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). About 57% of registered nurses work in hospitals, with smaller numbers employed in physician offices, home health care agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient care centers. Like many other healthcare professionals with advanced education and skills, RNs usually earn higher salaries 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 registered nurses earn better than average pay, there is much variation from region-to-region in how much registered nurses earn. This variation is readily evident from BLS data of May 2019, which shows the following about RN pay in the top 20 metropolitan areas:
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 174,210 | $93,280 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 111,780 | $106,190 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 97,030 | $77,430 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 60,620 | $76,740 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 54,780 | $81,350 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 43,450 | $83,370 | ||
| 7 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 54,020 | $69,920 | ||
| 8 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 71,120 | $77,640 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 40,830 | $73,610 | ||
| 10 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 38,370 | $79,200 | ||
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 58,690 | $96,510 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 38,580 | $138,000 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 29,780 | $105,570 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 41,400 | $75,810 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 33,180 | $90,730 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 41,640 | $84,400 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 25,260 | $104,860 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 30,390 | $69,440 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 29,710 | $77,770 | ||
| 20 | St. Louis | 33,100 | $65,990 | ||
| National | 2,982,280 | $77,460 | |||
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on November 13, 2020