Salaries / Registered nurse
Registered nurse pay by state
The median RN in the U.S. earns $46.90 an hour, about $97,552 a year (BLS, May 2025). California pays the most at $67.44; Alabama and Mississippi the least at $37.06.
Survey wages for registered nurses across all employers, before tax. Offers vary by employer, shift and experience. Informational only.
Across the U.S.
- $46.90median hourly
- $38.62 to $54.02middle half
- $66.09top 10% earn more
Adjusted for prices (BEA regional price parities), California goes furthest: its median buys what $60.91 an hour would at U.S.-average prices.
Every state
| # | State | Median hourly | Middle half | At U.S. prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $67.44 | $58.87–$83.25 | $60.91 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $65.54 | $48.65–$69.30 | $59.61 |
| 3 | Oregon | $62.02 | $51.55–$64.63 | $60.00 |
| 4 | Washington | $59.71 | $49.57–$64.54 | $55.80 |
| 5 | Alaska | $52.64 | $46.97–$62.07 | $51.43 |
| 6 | New York | $52.62 | $45.60–$62.34 | $48.76 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $51.20 | $47.94–$61.41 | $47.06 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $50.27 | $42.05–$65.44 | $47.53 |
| 9 | Nevada | $49.84 | $41.76–$57.82 | $49.85 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $49.39 | $41.40–$58.58 | $47.67 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $49.30 | $41.28–$61.44 | $44.86 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $48.80 | $42.76–$55.17 | $49.48 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $48.39 | $39.35–$51.49 | $47.31 |
| 14 | Colorado | $48.20 | $40.67–$52.37 | $46.77 |
| 15 | Maryland | $47.98 | $40.26–$51.61 | $45.71 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $47.93 | $39.85–$52.12 | $46.01 |
| 17 | Delaware | $47.85 | $41.30–$53.71 | $47.94 |
| 18 | Arizona | $47.84 | $39.33–$52.20 | $47.52 |
| 19 | Vermont | $46.86 | $39.53–$50.58 | $47.84 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $46.36 | $38.75–$50.35 | $47.51 |
| 21 | Illinois | $46.15 | $38.47–$50.94 | $46.17 |
| 22 | Texas | $46.14 | $38.06–$50.53 | $47.54 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $45.93 | $39.39–$49.33 | $48.81 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $45.36 | $38.92–$49.40 | $49.19 |
| 25 | Michigan | $45.34 | $39.46–$49.74 | $47.12 |
| 26 | Virginia | $45.00 | $38.51–$49.53 | $44.51 |
| 27 | Georgia | $44.98 | $38.02–$51.12 | $46.71 |
| 28 | Idaho | $44.45 | $38.90–$49.19 | $46.55 |
| 29 | Maine | $41.82 | $38.41–$48.78 | $43.09 |
| 30 | Montana | $41.00 | $38.56–$48.46 | $43.32 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $40.74 | $38.09–$47.90 | $45.21 |
| 32 | Utah | $40.67 | $38.49–$50.54 | $41.14 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $40.56 | $37.87–$49.06 | $43.00 |
| 34 | Florida | $40.48 | $37.82–$48.64 | $39.14 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $40.27 | $37.45–$48.61 | $43.45 |
| 36 | Indiana | $40.14 | $37.86–$48.28 | $43.01 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $39.87 | $37.19–$47.55 | $45.39 |
| 38 | Ohio | $39.67 | $38.08–$47.61 | $42.76 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $39.60 | $37.17–$46.75 | $42.24 |
| 40 | Missouri | $39.32 | $36.56–$47.39 | $43.30 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $39.18 | $36.28–$45.79 | $42.65 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $38.96 | $36.38–$46.73 | $43.21 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $38.81 | $33.47–$44.75 | $43.63 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $38.57 | $33.19–$45.00 | $43.73 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $38.52 | $32.77–$47.97 | $43.04 |
| 46 | Kansas | $38.14 | $35.24–$45.53 | $42.35 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $37.95 | $32.04–$43.40 | $43.65 |
| 48 | Iowa | $37.80 | $32.83–$41.32 | $43.07 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $37.53 | $31.29–$40.52 | $42.37 |
| 50 | Alabama | $37.06 | $30.53–$40.09 | $41.72 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $37.06 | $31.22–$40.62 | $42.62 |
"At U.S. prices" divides the median by the state's price parity, so a dollar in an expensive state counts for less. Yearly figures elsewhere on these pages use BLS's 2,080 hours.
Other roles
Sources for this page
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 SOC 29-1141. Released May 15, 2026. Checked November 10, 2026.
- BLS Handbook of Methods, OEWS annual wage calculation Checked November 10, 2026.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 Values imported 2026-10-11. Checked November 10, 2026.