Which States Gave Nurses the Biggest Raises? RN Median Pay, May 2024 vs. May 2025
By NurseCompensation Research Team · 2026-10-19 · 8 min read
The U.S. median RN wage rose 4.2% in a year, to $97,550. In Vermont it rose 14.5%. In California, Hawaii, Alaska and D.C. it was flat or down. Every state compared, with the caveats BLS attaches to the data.
The national median wage for registered nurses went from $93,600 in May 2024 to $97,550 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is a $3,950 increase, or 4.2%.
For context, the median wage for all U.S. workers rose 3.0% over the same period ($49,500 to $50,980), and consumer prices rose 2.4% in the 12 months ending May 2025.
The national number hides a wide spread. Seven states saw the RN median rise 10% or more. Four (counting D.C.) were flat or went down.
National figures, one year apart
| Measure (RNs) | May 2024 | May 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $66,030 | $68,940 | +4.4% |
| Median | $93,600 | $97,550 | +4.2% |
| Mean | $98,430 | $101,420 | +3.0% |
| 90th percentile | $135,320 | $137,470 | +1.6% |
| Employment | 3,282,010 | 3,379,720 | +3.0% |
The bottom of the pay range moved more than the top. The 10th percentile rose 4.4% while the 90th rose 1.6%.
Every state, ranked by change in RN median pay
The last column shows how the median for all workers in that state changed, so you can see whether nurses gained or lost ground compared with everyone else.
| Rank | State | RN median 2024 | RN median 2025 | Change | % change | All-worker median % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | $85,150 | $97,460 | +$12,310 | +14.5% | +7.6% |
| 2 | South Dakota | $69,510 | $78,060 | +$8,550 | +12.3% | +3.2% |
| 3 | Illinois | $86,410 | $95,990 | +$9,580 | +11.1% | +3.9% |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $86,070 | $95,530 | +$9,460 | +11.0% | +2.7% |
| 5 | Washington | $112,180 | $124,200 | +$12,020 | +10.7% | +2.3% |
| 6 | Michigan | $85,670 | $94,300 | +$8,630 | +10.1% | +2.0% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $87,610 | $96,430 | +$8,820 | +10.1% | +2.3% |
| 8 | Alabama | $71,040 | $77,080 | +$6,040 | +8.5% | +4.2% |
| 9 | Georgia | $86,560 | $93,550 | +$6,990 | +8.1% | +2.4% |
| 10 | Delaware | $92,610 | $99,520 | +$6,910 | +7.5% | +2.3% |
| 11 | Idaho | $86,100 | $92,460 | +$6,360 | +7.4% | +3.2% |
| 12 | New Mexico | $88,260 | $94,340 | +$6,080 | +6.9% | +2.9% |
| 13 | Texas | $90,010 | $95,970 | +$5,960 | +6.6% | +2.4% |
| 14 | Virginia | $88,820 | $93,600 | +$4,780 | +5.4% | +5.0% |
| 15 | Maine | $82,860 | $86,990 | +$4,130 | +5.0% | +4.0% |
| 16 | Nebraska | $81,020 | $84,730 | +$3,710 | +4.6% | +2.1% |
| 17 | Montana | $81,560 | $85,280 | +$3,720 | +4.6% | +2.9% |
| 18 | Oregon | $123,990 | $129,010 | +$5,020 | +4.0% | +6.8% |
| 19 | Colorado | $96,520 | $100,260 | +$3,740 | +3.9% | +2.7% |
| 20 | New Jersey | $102,730 | $106,500 | +$3,770 | +3.7% | +2.3% |
| 21 | New York | $105,600 | $109,440 | +$3,840 | +3.6% | +1.9% |
| 22 | Mississippi | $74,470 | $77,090 | +$2,620 | +3.5% | +2.7% |
| 23 | Indiana | $80,740 | $83,500 | +$2,760 | +3.4% | +2.0% |
| 24 | North Dakota | $78,260 | $80,730 | +$2,470 | +3.2% | +4.3% |
| 25 | Tennessee | $79,030 | $81,500 | +$2,470 | +3.1% | +2.7% |
| 26 | South Carolina | $79,900 | $82,360 | +$2,460 | +3.1% | +3.9% |
| 27 | Maryland | $96,830 | $99,790 | +$2,960 | +3.1% | +2.5% |
| 28 | North Carolina | $81,860 | $84,350 | +$2,490 | +3.0% | +2.2% |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $96,830 | $99,700 | +$2,870 | +3.0% | +6.2% |
| 30 | Utah | $82,270 | $84,600 | +$2,330 | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| 31 | Arizona | $96,890 | $99,500 | +$2,610 | +2.7% | +2.6% |
| 32 | Massachusetts | $101,970 | $104,550 | +$2,580 | +2.5% | +2.1% |
| 33 | Missouri | $79,770 | $81,780 | +$2,010 | +2.5% | +3.0% |
| 34 | Wyoming | $81,790 | $83,760 | +$1,970 | +2.4% | +2.3% |
| 35 | Arkansas | $77,130 | $78,940 | +$1,810 | +2.3% | +6.4% |
| 36 | Iowa | $76,960 | $78,630 | +$1,670 | +2.2% | +1.8% |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $81,160 | $82,920 | +$1,760 | +2.2% | +3.8% |
| 38 | Louisiana | $78,880 | $80,230 | +$1,350 | +1.7% | +4.0% |
| 39 | Nevada | $101,990 | $103,670 | +$1,680 | +1.6% | +2.6% |
| 40 | Florida | $82,850 | $84,190 | +$1,340 | +1.6% | +2.2% |
| 41 | Kansas | $78,060 | $79,320 | +$1,260 | +1.6% | +2.5% |
| 42 | Ohio | $81,250 | $82,510 | +$1,260 | +1.6% | +2.7% |
| 43 | Kentucky | $79,910 | $81,040 | +$1,130 | +1.4% | +2.6% |
| 44 | Connecticut | $101,590 | $102,740 | +$1,150 | +1.1% | +2.2% |
| 45 | Rhode Island | $99,960 | $100,640 | +$680 | +0.7% | +5.1% |
| 46 | Minnesota | $100,870 | $101,510 | +$640 | +0.6% | +5.8% |
| 47 | West Virginia | $79,990 | $80,130 | +$140 | +0.2% | +4.6% |
| 48 | Hawaii | $136,320 | $136,320 | $0 | 0.0% | +5.7% |
| 49 | California | $140,330 | $140,270 | -$60 | 0.0% | +2.3% |
| 50 | Alaska | $110,690 | $109,480 | -$1,210 | -1.1% | +2.7% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | $104,550 | $102,540 | -$2,010 | -1.9% | +4.0% |
Patterns worth noting
The Midwest and Great Lakes moved most. Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania all gained 10% or more. These were mid-paying states for RNs a year earlier, with medians in the $85,000 to $88,000 range. All four now sit between $94,000 and $97,000.
The highest-paying states mostly stood still. California and Hawaii, the two states with the highest RN medians in 2024, were flat in 2025. Alaska, fifth in 2024, fell 1.1%. Oregon, third, rose 4.0%, less than the 6.8% increase for all Oregon workers. Washington, fourth, was the exception at +10.7%.
In 21 states plus D.C., nurses lost ground compared with local workers. In these places, the all-worker median rose faster than the RN median. The biggest gaps were in Hawaii (0.0% for RNs vs. 5.7% for all workers), Minnesota (0.6% vs. 5.8%), and Rhode Island (0.7% vs. 5.1%).
16 states and D.C. saw RN median pay rise less than 2.4%, the 12-month inflation rate through May 2025. In those states, the typical nurse's pay lost buying power over the year.
Read these numbers with care
BLS itself cautions that its occupational wage estimates are not designed for comparisons over time. There are three reasons that matter here:
- Each estimate blends three years of surveys. A May 2025 figure pools employer responses collected over roughly three years and adjusts older responses forward. Consecutive years share much of the same underlying data, and a single new survey round can shift a small state's number noticeably.
- The mix of jobs changes. If a state adds many nurses in lower-paying settings, such as home health, the median can fall even if every individual nurse got a raise. The reverse is also true.
- Small states are noisier. Vermont has about 7,400 RNs and South Dakota about 14,700. Large swings in states that size are more likely to include sampling movement than in Texas (271,380) or California (338,940).
So a 14.5% jump in Vermont does not mean every Vermont nurse got a 14.5% raise. It means the BLS estimate of the middle of the pay distribution moved that much. Treat single-year state changes as a signal to look closer, and give more weight to large states and multi-year trends.
These figures cover base wages only. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, and bonuses.
How to use this
If you are negotiating a raise, the national 4.2% figure is a reasonable reference point for what the market did over the year. If your state's median moved more, bring the state number. If your raise came in below 2.4%, your pay fell behind inflation, and the data above gives you a documented way to say so.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 and May 2025 national and state data (SOC 29-1141 Registered Nurses; 00-0000 All Occupations). Consumer price change: BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, 12 months ending May 2025. Dollar and percentage changes calculated by NurseCompensation from the published BLS figures.