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Highest-Paying States for Nurses (RN and NP)

This list ranks the top ten states by median annual pay for nurses, using wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Flip the toggle to switch between registered nurses and nurse practitioners; the two lists are not the same.

It is for anyone weighing where to work or whether an advanced-practice license is worth it. Each state name links to that state’s full salary page for the license you have selected.

Top 10 states by median pay (May 2025 BLS)
  1. 1.California$168,520
  2. 2.New Jersey$159,310
  3. 3.Washington$156,100
  4. 4.Oregon$155,680
  5. 5.Alaska$155,170
  6. 6.New York$153,510
  7. 7.Massachusetts$142,440
  8. 8.Nevada$140,670
  9. 9.Connecticut$138,470
  10. 10.New Hampshire$137,550

How the ranking is built

  • It reads NurseSavvy’s saved snapshot of the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state figures for two occupations: registered nurses and nurse practitioners. The snapshot covers every state plus Washington, D.C., and its vintage is shown in the list’s header.
  • For the license you select, it sorts every state by median annual wage, highest first, and keeps the top ten. The list opens on nurse practitioners; the toggle switches it to registered nurses.
  • The bar under each state is drawn relative to the top state on the current list, so it shows how close each state is to first place. It is not a dollar axis.
  • It ranks on the published median alone. Nothing else is factored into the order, and it does not estimate what any one employer would offer you.
  • It covers licensed roles, not bedside specialties. BLS does not publish wages by bedside specialty, so there is no ICU or ER list here. The explainer post covers how differentials such as nights, charge duty, and certifications move bedside pay above a market’s median.
  • The figures are not typed into the page. They come from the dataset, which is refreshed when BLS publishes a new vintage, so the ranking updates with it. No account is needed and nothing you do here is stored.

The reasoning behind it

Questions people ask

Which state pays nurses the most?
The list above answers that from the current BLS snapshot, and the answer depends on the license: the registered nurse and nurse practitioner rankings differ, so check both sides of the toggle.
Where does the pay data come from?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The list uses its state-level median annual wage for registered nurses and for nurse practitioners.
Does this show ICU, ER, or other specialty nurse pay by state?
No. BLS does not publish wages by bedside specialty, so the list covers registered nurses and nurse practitioners as licensed roles only.
Can I see states that are not in the top ten?
Yes. Each state name opens that state’s salary page, and the RN salary and NP salary pages list every state plus Washington, D.C.

Sources

How we source and review

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