Monday, August 8, 2022

The Best and Worst States for Registered Nurse Pay

There were approximately 3,040,000 registered nurses (RNs) working in the U.S. as of May 2021 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  RNs work in varied healthcare settings, including hospitals, physician offices, home health care agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient care centers. Like many other healthcare professionals with advanced training and skills, registered nurses usually earn higher salaries and wages than workers in most other occupations.  Per BLS estimates, as of May 2021, the national mean wage for registered nurses was $82,750 per year.  While RNs realize better than average pay in comparison to most workers, there is much variation from state to state in how much registered nurses earn.  Per BLS data, as of May 2021, these were the ten best and worst states for registered nurse pay:

The Best and Worst States for Registered Nurse Pay

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
CA 324,400 $124,000 1st
HI 11,110 $106,530 2nd
OR 37,780 $98,630 3rd
DC 11,540 $98,540 4th
AK 6,060 $97,230 5th
MA 88,270 $96,630 6th
WA 62,470 $95,350 7th
NY 188,300 $93,320 8th
NJ 77,980 $89,690 9th
NV 24,590 $88,800 10th
U.S. 3,047,530 $82,750 -------
MO 69,240 $67,790 42nd
WV 19,800 $67,640 43rd
KY 43,540 $67,260 44th
TN 62,250 $66,680 45th
KS 28,980 $66,560 46th
AR 26,320 $65,810 47th
IA 32,650 $64,990 48th
MS 29,140 $63,130 49th
AL 49,780 $61,920 50th
SD 14,140 $60,540 51st

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on August 6, 2022