Registered Nurses: pay by state
National median: $97,550/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$68,940 25th percentile$80,330 Median$97,550 75th percentile$112,350 90th percentile$137,470
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 3,379,720. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A registered nurse earning the median $140,270 in California needs about $123,037 in 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.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $68,940 to $137,470. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
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). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 338,940 | $101,260 | $140,270 | $213,320 | 110.7 | $126,712 |
| 2 | Oregon | 39,730 | $95,280 | $129,010 | $155,010 | 103.4 | $124,768 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 12,940 | $82,500 | $136,320 | $147,830 | 110.0 | $123,927 |
| 4 | Washington | 69,260 | $89,630 | $124,200 | $161,910 | 107.0 | $116,075 |
| 5 | Alaska | 7,510 | $85,030 | $109,480 | $149,070 | 102.4 | $106,914 |
| 6 | Nevada | 27,070 | $79,500 | $103,670 | $133,270 | 100.0 | $103,670 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 70,110 | $79,960 | $101,510 | $132,430 | 98.6 | $102,951 |
| 8 | New Mexico | 17,980 | $74,300 | $94,340 | $123,540 | 92.2 | $102,321 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 68,060 | $77,470 | $95,530 | $119,860 | 94.1 | $101,520 |
| 10 | New York | 205,810 | $79,760 | $109,440 | $157,090 | 107.9 | $101,427 |
| 11 | Delaware | 14,290 | $78,340 | $99,520 | $123,860 | 99.8 | $99,719 |
| 12 | Vermont | 7,410 | $77,670 | $97,460 | $126,100 | 98.0 | $99,449 |
| 13 | Connecticut | 40,110 | $80,350 | $102,740 | $134,870 | 103.6 | $99,170 |
| 14 | Texas | 271,380 | $67,120 | $95,970 | $127,950 | 97.1 | $98,836 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 88,200 | $80,310 | $104,550 | $174,510 | 105.8 | $98,819 |
| 16 | Arizona | 73,150 | $70,540 | $99,500 | $130,930 | 100.7 | $98,808 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 146,520 | $70,800 | $96,430 | $117,900 | 97.6 | $98,801 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 10,090 | $77,410 | $100,640 | $129,840 | 102.3 | $98,377 |
| 19 | Michigan | 104,950 | $77,260 | $94,300 | $116,710 | 96.2 | $98,025 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 92,680 | $83,060 | $106,500 | $135,170 | 108.8 | $97,886 |
| 21 | Colorado | 54,490 | $79,500 | $100,260 | $124,940 | 103.1 | $97,245 |
| 22 | Georgia | 100,950 | $68,920 | $93,550 | $128,640 | 96.3 | $97,144 |
| 23 | Idaho | 16,880 | $71,210 | $92,460 | $121,230 | 95.5 | $96,817 |
| 24 | Illinois | 138,910 | $69,170 | $95,990 | $118,190 | 100.0 | $95,990 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | 15,390 | $75,610 | $99,700 | $123,190 | 104.2 | $95,681 |
| 26 | Maryland | 52,910 | $76,780 | $99,790 | $124,790 | 105.0 | $95,038 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | 38,270 | $60,530 | $82,920 | $106,390 | 87.8 | $94,442 |
| 28 | Nebraska | 24,720 | $66,020 | $84,730 | $106,190 | 90.1 | $94,040 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | 11,440 | $79,390 | $102,540 | $151,170 | 109.9 | $93,303 |
| 30 | Virginia | 77,490 | $67,830 | $93,600 | $125,580 | 101.1 | $92,582 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 48,970 | $63,800 | $80,230 | $104,740 | 88.2 | $90,964 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 29,400 | $60,780 | $78,940 | $103,660 | 86.9 | $90,840 |
| 33 | North Dakota | 11,340 | $65,520 | $80,730 | $103,480 | 89.0 | $90,708 |
| 34 | Wyoming | 5,330 | $65,770 | $83,760 | $107,350 | 92.7 | $90,356 |
| 35 | Montana | 10,950 | $70,120 | $85,280 | $113,920 | 94.6 | $90,148 |
| 36 | Missouri | 76,310 | $63,230 | $81,780 | $104,390 | 90.8 | $90,066 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 50,300 | $64,170 | $81,040 | $111,750 | 90.2 | $89,845 |
| 38 | Maine | 16,540 | $74,160 | $86,990 | $106,950 | 97.1 | $89,588 |
| 39 | Iowa | 34,420 | $63,840 | $78,630 | $100,500 | 87.8 | $89,556 |
| 40 | West Virginia | 23,430 | $57,210 | $80,130 | $131,760 | 89.5 | $89,531 |
| 41 | Indiana | 68,980 | $66,750 | $83,500 | $105,750 | 93.3 | $89,496 |
| 42 | North Carolina | 111,120 | $67,660 | $84,350 | $110,220 | 94.3 | $89,449 |
| 43 | Ohio | 143,730 | $66,980 | $82,510 | $105,290 | 92.8 | $88,912 |
| 44 | Tennessee | 72,200 | $63,970 | $81,500 | $104,920 | 91.9 | $88,683 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 29,060 | $60,610 | $77,090 | $100,350 | 87.0 | $88,609 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 14,710 | $54,040 | $78,060 | $98,220 | 88.6 | $88,104 |
| 47 | Kansas | 33,800 | $63,180 | $79,320 | $100,840 | 90.1 | $88,036 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 49,750 | $66,860 | $82,360 | $106,520 | 93.7 | $87,898 |
| 49 | Alabama | 54,340 | $58,150 | $77,080 | $98,910 | 88.8 | $86,802 |
| 50 | Utah | 27,420 | $68,920 | $84,600 | $109,050 | 98.9 | $85,541 |
| 51 | Florida | 229,940 | $67,970 | $84,190 | $120,330 | 103.4 | $81,422 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data