In a September commentary, we reviewed Registered Nurse Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas. Without a doubt, U.S. metro areas with the largest populations employ far more registered nurses than do smaller metropolitan markets. That said, RNs employed in smaller markets oftentimes enjoy better compensation levels than their bigger market peers. This fact is readily seen in May 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which reveals that only four of the 20 largest metro markets in the nation were among the 20 best metropolitan areas for registered nurse pay:
20 Best Metropolitan Areas for Registered Nurse Pay
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 20,640 | $155,230 | ||
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#) | 41,160 | $151,640 | ||
| 3 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 3,530 | $146,360 | ||
| 4 | Santa Rosa, CA | 3,510 | $141,440 | ||
| 5 | Napa, CA | 1,520 | $139,680 | ||
| 6 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 1,520 | $139,590 | ||
| 7 | Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade | 21,770 | $135,490 | ||
| 8 | Salinas, CA | 3,250 | $130,520 | ||
| 9 | Modesto, CA | 4,900 | $127,730 | ||
| 10 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 970 | $124,790 | ||
| 11 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 1,920 | $122,730 | ||
| 12 | Fresno, CA | 8,140 | $119,830 | ||
| 13 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | 4,820 | $119,600 | ||
| 14 | Yuba City, CA | 950 | $117,190 | ||
| 15 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (#) | 113,890 | $116,110 | ||
| 16 | Northern Valley California non-metro | 1,750 | $115,160 | ||
| 17 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 5,520 | $114,530 | ||
| 18 | San Diego-Carlsbad (#) | 27,200 | $113,150 | ||
| 19 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (#) | 30,570 | $111,700 | ||
| 20 | North Coast California non-metro | 1,840 | $110,760 | ||
| National | 3,047,530 | $82,750 | |||
(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on November 5, 2022