SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required. Includes Clinical Nurse Specialists. Excludes “Nurse Anesthetists” (29-1151), “Nurse Midwives” (29-1161), and “Nurse Practitioners” (29-1171).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 29-1141.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $68,940 | $5,745 | $1,326 | $33.14 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $80,330 | $6,694 | $1,545 | $38.62 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $97,550 | $8,129 | $1,876 | $46.90 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $112,350 | $9,362 | $2,161 | $54.02 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $137,470 | $11,456 | $2,644 | $66.09 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Registered Nurses is $97,550, which is 91% higher. Among the 71 occupations of the field Healthcare Practitioners and Technical, it ranks number 40 by median pay. With 3,379,720 jobs, it makes up about 217 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Registered Nurses pay by state
The highest median pay was in California ($140,270), Hawaii ($136,320) and Oregon ($129,010). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($39,880), Alabama ($77,080) and Mississippi ($77,090). The most jobs were in California (338,940), Texas (271,380) and Florida (229,940). The occupation is most concentrated in West Virginia, where its share of all jobs is 1.5 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 338,940 | $140,270 | $150,280 | $67.44 |
| Hawaii | 12,940 | $136,320 | $124,340 | $65.54 |
| Oregon | 39,730 | $129,010 | $123,140 | $62.02 |
| Washington | 69,260 | $124,200 | $121,540 | $59.71 |
| Alaska | 7,510 | $109,480 | $114,870 | $52.64 |
| New York | 205,810 | $109,440 | $113,440 | $52.62 |
| New Jersey | 92,680 | $106,500 | $110,100 | $51.20 |
| Massachusetts | 88,200 | $104,550 | $117,960 | $50.27 |
| Nevada | 27,070 | $103,670 | $105,710 | $49.84 |
| Connecticut | 40,110 | $102,740 | $105,250 | $49.39 |
| District of Columbia | 11,440 | $102,540 | $106,980 | $49.30 |
| Minnesota | 70,110 | $101,510 | $103,420 | $48.80 |
| Rhode Island | 10,090 | $100,640 | $101,260 | $48.39 |
| Colorado | 54,490 | $100,260 | $99,370 | $48.20 |
| Maryland | 52,910 | $99,790 | $99,010 | $47.98 |
| New Hampshire | 15,390 | $99,700 | $97,900 | $47.93 |
| Delaware | 14,290 | $99,520 | $99,460 | $47.85 |
| Arizona | 73,150 | $99,500 | $99,730 | $47.84 |
| Vermont | 7,410 | $97,460 | $96,650 | $46.86 |
| Pennsylvania | 146,520 | $96,430 | $94,020 | $46.36 |
| Illinois | 138,910 | $95,990 | $94,360 | $46.15 |
| Texas | 271,380 | $95,970 | $95,380 | $46.14 |
| Wisconsin | 68,060 | $95,530 | $94,690 | $45.93 |
| New Mexico | 17,980 | $94,340 | $95,290 | $45.36 |
| Michigan | 104,950 | $94,300 | $94,300 | $45.34 |
| Virginia | 77,490 | $93,600 | $93,850 | $45.00 |
| Georgia | 100,950 | $93,550 | $95,080 | $44.98 |
| Idaho | 16,880 | $92,460 | $92,710 | $44.45 |
| Maine | 16,540 | $86,990 | $91,700 | $41.82 |
| Montana | 10,950 | $85,280 | $91,510 | $41.00 |
| Nebraska | 24,720 | $84,730 | $88,330 | $40.74 |
| Utah | 27,420 | $84,600 | $90,950 | $40.67 |
| North Carolina | 111,120 | $84,350 | $90,470 | $40.56 |
| Florida | 229,940 | $84,190 | $90,650 | $40.48 |
| Virgin Islands | 470 | $84,120 | $89,910 | $40.44 |
| Wyoming | 5,330 | $83,760 | $88,600 | $40.27 |
| Indiana | 68,980 | $83,500 | $89,150 | $40.14 |
| Oklahoma | 38,270 | $82,920 | $85,060 | $39.87 |
| Ohio | 143,730 | $82,510 | $87,730 | $39.67 |
| South Carolina | 49,750 | $82,360 | $87,670 | $39.60 |
| Missouri | 76,310 | $81,780 | $85,900 | $39.32 |
| Tennessee | 72,200 | $81,500 | $85,390 | $39.18 |
| Kentucky | 50,300 | $81,040 | $86,140 | $38.96 |
| North Dakota | 11,340 | $80,730 | $83,600 | $38.81 |
| Louisiana | 48,970 | $80,230 | $84,190 | $38.57 |
| West Virginia | 23,430 | $80,130 | $86,970 | $38.52 |
| Kansas | 33,800 | $79,320 | $82,360 | $38.14 |
| Arkansas | 29,400 | $78,940 | $81,520 | $37.95 |
| Iowa | 34,420 | $78,630 | $80,540 | $37.80 |
| South Dakota | 14,710 | $78,060 | $77,140 | $37.53 |
| Mississippi | 29,060 | $77,090 | $78,950 | $37.06 |
| Alabama | 54,340 | $77,080 | $77,020 | $37.06 |
| Puerto Rico | 21,270 | $39,880 | $46,190 | $19.17 |
| Guam | 690 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Genetic Counselors$100,040 a year
- Dental Hygienists$98,100 a year
- Speech-Language Pathologists$97,870 a year
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers$96,590 a year
- Audiologists$95,780 a year
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists$95,480 a year
Common questions
How much do Registered Nurses earn in the United States?
The median pay was $97,550 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $68,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $137,470.
How many people work as Registered Nurses?
About 3,379,720 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.
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