Occupational Therapists
Median $100,330
Occupation · SOC 29-1141
Registered Nurses: pay and where the jobs are
What registered nurses earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$97,550 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $101,420
- Median hourly wage
- $46.90
- Mean hourly wage
- $48.76
- Employment
- 3,379,720
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1141.
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See where your pay falls among registered nurses nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do registered nurses make?
The median annual wage for registered nurses was $97,550 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $68,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $137,470. As an hourly rate, the median is $46.90. About 3,379,720 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($140,270), Hawaii ($136,320) and Oregon ($129,010). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Washington.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for registered nurses looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $68,940 | $33.14 | $5,745 | $4,777 |
| 25th percentile | $80,330 | $38.62 | $6,694 | $5,445 |
| Median | $97,550 | $46.90 | $8,129 | $6,455 |
| 75th percentile | $112,350 | $54.02 | $9,363 | $7,322 |
| 90th percentile | $137,470 | $66.09 | $11,456 | $8,769 |
Registered Nurses: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$88,245 take-home in national prices
2
$87,172 take-home in national prices
3
$86,846 take-home in national prices
Where a median registered nurse paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 338,940 | $140,270 | $101,260 | $213,320 | $96,517 | $87,172 |
| Hawaii | 12,940 | $136,320 | $82,500 | $147,830 | $95,488 | $86,846 |
| Oregon | 39,730 | $129,010 | $95,280 | $155,010 | $88,568 | $85,688 |
| Washington | 69,260 | $124,200 | $89,630 | $161,910 | $94,434 | $88,245 |
| Alaska | 7,510 | $109,480 | $85,030 | $149,070 | $85,578 | $83,606 |
| New York | 205,810 | $109,440 | $79,760 | $157,090 | $79,961 | $74,092 |
| New Jersey | 92,680 | $106,500 | $83,060 | $135,170 | $78,521 | $72,167 |
| Massachusetts | 88,200 | $104,550 | $80,310 | $174,510 | $76,892 | $72,707 |
| Nevada | 27,070 | $103,670 | $79,500 | $133,270 | $81,762 | $81,779 |
| Connecticut | 40,110 | $102,740 | $80,350 | $134,870 | $75,679 | $73,043 |
| District of Columbia | 11,440 | $102,540 | $79,390 | $151,170 | $75,219 | $68,443 |
| Minnesota | 70,110 | $101,510 | $79,960 | $132,430 | $74,416 | $75,457 |
| Rhode Island | 10,090 | $100,640 | $77,410 | $129,840 | $75,352 | $73,672 |
| Colorado | 54,490 | $100,260 | $79,500 | $124,940 | $75,219 | $72,991 |
| Maryland | 52,910 | $99,790 | $76,780 | $124,790 | $74,658 | $71,131 |
| New Hampshire | 15,390 | $99,700 | $75,610 | $123,190 | $78,969 | $75,811 |
| Delaware | 14,290 | $99,520 | $78,340 | $123,860 | $73,217 | $73,358 |
| Arizona | 73,150 | $99,500 | $70,540 | $130,930 | $76,735 | $76,219 |
| Vermont | 7,410 | $97,460 | $77,670 | $126,100 | $73,465 | $74,996 |
| Pennsylvania | 146,520 | $96,430 | $70,800 | $117,900 | $73,641 | $75,473 |
| Illinois | 138,910 | $95,990 | $69,170 | $118,190 | $71,752 | $71,782 |
| Texas | 271,380 | $95,970 | $67,120 | $127,950 | $76,345 | $78,660 |
| Wisconsin | 68,060 | $95,530 | $77,470 | $119,860 | $71,873 | $76,384 |
| New Mexico | 17,980 | $94,340 | $74,300 | $123,540 | $71,906 | $77,979 |
| Michigan | 104,950 | $94,300 | $77,260 | $116,710 | $71,413 | $74,221 |
| Virginia | 77,490 | $93,600 | $67,830 | $125,580 | $70,110 | $69,344 |
| Georgia | 100,950 | $93,550 | $68,920 | $128,640 | $70,723 | $73,445 |
| Idaho | 16,880 | $92,460 | $71,210 | $121,230 | $70,084 | $73,390 |
| Maine | 16,540 | $86,990 | $74,160 | $106,950 | $65,394 | $67,382 |
| Montana | 10,950 | $85,280 | $70,120 | $113,920 | $65,367 | $69,066 |
| Nebraska | 24,720 | $84,730 | $66,020 | $106,190 | $65,462 | $72,652 |
| Utah | 27,420 | $84,600 | $68,920 | $109,050 | $64,684 | $65,428 |
| North Carolina | 111,120 | $84,350 | $67,660 | $110,220 | $65,313 | $69,242 |
| Florida | 229,940 | $84,190 | $67,970 | $120,330 | $68,058 | $65,811 |
| Virgin Islands | 470 | $84,120 | $63,250 | $102,250 | — | — |
| Wyoming | 5,330 | $83,760 | $65,770 | $107,350 | $67,755 | $73,098 |
| Indiana | 68,980 | $83,500 | $66,750 | $105,750 | $65,139 | $69,794 |
| Oklahoma | 38,270 | $82,920 | $60,530 | $106,390 | $63,978 | $72,833 |
| Ohio | 143,730 | $82,510 | $66,980 | $105,290 | $65,043 | $70,109 |
| South Carolina | 49,750 | $82,360 | $66,860 | $106,520 | $63,625 | $67,867 |
| Missouri | 76,310 | $81,780 | $63,230 | $104,390 | $63,456 | $69,872 |
| Tennessee | 72,200 | $81,500 | $63,970 | $104,920 | $66,165 | $72,021 |
| Kentucky | 50,300 | $81,040 | $64,170 | $111,750 | $63,123 | $70,013 |
| North Dakota | 11,340 | $80,730 | $65,520 | $103,480 | $65,309 | $73,414 |
| Louisiana | 48,970 | $80,230 | $63,800 | $104,740 | $63,251 | $71,708 |
| West Virginia | 23,430 | $80,130 | $57,210 | $131,760 | $62,421 | $69,746 |
| Kansas | 33,800 | $79,320 | $63,180 | $100,840 | $61,005 | $67,732 |
| Arkansas | 29,400 | $78,940 | $60,780 | $103,660 | $61,931 | $71,237 |
| Iowa | 34,420 | $78,630 | $63,840 | $100,500 | $61,810 | $70,429 |
| South Dakota | 14,710 | $78,060 | $54,040 | $98,220 | $63,745 | $71,959 |
| Mississippi | 29,060 | $77,090 | $60,610 | $100,350 | $60,711 | $69,821 |
| Alabama | 54,340 | $77,080 | $58,150 | $98,910 | $59,848 | $67,379 |
| Puerto Rico | 21,270 | $39,880 | $35,120 | $60,180 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1141. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.