $94,360 | $95,990 | 138,910 |
| Indiana | $89,150 | $83,500 | 68,980 |
| Iowa | $80,540 | $78,630 | 34,420 |
| Kansas | $82,360 | $79,320 | 33,800 |
| Kentucky | $86,140 | $81,040 | 50,300 |
| Louisiana | $84,190 | $80,230 | 48,970 |
| Maine | $91,700 | $86,990 | 16,540 |
| Maryland | $99,010 | $99,790 | 52,910 |
| Massachusetts | $117,960 | $104,550 | 88,200 |
| Michigan | $94,300 | $94,300 | 104,950 |
| Minnesota | $103,420 | $101,510 | 70,110 |
| Mississippi | $78,950 | $77,090 | 29,060 |
| Missouri | $85,900 | $81,780 | 76,310 |
| Montana | $91,510 | $85,280 | 10,950 |
| Nebraska | $88,330 | $84,730 | 24,720 |
| Nevada | $105,710 | $103,670 | 27,070 |
| New Hampshire | $97,900 | $99,700 | 15,390 |
| New Jersey | $110,100 | $106,500 | 92,680 |
| New Mexico | $95,290 | $94,340 | 17,980 |
| New York | $113,440 | $109,440 | 205,810 |
| North Carolina | $90,470 | $84,350 | 111,120 |
| North Dakota | $83,600 | $80,730 | 11,340 |
| Ohio | $87,730 | $82,510 | 143,730 |
| Oklahoma | $85,060 | $82,920 | 38,270 |
| Oregon | $123,140 | $129,010 | 39,730 |
| Pennsylvania | $94,020 | $96,430 | 146,520 |
| Rhode Island | $101,260 | $100,640 | 10,090 |
| South Carolina | $87,670 | $82,360 | 49,750 |
| South Dakota | $77,140 | $78,060 | 14,710 |
| Tennessee | $85,390 | $81,500 | 72,200 |
| Texas | $95,380 | $95,970 | 271,380 |
| Utah | $90,950 | $84,600 | 27,420 |
| Vermont | $96,650 | $97,460 | 7,410 |
| Virginia | $93,850 | $93,600 | 77,490 |
| Washington | $121,540 | $124,200 | 69,260 |
| West Virginia | $86,970 | $80,130 | 23,430 |
| Wisconsin | $94,690 | $95,530 | 68,060 |
| Wyoming | $88,600 | $83,760 | 5,330 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$119,600
197,740 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$140,370
109,360 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$97,930
100,240 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$100,820
76,680 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$101,400
73,790 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$100,290
65,910 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$121,820
64,240 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$94,990
61,670 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do registered nurses make?
The average is $101,420 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $97,550 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $48.76, and the median is $46.90 an hour.
Which state pays registered nurses the most?
California, with an average of $150,280 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $194,950.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $68,940 a year, and the top 10% earn over $137,470.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1141. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.