Nurse salary by state
Where you work changes nurse pay a lot. The typical U.S. registered nurse earns about $97,550, but RN pay runs from around $140,270 in California down to $77,080 in Alabama. Find your state below, then open it to compare roles and cities.
Highest-paying states for nurses
Estimated registered nurse pay by state, highest to lowest.
- CaliforniaVerified public wage data$140,270$67.44/hr
- HawaiiVerified public wage data$136,320$65.54/hr
- OregonVerified public wage data$129,010$62.02/hr
- WashingtonVerified public wage data$124,200$59.71/hr
- AlaskaVerified public wage data$109,480$52.63/hr
- New YorkVerified public wage data$109,440$52.62/hr
- New JerseyVerified public wage data$106,500$51.20/hr
- MassachusettsVerified public wage data$104,550$50.26/hr
- NevadaVerified public wage data$103,670$49.84/hr
- ConnecticutVerified public wage data$102,740$49.39/hr
- District of ColumbiaVerified public wage data$102,540$49.30/hr
- MinnesotaVerified public wage data$101,510$48.80/hr
All 50 states + DC
RN annual pay and high-end pay. Filter by region, sort, or search.
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State figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living — a starting point, not a guaranteed local wage. Last reviewed July 17, 2026. How we source this.
Nurse salary by state FAQ
- What state pays nurses the most?
- California reports the highest nurse pay in the country, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states such as Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts. The lowest-paying states cluster in the South and rural Midwest. State figures here are estimates based on the national average and local cost of living.
- Why do nurse salaries vary so much by state?
- State pay differences track local labor markets, cost of living, union presence, scope-of-practice rules, and demand for nurses. A high-paying state often pairs higher wages with a higher cost of living, so a bigger number doesn't always mean more buying power.
- Are these figures before or after tax?
- The figures shown are gross pay, before any taxes or deductions. Your take-home pay will be lower and depends on your own situation, so treat these as a pre-tax benchmark for comparing roles and locations.
- 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.