Registered Nurses: pay by state
National median: $97,550/yrBLS OEWS OEWSSource: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 vintage · released May 2025 · Official API. Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
What's the equivalent in another state?
A registered nurse earning the median$140,270in California needs about$123,037in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $95,970(—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median registered nurse earns $97,550 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $140,270 in California down to $77,080 in Alabama — a spread of 82% for the same job.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, California offers the strongest real pay ($126,712 in national-average terms).
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Sorted best-first. 100 = US average price level.
| # | State | Median wage | Price level | Real pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $140,270 | 110.7 | $126,712 |
| 2 | Oregon | $129,010 | 103.4 | $124,768 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $136,320 | 110.0 | $123,927 |
| 4 | Washington | $124,200 | 107.0 | $116,075 |
| 5 | Alaska | $109,480 | 102.4 | $106,914 |
| 6 | Nevada | $103,670 | 100.0 | $103,670 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $101,510 | 98.6 | $102,951 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $94,340 | 92.2 | $102,321 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $95,530 | 94.1 | $101,520 |
| 10 | New York | $109,440 | 107.9 | $101,427 |
| 11 | Delaware | $99,520 | 99.8 | $99,719 |
| 12 | Vermont | $97,460 | 98.0 | $99,449 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $102,740 | 103.6 | $99,170 |
| 14 | Texas | $95,970 | 97.1 | $98,836 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $104,550 | 105.8 | $98,819 |
| 16 | Arizona | $99,500 | 100.7 | $98,808 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $96,430 | 97.6 | $98,801 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $100,640 | 102.3 | $98,377 |
| 19 | Michigan | $94,300 | 96.2 | $98,025 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $106,500 | 108.8 | $97,886 |
| 21 | Colorado | $100,260 | 103.1 | $97,245 |
| 22 | Georgia | $93,550 | 96.3 | $97,144 |
| 23 | Idaho | $92,460 | 95.5 | $96,817 |
| 24 | Illinois | $95,990 | 100.0 | $95,990 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $99,700 | 104.2 | $95,681 |
| 26 | Maryland | $99,790 | 105.0 | $95,038 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $82,920 | 87.8 | $94,442 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $84,730 | 90.1 | $94,040 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $102,540 | 109.9 | $93,303 |
| 30 | Virginia | $93,600 | 101.1 | $92,582 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $80,230 | 88.2 | $90,964 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $78,940 | 86.9 | $90,840 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $80,730 | 89.0 | $90,708 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $83,760 | 92.7 | $90,356 |
| 35 | Montana | $85,280 | 94.6 | $90,148 |
| 36 | Missouri | $81,780 | 90.8 | $90,066 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $81,040 | 90.2 | $89,845 |
| 38 | Maine | $86,990 | 97.1 | $89,588 |
| 39 | Iowa | $78,630 | 87.8 | $89,556 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $80,130 | 89.5 | $89,531 |
| 41 | Indiana | $83,500 | 93.3 | $89,496 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $84,350 | 94.3 | $89,449 |
| 43 | Ohio | $82,510 | 92.8 | $88,912 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $81,500 | 91.9 | $88,683 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $77,090 | 87.0 | $88,609 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $78,060 | 88.6 | $88,104 |
| 47 | Kansas | $79,320 | 90.1 | $88,036 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $82,360 | 93.7 | $87,898 |
| 49 | Alabama | $77,080 | 88.8 | $86,802 |
| 50 | Utah | $84,600 | 98.9 | $85,541 |
| 51 | Florida | $84,190 | 103.4 | $81,422 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 2025 · Official API
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API