How Much Does a Registered Nurse Make? Registered Nurse Salary Guide for 2027

By Justine TacmoUpdated Oct 11, 2026

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Registered nurses earn a median of $97,550 a year, or $46.90 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025, the newest federal wage data available for 2027 planning). The middle half of RNs earn between $80,330 and $112,350, and pay depends most on where you work. California RNs earn a median of $140,270, while RNs in Alabama earn $77,080, and two California metro areas pay more than double the national median.

Work setting, shift, and experience move the number as well, so two nurses with the same license can take home very different pay. The answer to how much a registered nurse makes starts with the national figure and ends with your state, your employer, and your schedule.

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Key Points

How much does a nurse make? RNs earn a median of $97,550 a year, or $46.90 an hour (BLS, May 2025).
The lowest-paid 10% earn less than $68,940, and the highest-paid 10% earn more than $137,470.
California pays RNs the most ($140,270), and 13 states plus DC have medians of $100,000 or more.
RNs in government jobs earn a median of $110,780, the highest of the main work settings.
BLS reports one wage for all RNs, whether they hold an ADN or a BSN.

A registered nurse in blue scrubs reviews patient records at a hospital nurses’ station with other clinical staff working in the background.

Average RN Salary and Pay Range

The nurse salary figure most people quote comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, which covers 3,379,720 RN jobs. It puts the median registered nurse salary at $97,550 a year and the median hourly rate at $46.90, and O*NET's copy of the same BLS data lists the full percentile spread. RN salary by percentile, May 2025:

Measure	Annual	Hourly
Lowest 10%	$68,940	$33.14
25th percentile	$80,330	$38.62
Median	$97,550	$46.90
Mean (average)	$101,420	$48.76
75th percentile	$112,350	$54.02
Highest 10%	$137,470	$66.09

The average nurse salary, meaning the mean, is $101,420, higher than the median because a smaller group of top earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical RN earns. Demand supports the number. BLS projects RN employment to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 180,800 openings a year, many of them from replacing nurses who retire or change occupations.

How RN Pay Has Grown Since 2019

BLS put the RN median at $73,300 in May 2019, so the May 2025 figure is about 33% higher. The latest year alone added $3,950, a 4.2% rise from $93,600 in May 2024. BLS cautions that its wage survey is built for snapshots rather than year-to-year trend analysis, so read the change as a direction, not an exact raise.

The practical point is to check the data year whenever you compare an older article or offer with these numbers. A 2019 median understates current RN pay by more than $24,000.

Why BLS, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter Show Different Numbers

Search for RN salary and you will see several figures, because each source measures something different. The BLS employer survey covers what employers pay every RN on payroll. The Current Population Survey asks households what full-time workers earn, and job boards such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter average the pay in job postings.

Source	RN pay figure	What it measures
BLS employer survey (OEWS)	$97,550 a year (median)	Pay employers report for all RNs, May 2025
BLS Current Population Survey	$1,563 a week (median)	What full-time RNs report earning, 2025
Indeed	$45.36 an hour (average)	261,500 salaries from job postings over 36 months, updated October 5, 2026
ZipRecruiter	$87,868 a year (average)	Job postings plus third-party data, as of October 9, 2026

The household survey runs lower than the employer survey, and both job-board averages sit below the BLS median, partly because they describe a different group: open positions posted over a set window rather than every RN already on payroll. Use the BLS figures for the national picture and a posting's own pay range when you weigh a specific job.

How Much Do Nurses Make an Hour, a Week, and a Month?

RNs earn a median of $46.90 an hour, and that registered nurse hourly wage is the number to compare across job offers, since employers quote hourly rates and annual pay depends on the hours behind them. The weekly and monthly rows are the annual median divided by 52 and by 12.

Period	Median RN pay
Hour	$46.90
Week	About $1,876
Month	About $8,129
Year	$97,550

A second BLS source gives a lower weekly figure. Full-time RNs reported median usual weekly earnings of $1,563 in 2025 in the Current Population Survey, a household survey that runs lower than the employer survey behind the $97,550 figure, so you may see both numbers quoted.

The 2,080-hour assumption matters too. Many hospital RNs work three 12-hour shifts, and 36 hours at $46.90 comes to about $87,800 a year before overtime, differentials, or a fourth shift. That math is why two nurses at the same hourly rate can report very different annual pay.

Overtime, Differentials, and Call Pay

Schedule adds pay that the median leaves out. BLS excludes overtime, shift differentials, on-call pay, and weekend and holiday premiums from its wage survey, and hospital RNs usually work in shifts that cover nights, weekends, and holidays. Indeed lists about $12,000 a year in overtime for RNs on top of base pay.

In one widely shared r/Salary post, a San Francisco Bay Area operating room nurse with five years of experience described a $96 base rate, $10 an hour more for nights, and $5 more for weekends. Call paid $48 an hour at home and $144 when called in, and $30,000 to $40,000 of a $228,000 year came from call alone. Each employer sets its own differentials, so get the amounts in writing before you compare two offers.

Registered Nurse Salary by State

Where do nurses make the most money? California pays RNs the most, with a median of $140,270, followed by Hawaii ($136,320), Oregon ($129,010), Washington ($124,200), and Alaska ($109,480). Thirteen states plus the District of Columbia have medians of $100,000 or more, and the lowest medians are in Alabama ($77,080), Mississippi ($77,090), and South Dakota ($78,060). California is also the largest RN employer by far, with 338,940 jobs, ahead of Texas (271,380), Florida (229,940), and New York (205,810).

The table shows nurse salary by state for May 2025, from the BLS state wage estimates, sorted by median. The last column, the figure the lowest-paid 10% earn less than, is the closest public reference for starting nursing salary by state.

State	Median annual	Median hourly	Lowest 10% earn less than
California	$140,270	$67.44	$101,260
Hawaii	$136,320	$65.54	$82,500
Oregon	$129,010	$62.02	$95,280
Washington	$124,200	$59.71	$89,630
Alaska	$109,480	$52.64	$85,030
New York	$109,440	$52.62	$79,760
New Jersey	$106,500	$51.20	$83,060
Massachusetts	$104,550	$50.27	$80,310
Nevada	$103,670	$49.84	$79,500
Connecticut	$102,740	$49.39	$80,350
District of Columbia	$102,540	$49.30	$79,390
Minnesota	$101,510	$48.80	$79,960
Rhode Island	$100,640	$48.39	$77,410
Colorado	$100,260	$48.20	$79,500
Maryland	$99,790	$47.98	$76,780
New Hampshire	$99,700	$47.93	$75,610
Delaware	$99,520	$47.85	$78,340
Arizona	$99,500	$47.84	$70,540
Vermont	$97,460	$46.86	$77,670
Pennsylvania	$96,430	$46.36	$70,800
Illinois	$95,990	$46.15	$69,170
Texas	$95,970	$46.14	$67,120
Wisconsin	$95,530	$45.93	$77,470
New Mexico	$94,340	$45.36	$74,300
Michigan	$94,300	$45.34	$77,260
Virginia	$93,600	$45.00	$67,830
Georgia	$93,550	$44.98	$68,920
Idaho	$92,460	$44.45	$71,210
Maine	$86,990	$41.82	$74,160
Montana	$85,280	$41.00	$70,120
Nebraska	$84,730	$40.74	$66,020
Utah	$84,600	$40.67	$68,920
North Carolina	$84,350	$40.56	$67,660
Florida	$84,190	$40.48	$67,970
Wyoming	$83,760	$40.27	$65,770
Indiana	$83,500	$40.14	$66,750
Oklahoma	$82,920	$39.87	$60,530
Ohio	$82,510	$39.67	$66,980
South Carolina	$82,360	$39.60	$66,860
Missouri	$81,780	$39.32	$63,230
Tennessee	$81,500	$39.18	$63,970
Kentucky	$81,040	$38.96	$64,170
North Dakota	$80,730	$38.81	$65,520
Louisiana	$80,230	$38.57	$63,800
West Virginia	$80,130	$38.52	$57,210
Kansas	$79,320	$38.14	$63,180
Arkansas	$78,940	$37.95	$60,780
Iowa	$78,630	$37.80	$63,840
South Dakota	$78,060	$37.53	$54,040
Mississippi	$77,090	$37.06	$60,610
Alabama	$77,080	$37.06	$58,150

The high-paying states also come with higher living costs and, in most cases, state income tax, so compare two offers with rent and taxes in mind rather than on the gross figure alone.

A Registered Nurse Salary by State map showing May 2025 BLS median annual RN pay, with California highest at $140,270 and Alabama lowest among the highlighted states at $77,080.

RN Pay vs. Cost of Living and State Taxes

A higher median does not always leave more money at the end of the month. The high-paying states also come with higher living costs, and state income tax can widen or narrow the gap. Nine states do not tax wage income in 2026: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming, according to the Tax Foundation (Washington taxes capital gains only).

That puts two of the five highest-paying states for RNs, Washington ($124,200) and Alaska ($109,480), in the no-wage-tax group, along with Texas ($95,970) and Florida ($84,190), the second- and third-largest RN employers. Compare offers on rent, taxes, and commute rather than on the gross figure alone.

Where RNs Earn the Most: Settings, Industries, and Metro Areas

Work setting is the first lever, and the BLS handbook reports these May 2025 medians for the main RN employers:

Government (excluding hospitals and schools): $110,780
Hospitals (state, local, and private): $100,220
Ambulatory healthcare services: $91,230
Nursing and residential care facilities: $84,300
Educational services: $78,620

A Median RN Pay by Work Setting chart showing May 2025 BLS salaries from $78,620 in educational services to $110,780 in government jobs excluding hospitals and schools.

The detailed industry data in the BLS OEWS profile sharpens the picture. The Federal Executive Branch pays the highest RN median, and these four large employers also pay above the national median:

Federal Executive Branch: $121,260
Specialty hospitals: $102,840
Colleges and universities: $102,580
General medical and surgical hospitals: $100,210
Outpatient care centers: $99,350

Location is the bigger lever. The BLS metropolitan area estimates put the top seven RN medians in California, with Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii ($144,350) the highest outside it:

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $216,740
Vallejo: $203,290
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $186,610
Santa Rosa-Petaluma: $174,550
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: $171,460

The largest job markets sit closer to the national median, with New York at $119,720, Los Angeles $135,560, Boston $106,180, Dallas-Fort Worth $101,420, Chicago $100,490, Houston $99,830, and Miami $91,380. In all, 81 of the 380 metro and nonmetro areas BLS measures post RN medians of $100,000 or more.

Schedule adds a layer that BLS does not measure. Indeed's national RN page, built from 244,900 reported salaries as of July 2026, lists about $12,000 a year in overtime on top of base pay. In one widely shared r/Salary post, a San Francisco Bay Area operating room nurse with five years of experience described a $96 base rate, $10 an hour more for nights, and $5 more for weekends. Call paid $48 an hour at home and $144 when called in, and $30,000 to $40,000 of a $228,000 year came from call alone.

Starting RN Salary: What New Grad Nurses Earn

No government source publishes pay for new graduate nurses, so the BLS percentiles are the best public reference for entry level nurse salary. The lowest-paid 10% of RNs earn less than $68,940 a year ($33.14 an hour), and the 25th percentile is $80,330, which is where many new grads start. The 10th percentile also moves with the state, from $54,040 in South Dakota to $101,260 in California, so the state table above doubles as a starting-pay reference.

The higher percentiles, the settings, and the metro figures above show where pay can go from there, and a useful marker comes from the nurses themselves. In the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's 2024 workforce survey, RNs at every experience level reported median pretax earnings of $88,000, up from $80,000 in 2022. Self-reported pay runs below the employer-reported BLS median, but the marker still holds: a new grad should expect to start under that figure and pass it within a few years as differentials, certifications, and unit changes add up.

How RN Pay Grows With Experience

Pay rises with experience, but less than it varies by location. PayScale's RN pay data, built from self-reported salary profiles updated in June and July 2026, shows the average base hourly rate climbing about 31% from the first year to 20 or more years on the job:

Experience	Average base pay an hour	About a year at 2,080 hours
Entry level (under 1 year)	$32.79	$68,200
Early career (1 to 4 years)	$34.63	$72,000
Mid-career (5 to 9 years)	$38.11	$79,300
Experienced (10 to 19 years)	$40.72	$84,700
Late career (20 or more years)	$42.84	$89,100

PayScale's figures run below the BLS median because they reflect base pay reported by individual nurses rather than employer payroll, so read them for the shape of the curve, not the dollar level. The comparison is still telling: California's median is 82% above Alabama's, a wider gap than a whole career of experience produces in this data.

Does a BSN Pay More Than an ADN?

The BSN nursing salary question has a plain answer: BLS counts every RN in one occupation with one wage, $97,550, whether the nurse holds an associate degree, a bachelor's degree, or a diploma. There is no official BSN pay premium to quote, BSN nurses are RNs, and a two-year RN with an ADN holds the same license as a BSN nurse.

The part that matters for pay is indirect. BLS notes that licensed graduates of all three paths generally qualify for entry-level staff nurse jobs, but employers, particularly hospitals, may require a bachelor's degree. Hospital RNs earn a higher median ($100,220) than RNs in nursing and residential care facilities ($84,300). A BSN is also the usual path into graduate programs for the highest-paying nursing roles, and in the NCSBN survey 46% of RNs now start with a BSN, up from 39% in 2015.

If you are choosing between associate degree in nursing programs and BSN programs near you, compare total time and cost against the hospitals you want to work in. RN-to-BSN programs, many of them delivered as online registered nursing classes, let working nurses close the gap later, and the guide to registered nursing classes near you lists schools by state and city.

Staff vs. Travel vs. Per Diem RN Pay

Staff RNs earn the wages in the tables above. Travel nurses take short-term contracts through staffing agencies and usually earn more per week, while per diem nurses pick up shifts as needed at rates each employer sets.

Per diem, or PRN, work suits nurses who want control over their schedule or a second income. Because PRN shifts come without guaranteed hours and may not include benefits, compare the hourly rate against the full value of a staff job, including health coverage and retirement contributions, before you switch.

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How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?

ZipRecruiter puts the average travel nurse at $101,132 a year, or $48.62 an hour, as of October 11, 2026, about 15% above its $87,868 average for RNs overall. Travel pay is usually quoted as a weekly total, and part of that total may come as housing or meal allowances, so look at how the package is built, not just the headline number.

Taxes depend on keeping a tax home. Under IRS Publication 463, an assignment in one place that is realistically expected to last a year or less is temporary, while an indefinite one makes that location your new tax home, and living-expense allowances you receive there count as income. Ask the agency how each part of the weekly rate is classified, and check with a tax professional before you sign.

Licensing shapes where you can take contracts. A multistate license under the Nurse Licensure Compact, which covers 43 jurisdictions, lets you practice in other compact states without applying for a new license, though California is not a member.

RN Salary Compared With Other Nursing Roles

Registered nurses sit in the middle of the nursing pay ladder, well above the assisting roles and well below advanced practice. Nursing pay by role, BLS May 2025:

Role	Median annual pay
Nursing assistant (CNA)	$42,260
Licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN)	$64,400
Registered nurse (RN)	$97,550
Nurse practitioner (NP)	$132,300

The figures come from the BLS handbook pages for nursing assistants and orderlies, licensed practical and vocational nurses, and nurse practitioners and other APRNs, and each rung changes the scope of practice as much as the pay. The CNA vs. RN comparison covers the first step up, and the LVN vs. RN guide covers the second. The full nursing career ladder guide shows how each credential leads to the next.

How to Increase Your RN Salary

Seven levers move RN pay, and most of them do not require another degree:

Compare states and metros. Medians run from $77,080 in Alabama to $140,270 in California, and from $91,380 in Miami to $216,740 in San Jose, so a move can outweigh years of raises.
Move to a higher-paying setting. Government RNs earn a median of $110,780 and hospital RNs $100,220, against $84,300 in nursing and residential care facilities.
Pick up differentials, overtime, and call. These sit outside the BLS median, and the Bay Area example above shows call alone adding $30,000 to $40,000 in a year.
Earn a specialty certification. BLS notes that certification is usually voluntary but shows a set level of competency, and some employers require it.
Finish a BSN or go to graduate school. Hospitals may require a bachelor's degree, and the advanced practice roles above need at least a master's.
Take travel or per diem contracts when your schedule allows, with the tax-home rules above in mind.
Negotiate with data. Bring your state's median and 75th percentile from this guide, and ask for the employer's posted pay range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do nurses make $100,000 a year?

Many do. The national median is $97,550, just under that mark, the mean is $101,420, and the top 25% of RNs earn more than $112,350. Thirteen states plus DC have medians of $100,000 or more, and so do 81 of 380 metro and nonmetro areas, so a six-figure RN salary depends mostly on where you work.

Do nurses make good money?

Yes, by most measures. RNs earn a median of $97,550 a year, almost twice the $50,980 median for all U.S. workers, and BLS projects about 180,800 openings a year through 2035. The trade-offs are shift work, physical strain, and pay that varies by more than $60,000 between the highest-paying and lowest-paying states.

How much does an RN make after taxes?

It depends on your state, filing status, and benefit deductions. Most employees pay 6.2% Social Security tax on wages up to $184,500 in 2026 and 1.45% Medicare tax, according to the IRS, plus federal income tax. RNs in the nine states with no wage tax, including Texas, Florida, and Washington, keep more of the same gross pay.

What is the highest RN paid?

The top 10% of RNs earn more than $137,470 nationally and more than $213,320 in California, and RNs in the San Jose metro area earn a median of $216,740. Pay above that usually comes from advanced practice, and nurse anesthetists earn a median of $236,590, the highest of any nursing occupation BLS tracks.

Do male nurses make more than female nurses?

In 2025, full-time male RNs reported median weekly earnings of $1,900 and female RNs $1,517, according to the Current Population Survey. Men were about 14% of full-time RNs, and the survey does not adjust for specialty, hours, or experience, so the gap reflects a mix of those factors as well as pay itself.

Does it take 4 years to be a nurse?

Not always. BLS says a bachelor's degree in nursing typically takes 4 years and a hospital diploma program 2 to 3 years, while associate degree timelines depend on the program and your prerequisites. Licensed graduates of all three paths generally qualify for entry-level RN jobs, and the guide on how long becoming an RN takes compares each route.

Planning Your Registered Nurse Career

The median registered nurse salary is a starting point, not a forecast. State, setting, and experience decide where you land, and the same license pays $77,080 in one state and $140,270 in another, so compare offers by location and setting and read the hourly rate alongside the guaranteed hours.

Plan the education path with those levers in mind. An ADN is the shorter route to the license, a BSN opens the hospital doors that pay above the median, and either one can be compared on Dreambound by format, length, and location before you commit.

Key Points