Nurse salary: how much do nurses make?
Nurse pay depends most on your license and role. A registered nurse earns about $97,550 a year ($46.90/hr), CRNAs reach $236,590, and certified nursing assistants earn around $42,260.
Registered nurse — U.S. national
Verified public wage dataMedian annual pay
$97,550
Hourly
$46.90/hr
- Typical range
- $80,330–$112,350
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $137,470
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $68,940
- Newer nurses
Nurse pay by type
National annual pay and high-end pay, by nurse type.
| Nurse type | Annual pay | High end | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRNA | $236,590 | $339,500 | Verified public wage data |
| Nurse Midwife | $134,040 | $188,320 | Verified public wage data |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 | $174,420 | Verified public wage data |
| Registered Nurse | $97,550 | $137,470 | Verified public wage data |
| LPN / LVN | $64,400 | $83,440 | Verified public wage data |
| Nursing Assistant (CNA) | $42,260 | $51,980 | Verified public wage data |
What drives nurse pay
Four factors explain most of the spread in nurse salaries: the license and role (CNA → LPN → RN → NP/CRNA), the state and metro labor market (California and the Pacific Northwest pay well above the South), experience and clinical ladder, and specialty, shift, and setting (critical care, nights, and hospitals typically pay more than clinics). The salary calculator lets you combine these to estimate your own pay.
Source & confidence— A verified figure from official U.S. public wage data.
BLS OEWS (May 2025, national)
National wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2025 national data.
Source year 2025. Last reviewed July 17, 2026. Full methodology
Last reviewed July 17, 2026.
Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do nurses make?
- A registered nurse earns about $97,550 a year — roughly $46.90 an hour. Most RNs earn between $80,330 and $112,350, depending on state, experience, specialty, and shift. Advanced roles such as nurse practitioners and CRNAs earn substantially more.
- What state pays nurses the most?
- California consistently reports the highest registered-nurse pay in the country, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states. The lowest-paying states are concentrated in the South and rural Midwest. See nurse salary by state for the full comparison; state figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living.
- Is nurse pay quoted hourly or as an annual salary?
- Most hospital nurses are paid an hourly wage with shift differentials and overtime, while the figures here are shown as both an annual figure and an hourly equivalent for easy comparison. The national RN average works out to roughly $46.90 an hour at a full-time schedule.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
- How are the estimates calculated?
- State and city figures take the national pay for that role and adjust it for local cost of living. Specialty figures (ICU, ER, travel, and similar) apply a typical pay difference to the closest role that is measured directly. Every estimate carries a clear label, and the full method is on our methodology page. When official local pay data is added, these figures update to verified numbers automatically.