Data released recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that, as of May 2022, there were over 3,072,000 registered nurses (RNs) employed in the country.  More than 244,300 of those RN jobs were in the seven Great Plains states.  BLS data revealed the Great Plains as one of the weakest regions of the country for registered nurse pay.  Only one state in the region, Minnesota, recorded an RN annual mean wage level that was close to the national average pay for registered nurses, and it was home to only 26% of the region's employed RNs. Meanwhile, about 69% of the region's RNs lived in one of five Great Plains states that ranked among the ten states in the country with the lowest annual mean wage levels for registered nurses. A closer examination of BLS data from May 2022 reveals the following details about registered nurse pay in the Great Plains states:

Registered Nurse Pay in the Great Plains States

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	34,050	$69,370	47th
KS	30,520	$71,990	45th
MN	63,800	$88,860	12th
MO	70,440	$71,860	46th
NE	19,870	$73,510	42nd
ND	11,300	$75,000	40th
SD	14,360	$64,500	51st
U.S.	3,072,700	$89,010	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 8, 2023