RN salary · May 2025 federal data
How Much Do Nurses Make in Each State?
A typical U.S. registered nurse earns $97,550 a year ($46.90/hour). Typical pay ranges from $77,080 in Alabama to $140,270 in California. These numbers come from the federal wage survey (May 2025), not job-board guesses. Choose a state to see more.
Typical Nurse Pay in Every State
Sort by any column. “Typical” means half of nurses earn more and half earn less. New nurses often start lower, while nurses with more experience may earn more.
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Wondering what the next rung pays? See nurse practitioner salary by state or the full nurse salary ladder from CNA to CRNA.
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Two tools to go from “interesting number” to a real plan: run the honest cost-vs-payoff math on nursing school with your own numbers, and compare every board-approved nursing program in your state by its real NCLEX pass rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make?
Typical U.S. registered nurse pay is $97,550 per year ($46.90/hour) in the May 2025 federal data. About 8 out of 10 nurses earn between $68,940 and $137,470.
Which state pays RNs the most?
California has the highest typical pay at $140,270 per year. Alabama has the lowest typical pay at $77,080. Prices for housing and daily life explain some of this difference, but not all of it.
What does a new nurse make?
New nurses often start near the lower end of their state's pay range. In the whole country, lower starting points are about $68,940 to $80,330. Many nurses move toward typical pay after a few years.
Where do these numbers come from?
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for registered nurses. This is a federal pay survey, not pay reported by people on a job website. The numbers are before taxes and do not include overtime or extra shift pay.
About this data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141). Percentile pay is before taxes and includes nurses at all experience levels. Overtime, extra shift pay, and benefits are not included. We update this page when new federal data comes out.
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