Data study · Registered Nurses · 2025 Edition

Highest-Paying States for Registered Nurses

California pays registered nurses the most — a median of $140,270 per year. We ranked all 51 states by average RN salary from BLS OEWS data (2025). Below: the top- and bottom-paying states, the national benchmark, and — because a big paycheck in a high-cost state can buy less — the highest-paying states after adjusting for cost of living. Updated annually.

National median
$97,550
BLS OEWS 2025
Highest-paying state
CA
$140,270 median
Best after cost of living
CA
$126,689 real
RN jobs nationally
3,379,720
Total employment
▸ HIGHEST RN PAY BY STATE

Median registered nurse salary — top 12 states

California$140,270Hawaii$136,320Oregon$129,010Washington$124,200Alaska$109,480New York$109,440New Jersey$106,500Massachusetts$104,550Nevada$103,670Connecticut$102,740District of Columbia$102,540Minnesota$101,510
▸ HIGHEST MEDIAN PAY

The 10 highest-paying states for registered nurses

Ranked by median annual RN salary. The "real wage" column divides pay by each state's cost-of-living index (100 = national average) to show buying power.

#StateMedian salaryvs. nationalCost of livingReal wage
1California$140,270+44%111$126,689
2Hawaii$136,320+40%110$123,983
3Oregon$129,010+32%103$124,815
4Washington$124,200+27%107$116,061
5Alaska$109,480+12%102$106,957
6New York$109,440+12%108$101,408
7New Jersey$106,500+9%109$97,882
8Massachusetts$104,550+7%106$98,859
9Nevada$103,670+6%100$103,692
10Connecticut$102,740+5%104$99,160
▸ ADJUSTED FOR COST OF LIVING

Highest-paying states after cost of living

The same RN salaries, re-ranked by real buying power using BEA Regional Price Parities. High-sticker states often fall once rent and everyday costs are factored in — and lower-cost states climb.

#StateMedian salaryvs. nationalCost of livingReal wage
1California$140,270+44%111$126,689
2Oregon$129,010+32%103$124,815
3Hawaii$136,320+40%110$123,983
4Washington$124,200+27%107$116,061
5Alaska$109,480+12%102$106,957
6Nevada$103,670+6%100$103,692
7Minnesota$101,510+4%99$102,929
8New Mexico$94,340-3%92$102,308
9Wisconsin$95,530-2%94$101,525
10New York$109,440+12%108$101,408
▸ LOWEST MEDIAN PAY

The lowest-paying states for registered nurses

Where RN sticker pay is lowest. Note that several of these states also have a low cost of living — the real-wage column tells the fuller story.

#StateMedian salaryvs. nationalCost of livingReal wage
42Alabama$77,080-21%89$86,779
43Mississippi$77,090-21%87$88,657
44South Dakota$78,060-20%89$88,118
45Iowa$78,630-19%88$89,595
46Arkansas$78,940-19%87$90,801
47Kansas$79,320-19%90$88,067
48West Virginia$80,130-18%89$89,534
49Louisiana$80,230-18%88$90,957
50North Dakota$80,730-17%89$90,750
51Kentucky$81,040-17%90$89,886
▸ EVERY STATE, RANKED

RN median salary, all 51 states

1.California$140,2702.Hawaii$136,3203.Oregon$129,0104.Washington$124,2005.Alaska$109,4806.New York$109,4407.New Jersey$106,5008.Massachusetts$104,5509.Nevada$103,67010.Connecticut$102,74011.District of Columbia$102,54012.Minnesota$101,51013.Rhode Island$100,64014.Colorado$100,26015.Maryland$99,79016.New Hampshire$99,70017.Delaware$99,52018.Arizona$99,50019.Vermont$97,46020.Pennsylvania$96,43021.Illinois$95,99022.Texas$95,97023.Wisconsin$95,53024.New Mexico$94,34025.Michigan$94,30026.Virginia$93,60027.Georgia$93,55028.Idaho$92,46029.Maine$86,99030.Montana$85,28031.Nebraska$84,73032.Utah$84,60033.North Carolina$84,35034.Florida$84,19035.Wyoming$83,76036.Indiana$83,50037.Oklahoma$82,92038.Ohio$82,51039.South Carolina$82,36040.Missouri$81,78041.Tennessee$81,50042.Kentucky$81,04043.North Dakota$80,73044.Louisiana$80,23045.West Virginia$80,13046.Kansas$79,32047.Arkansas$78,94048.Iowa$78,63049.South Dakota$78,06050.Mississippi$77,09051.Alabama$77,080

Methodology

Salary figures are the median annual wage for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, 2025 release. We rank every state for which BLS publishes an RN wage estimate. Median (50th percentile) is used rather than mean because it better reflects the typical nurse's pay and is less skewed by outliers.

The cost-of-living-adjusted "real wage" divides each state's median by its BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) for all items, where 100 equals the national average. A state with an RPP of 120 is 20% more expensive than average, so a salary there buys less. Real wage = median ÷ (RPP ÷ 100).

Want the full picture for a specific state — take-home after state tax, Nurse Licensure Compact status, metro-level pay, and the composite WageBench Score? See registered nurse pay by state and metro or browse healthcare salaries by state.

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CITATION
WageBench. (2025). Highest-Paying States for Registered Nurses. Retrieved from https://wagebench.com/highest-paying-states-for-nurses
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<a href="https://wagebench.com/highest-paying-states-for-nurses" style="display:inline-block;border-left:4px solid #84cc16;padding:10px 14px;font:14px/1.4 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#0f172a;text-decoration:none;background:#f8fafc;border-radius:4px;max-width:520px"><strong>California pays registered nurses the most — a median of $140,270 per year</strong><br>Source: WageBench — Highest-Paying States for Registered Nurses (2025)</a>
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California pays registered nurses the most — a median of $140,270 per year
Source: WageBench — Highest-Paying States for Registered Nurses (2025)