The latest occupational employment data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that there were over 3,174,000 registered nurses (RNs) employed in the country as of May 2023.  Over 506,000 of those RN jobs were in the five Great Lakes states.  BLS data revealed the Great Lakes region as a weak one for registered nurse pay, as no state in the region had an RN annual mean wage level that topped the national average. A closer look at BLS data from May 2023 reveals the following details about registered nurse pay in the Great Lakes region:

Registered Nurse Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	139,910	$87,650	24th
IN	68,850	$82,700	35th
MI	102,240	$86,210	27th
OH	133,300	$84,430	29th
WI	61,870	$87,220	26th
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 28, 2025