How Much More Do Nurses Earn Than the Typical Worker? RN Pay vs. Local Wages in Every State

By NurseCompensation Research Team · 2026-10-19 · 8 min read

Nationally, the median RN earns 1.91 times the median U.S. worker. In Hawaii and California the figure is over 2.4. In D.C. it is 1.12. A state-by-state look at how nursing pay compares with local wages, using BLS May 2025 data.

Most salary rankings compare nurses in one state with nurses in another. That tells you where RN pay is highest, but not how a nursing income compares with what people around you earn. A $95,000 salary means something different where the typical worker earns $45,000 than where the typical worker earns $60,000.

This comparison uses one simple measure: the median RN wage in a state divided by the median wage for all workers in that same state. Both figures come from the same Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, so they are measured the same way.

The national picture

The median RN earns 1.91 times what the median U.S. worker earns, enough to land above three-quarters of all American wage earners.

Every state, ranked by how far RN pay sits above local pay

"RN pay multiple" is the state's RN median divided by its all-worker median. "RNs per 1,000 jobs" shows how much of the state's workforce is nursing; the national figure is 21.7.

What the comparison shows

Nursing is a top-quarter income almost everywhere

In every state, the median RN earns more than the state's 75th-percentile worker. D.C. is the only exception. And in every state, an RN at the 10th percentile, typically a new graduate or someone in a lower-paying setting, still earns more than the state's median worker. Again, D.C. is the only exception.

In three states, even the lowest-paid nurses out-earn three-quarters of local workers

In Hawaii, the median RN ($136,320) also earns more than the state's 90th-percentile worker ($123,660). Hawaii is the only state where that is true.

High RN pay and high relative pay are not the same list

Mississippi has the second-lowest RN median in the country at $77,090, but ranks 12th on this measure because typical wages there are also low. Massachusetts has the eighth-highest RN median at $104,550, but ranks 48th because the typical Massachusetts worker earns $63,590.

Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado all have RN medians between $93,000 and $101,000, yet rank 41st, 42nd, and 43rd on relative pay. These states have large, well-paid professional workforces, so nursing stands out less.

D.C. is a special case

D.C.'s all-worker median of $91,540 is the highest of any state-level area by a wide margin, driven by federal, legal, and policy jobs. A nurse there earns about the same as the typical D.C. worker, even though the RN median ($102,540) is above the national figure.

How many nurses a state has does not predict relative pay

West Virginia and South Dakota have the highest concentration of RNs, at 33.4 and 32.2 per 1,000 jobs, yet they rank 26th and 46th on relative pay. Utah has the lowest concentration at 15.8 and ranks 39th. Across all states, there is no clear relationship between the two measures.

What this does and does not tell you

This measure shows where nursing pay stands within a local labor market. It is a useful check if you are weighing a move: a state that ranks high on both RN pay and relative pay (California, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington) offers nurses an income well above what most local households earn.

It is not a cost-of-living adjustment. It does not account for housing prices or taxes directly, although local wages tend to reflect local costs. It also uses base pay only. BLS figures exclude overtime, shift differentials, and bonuses for both nurses and other workers.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national and state data (SOC 29-1141 Registered Nurses; 00-0000 All Occupations). Pay multiples and comparisons calculated by NurseCompensation from the published BLS figures.