RN Salary by State, May 2025: All 50 States Ranked by Median Pay
By NurseCompensation Research Team · 2026-10-05 · 11 min read
The national median RN salary is now $97,550. Only 17 states and D.C. pay above it. Full May 2025 BLS figures for every state: median, mean, 10th and 90th percentile, and how nurse pay compares with the typical local job.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics published its May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics in May 2026. It is the largest wage survey in the country, and it is the most recent official look at what registered nurses are paid in every state.
This post ranks states by median pay, not mean. The median is the midpoint: half of nurses earn more, half earn less. The mean gets pulled up by a small number of very high earners, which makes it a poor benchmark for an individual job offer.
The national picture
| Measure | Annual pay, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $68,940 |
| 25th percentile | $80,330 |
| Median | $97,550 |
| Mean | $101,420 |
| 75th percentile | $112,350 |
| 90th percentile | $137,470 |
| Employed RNs | 3,379,720 |
A nurse at the 90th percentile earns about twice what a nurse at the 10th percentile earns. Where you work explains a large share of that gap.
All states, ranked by median RN pay
| Rank | State | Median | Mean | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employed RNs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $140,270 | $150,280 | $101,260 | $213,320 | 338,940 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $136,320 | $124,340 | $82,500 | $147,830 | 12,940 |
| 3 | Oregon | $129,010 | $123,140 | $95,280 | $155,010 | 39,730 |
| 4 | Washington | $124,200 | $121,540 | $89,630 | $161,910 | 69,260 |
| 5 | Alaska | $109,480 | $114,870 | $85,030 | $149,070 | 7,510 |
| 6 | New York | $109,440 | $113,440 | $79,760 | $157,090 | 205,810 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $106,500 | $110,100 | $83,060 | $135,170 | 92,680 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $104,550 | $117,960 | $80,310 | $174,510 | 88,200 |
| 9 | Nevada | $103,670 | $105,710 | $79,500 | $133,270 | 27,070 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $102,740 | $105,250 | $80,350 | $134,870 | 40,110 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $102,540 | $106,980 | $79,390 | $151,170 | 11,440 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $101,510 | $103,420 | $79,960 | $132,430 | 70,110 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $100,640 | $101,260 | $77,410 | $129,840 | 10,090 |
| 14 | Colorado | $100,260 | $99,370 | $79,500 | $124,940 | 54,490 |
| 15 | Maryland | $99,790 | $99,010 | $76,780 | $124,790 | 52,910 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $99,700 | $97,900 | $75,610 | $123,190 | 15,390 |
| 17 | Delaware | $99,520 | $99,460 | $78,340 | $123,860 | 14,290 |
| 18 | Arizona | $99,500 | $99,730 | $70,540 | $130,930 | 73,150 |
| 19 | Vermont | $97,460 | $96,650 | $77,670 | $126,100 | 7,410 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $96,430 | $94,020 | $70,800 | $117,900 | 146,520 |
| 21 | Illinois | $95,990 | $94,360 | $69,170 | $118,190 | 138,910 |
| 22 | Texas | $95,970 | $95,380 | $67,120 | $127,950 | 271,380 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $95,530 | $94,690 | $77,470 | $119,860 | 68,060 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $94,340 | $95,290 | $74,300 | $123,540 | 17,980 |
| 25 | Michigan | $94,300 | $94,300 | $77,260 | $116,710 | 104,950 |
| 26 | Virginia | $93,600 | $93,850 | $67,830 | $125,580 | 77,490 |
| 27 | Georgia | $93,550 | $95,080 | $68,920 | $128,640 | 100,950 |
| 28 | Idaho | $92,460 | $92,710 | $71,210 | $121,230 | 16,880 |
| 29 | Maine | $86,990 | $91,700 | $74,160 | $106,950 | 16,540 |
| 30 | Montana | $85,280 | $91,510 | $70,120 | $113,920 | 10,950 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $84,730 | $88,330 | $66,020 | $106,190 | 24,720 |
| 32 | Utah | $84,600 | $90,950 | $68,920 | $109,050 | 27,420 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $84,350 | $90,470 | $67,660 | $110,220 | 111,120 |
| 34 | Florida | $84,190 | $90,650 | $67,970 | $120,330 | 229,940 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $83,760 | $88,600 | $65,770 | $107,350 | 5,330 |
| 36 | Indiana | $83,500 | $89,150 | $66,750 | $105,750 | 68,980 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $82,920 | $85,060 | $60,530 | $106,390 | 38,270 |
| 38 | Ohio | $82,510 | $87,730 | $66,980 | $105,290 | 143,730 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $82,360 | $87,670 | $66,860 | $106,520 | 49,750 |
| 40 | Missouri | $81,780 | $85,900 | $63,230 | $104,390 | 76,310 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $81,500 | $85,390 | $63,970 | $104,920 | 72,200 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $81,040 | $86,140 | $64,170 | $111,750 | 50,300 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $80,730 | $83,600 | $65,520 | $103,480 | 11,340 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $80,230 | $84,190 | $63,800 | $104,740 | 48,970 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $80,130 | $86,970 | $57,210 | $131,760 | 23,430 |
| 46 | Kansas | $79,320 | $82,360 | $63,180 | $100,840 | 33,800 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $78,940 | $81,520 | $60,780 | $103,660 | 29,400 |
| 48 | Iowa | $78,630 | $80,540 | $63,840 | $100,500 | 34,420 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $78,060 | $77,140 | $54,040 | $98,220 | 14,710 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $77,090 | $78,950 | $60,610 | $100,350 | 29,060 |
| 51 | Alabama | $77,080 | $77,020 | $58,150 | $98,910 | 54,340 |
Six things the table shows
1. Most states pay below the national median
Only 17 states plus D.C. have a median at or above $97,550. The other 33 states sit below it.
That sounds impossible until you look at California. It employs 338,940 RNs, almost exactly 10% of the national total, and its median is $42,720 above the national figure. A tenth of the workforce earning that much more drags the national number upward. If you live in Ohio, Florida, or Tennessee, the national median is not a fair yardstick. Your state median is.
2. California's lowest-paid nurses out-earn the typical U.S. nurse
The 10th percentile in California is $101,260. That is higher than the national median of $97,550. Nine out of ten California RNs earn more than the typical American RN.
3. Mean and median can tell different stories
In most states the two figures are within a few thousand dollars. Two states break the pattern in opposite directions:
| State | Median | Mean | Difference | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $104,550 | $117,960 | Mean is $13,410 higher | $174,510 |
| Hawaii | $136,320 | $124,340 | Median is $11,980 higher | $147,830 |
Massachusetts has a long tail of very high earners, so the mean overstates what a typical nurse makes. If a recruiter there quotes you "average" pay, ask for the median.
Hawaii is the reverse. Pay is bunched near the top: the 90th percentile is only $11,510 above the median. A typical offer in Hawaii is already close to the ceiling, which leaves less room to negotiate upward.
4. In some states, the employer matters more than the state
The ratio of 90th-percentile pay to 10th-percentile pay shows how spread out wages are.
| State | 10th pct | 90th pct | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia (widest) | $57,210 | $131,760 | 2.30x |
| Massachusetts | $80,310 | $174,510 | 2.17x |
| California | $101,260 | $213,320 | 2.11x |
| New York | $79,760 | $157,090 | 1.97x |
| Wisconsin | $77,470 | $119,860 | 1.55x |
| Michigan | $77,260 | $116,710 | 1.51x |
| Maine (narrowest) | $74,160 | $106,950 | 1.44x |
West Virginia has a below-average median but the widest spread in the country. Its top tenth earns more than the top tenth in Connecticut or New Jersey. Shopping between employers in a wide-spread state pays off more than it does in a compressed state like Maine.
5. Compared with local jobs, nurses do best in the West and Southwest
Dividing the RN median by the median for all occupations in the same state shows how nurse pay stacks up against local wages.
| State | RN median | All-jobs median | RN pay multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $136,320 | $56,320 | 2.42x |
| California | $140,270 | $58,240 | 2.41x |
| Oregon | $129,010 | $57,000 | 2.26x |
| Nevada | $103,670 | $47,660 | 2.18x |
| New Mexico | $94,340 | $47,210 | 2.00x |
| Arizona | $99,500 | $50,060 | 1.99x |
| Texas | $95,970 | $48,620 | 1.97x |
| Washington | $124,200 | $62,990 | 1.97x |
| ... | |||
| Massachusetts | $104,550 | $63,590 | 1.64x |
| Iowa | $78,630 | $48,540 | 1.62x |
| North Dakota | $80,730 | $52,480 | 1.54x |
| District of Columbia | $102,540 | $91,540 | 1.12x |
This is a rough proxy for local purchasing power, since local wages tend to track local prices. It is not a cost-of-living index. Still, the pattern is clear. A Nevada nurse earns more than twice what the typical Nevada worker earns. A D.C. nurse earns barely more than the typical D.C. worker, in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
6. Where nurses make up the largest share of jobs
BLS also reports RN jobs per 1,000 total jobs. West Virginia (33.4) and South Dakota (32.2) lead. Utah (15.8), D.C. (16.3), and Nevada (17.4) are lowest. Nevada pairs one of the lowest nurse densities with one of the highest pay multiples, which is consistent with a tight supply of nurses relative to the rest of the economy.
What these numbers include and exclude
Read OEWS figures for what they are:
- Included: base pay, cost-of-living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazard pay, incentive pay, and on-call pay.
- Excluded: overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses (such as sign-on bonuses), and benefits.
- Who is counted: wage and salary employees. Self-employed nurses are not included.
- Timing: each estimate pools survey responses collected over three years, adjusted to May 2025.
Because differentials and overtime are left out, a night-shift nurse who picks up extra shifts will usually earn more than the figure for their percentile. Compare offers on base rate first, then add differentials separately.
Using this data on a real offer
- Find your state's row and note the 10th percentile, median, and 90th percentile.
- Convert an hourly offer to annual by multiplying by 2,080 (40 hours x 52 weeks). That is the same convention BLS uses.
- If the offer lands below your state's median and you have more than a couple of years of experience, you have a data-backed reason to ask for more.
- If you are open to moving, check the pay multiple table as well as the raw median. A higher salary in a high-wage state can buy less than a lower salary somewhere cheaper.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and state data files, SOC 29-1141 Registered Nurses; all-occupations totals used for the pay multiple). Released May 2026. Percentages and ratios are calculated by NurseCompensation from the published BLS figures.