There were approximately 2,982,000 registered nurses (RNs) working in the U.S. as of May 2019 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 2019, the national mean wage for registered nurses was $77,460 per year, in comparison to the $53,490 annual mean wage for all occupations in the U.S. While RNs realize better than average pay, there is much variation from state-to-state in how much registered nurses earn. Per BLS data, as of May 2019 these were the ten states where RNs attain the highest average pay:
| California | $113,240 |
| Hawaii | $104,060 |
| Massachusetts | $93,160 |
| Oregon | $92,960 |
| Alaska | $90,500 |
| Nevada | $88,380 |
| New York | $87,840 |
| Washington | $86,170 |
| New Jersey | $84,280 |
| Connecticut | $83,440 |
At the other end of the table, here were the bottom ten states for RN pay:
| Missouri | $64,160 |
| Kentucky | $63,750 |
| West Virginia | $63,220 |
| Tennessee | $62,570 |
| Kansas | $62,450 |
| Arkansas | $61,330 |
| Iowa | $60,590 |
| Alabama | $60,230 |
| Mississippi | $59,750 |
| South Dakota | $59,540 |
So where does your state rank for registered nurse pay?
Visit Registered Nurse Average Wages by State for more information.