Data released recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that, as of May 2023, there were over 3,175,000 registered nurses (RNs) employed in the country.  More than 252,000 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 above the national average pay for registered nurses, and it was home to only 26% of the region's employed RNs. Meanwhile, all other RNs in the region lived in one of six 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 2023 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	33,300	$74,610	48th
KS	31,120	$76,240	45th
MN	66,700	$94,830	13th
MO	73,190	$77,590	44th
NE	22,870	$79,780	41st
ND	10,350	$79,190	42nd
SD	14,600	$69,030	51st
U.S.	3,175,440	$89,611	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on February 13, 2025