Recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there were over 3,175,000 registered nurses (RNs) employed in the U.S. as of May 2023.  More than 804,000 of those RN jobs were in the twelve-state Southeast region of the country.  BLS data reveals the Southeast as a generally weak region for registered nurse pay.  The average annual mean wage for registered nurses in nearly every state in the region fell below the national average, and six states in the region ranked among the bottom ten states in the nation for RN annual mean wages.  BLS data from May 2023 reveals the following about registered nurse pay in the Southeastern U.S.:

Registered Nurse Pay in the Southeastern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AL	50,450	$71,370	50th
AR	29,690	$72,900	49th
FL	207,910	$84,760	28th
GA	93,730	$90,000	20th
KY	48,710	$81,770	38th
LA	36,840	$80,760	40th
MS	28,910	$75,510	47th
NC	104,380	$82,530	36th
SC	48,790	$81,390	39th
TN	63,460	$78,240	43rd
VA	70,650	$88,350	23rd
WV	20,860	$75,990	46th
U.S.	3,175,440	$89,611	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on February 20, 2025

Medical Assistant Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data published this past spring showed just over 763,000 medical assistants (MAs) at work in the United States as of May 2023.  The four-state Southwestern U.S. held over 105,000 of those MA jobs.  BLS data shows the Southwest to be one of the weakest regions in the country for medical assistant pay, as all but one state, Arizona, reported an annual mean wage below the national average for medical assistants.  In fact, all three other states in the region ranked among the fifteen worst states in the nation for medical assistant annual mean wages.  BLS data reveals the following detail about medical assistant pay in the Southwestern U.S. as of May 2020:

Medical Assistant Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	22,180	$43,140	20th
NM	6,580	$39,020	40th
OK	9,880	$37,480	45th
TX	66,720	$38,870	41st
U.S.	763,020	$42,404	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on February 19, 2025