There were more than 3,175,000 registered nurses (RNs) working in the U.S. as of May 2023 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The majority 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 2023, the national mean wage for registered nurses was $94,480 per year. 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 2023, which shows the following about registered nurse pay in the top 20 metropolitan areas:
Registered Nurse Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Mean Annual Wage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 184,360 | $111,210 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 123,940 | $121,440 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 102,330 | $90,810 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 72,910 | $94,240 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 61,860 | $94,390 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 43,360 | $99,000 | ||
| 7 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 72,060 | $94,850 | ||
| 8 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 56,660 | $87,710 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 51,820 | $95,000 | ||
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 64,120 | $111,930 | ||
| 11 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 46,350 | $92,540 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 40,620 | $174,370 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 31,140 | $129,310 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 43,270 | $87,620 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 38,500 | $115,170 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 39,370 | $98,550 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 24,420 | $133,790 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 34,240 | $86,060 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 29,460 | $93,190 | ||
| 20 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | 29,390 | $92,810 | ||
| National | 3,175,390 | $94,480 | |||
Report Period: May 2023
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on August 31, 2024
