How Much is the Average Nurse Salary?
Due to high demand, nurse salaries have steadily increased over the years and are projected to continue upward. While specific earnings depend on your state, specialty, and related factors, the overall career outlook for nurses is positive.
Median & Average Nurse Salaries
The following nurse salary information comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2023:
| Career | Median Annual Salary | Median Hourly Pay | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orderlies Salary1 | $36,830 | $17.71 | $38,440 | $18.48 |
| Nursing Assistants Salary2 | $38,200 | $18.36 | $39,610 | $19.04 |
| Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurses Salary3 | $59,730 | $28.72 | $60,790 | $29.23 |
| Postsecondary Nursing Instructors & Teachers Salary4 | $80,780 | N/A | $86,530 | N/A |
| Registered Nurses Salary5 | $86,070 | $41.38 | $94,480 | $45.42 |
| Nurse Midwives Salary6 | $129,650 | $62.33 | $131,570 | $63.26 |
| Nurse Practitioners Salary7 | $126,260 | $60.70 | $128,490 | $61.78 |
| Nurse Anesthetists Salary8 | $212,650 | $102.24 | $214,200 | $102.98 |
*Median data is the wage at which half of workers earned more and half earned less, while average (mean) data is based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ wage estimates.
What Factors Affect Nurse Salaries?
There are a number of reasons why you may earn more or less than the median and average nursing salaries listed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The following are several of the most prominent that our team of nurses identified:
Years of Experience & Education Level
The amount of professional and educational experience you have plays a role in how much you’ll make as a nurse. Similarly, whether your career mandates a certification (and how rigorous its requirements are) factors into how much you’ll earn.
An entry-level nursing assistant, for example, might only earn in the 25th percentile of all nursing assistants, which is about $5,000 under the mean.2 However, a nurse anesthetist earning in the 25th percentile would make about $145,000 more than the equivalent nursing assistant given the far higher level of education and specialization required.8
Industry or Care Setting
Even with the same levels of experience and education, the specific industry or care setting you work in can affect your salary. For example, on average, registered nurses who work in home health care services earn about $9,000 less than those who work at general medical and surgical hospitals.5
Location within a State
Depending on your location within a state, nurse salaries can vary widely. Consider how large the population is (e.g., rural vs urban settings). You might also see cost-of-living adjustments (places that cost more to live in usually pay more to offset these costs).
For example, nurse practitioners who live in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex earn approximately $13,000 more than those who live in less-populous Amarillo, TX, further west.9
Highest Nursing Salaries by State
Location plays an important role in your earning potential as a nurse. Below are the highest-paying states (based on annual mean wages) for nurses across specialties as of May 2023:
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 4,520 | 0.25 | 0.78 | $24.30 | $50,550 |
| Washington | 340 | 0.10 | 0.30 | $22.40 | $46,600 |
| Hawaii | 80 | 0.13 | 0.40 | $22.19 | $46,150 |
| New York | 4,520 | 0.48 | 1.50 | $21.29 | $44,270 |
| Oregon | 250 | 0.13 | 0.40 | $20.95 | $43,580 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2,820 | 4.02 | 0.45 | $23.01 | $47,860 |
| Alaska | 1,710 | 5.47 | 0.61 | $22.63 | $47,080 |
| California | 105,750 | 5.89 | 0.66 | $22.63 | $47,070 |
| Oregon | 13,660 | 7.03 | 0.79 | $22.58 | $46,970 |
| Washington | 36,820 | 10.53 | 1.18 | $22.32 | $46,430 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 79,150 | 4.41 | 1.06 | $36.82 | $76,580 |
| Rhode Island | 1,110 | 2.28 | 0.55 | $36.28 | $75,470 |
| Washington | 6,260 | 1.79 | 0.43 | $36.26 | $75,410 |
| Alaska | 320 | 1.02 | 0.24 | $35.70 | $74,260 |
| Massachusetts | 13,890 | 3.81 | 0.92 | $35.29 | $73,400 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 140 | 0.20 | 0.41 | N/A | $111,130 |
| Oregon | 690 | 0.35 | 0.74 | N/A | $109,110 |
| New York | 4,760 | 0.51 | 1.06 | N/A | $102,980 |
| New Jersey | 2,100 | 0.50 | 1.04 | N/A | $101,540 |
| Nevada | 470 | 0.32 | 0.66 | N/A | $99,320 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 332,560 | 18.53 | 0.89 | $66.20 | $137,690 |
| Hawaii | 11,920 | 19.31 | 0.92 | $57.55 | $119,710 |
| Oregon | 38,770 | 19.95 | 0.95 | $54.54 | $113,440 |
| Washington | 65,030 | 18.60 | 0.89 | $53.38 | $111,030 |
| Alaska | 6,590 | 21.16 | 1.01 | $52.51 | $109,210 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 890 | 0.05 | 1.08 | $88.34 | $183,740 |
| Hawaii | 40 | 0.07 | 1.58 | $77.80 | $161,820 |
| Massachusetts | 180 | 0.05 | 1.11 | $74.08 | $154,080 |
| Maine | 60 | 0.10 | 2.15 | $67.52 | $140,440 |
| Oregon | 110 | 0.06 | 1.26 | $67.06 | $139,490 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 21,740 | 1.21 | 0.66 | $77.66 | $161,540 |
| Nevada | 2,040 | 1.37 | 0.74 | $71.48 | $148,670 |
| Washington | 4,560 | 1.30 | 0.71 | $69.90 | $145,400 |
| New Jersey | 6,400 | 1.52 | 0.83 | $69.73 | $145,030 |
| Oregon | 2,410 | 1.24 | 0.67 | $69.69 | $144,950 |
| State | Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs | Location Quotient | Hourly Mean Wage | Annual Mean Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1,330 | 0.22 | 0.70 | $135.21 | $281,240 |
| Massachusetts | 670 | 0.18 | 0.58 | $131.01 | $272,510 |
| Montana | 80 | 0.15 | 0.49 | $123.30 | $256,460 |
| New York | 1,130 | 0.12 | 0.38 | $123.15 | $256,160 |
| Vermont | 50 | 0.16 | 0.50 | $122.50 | $254,790 |
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Orderlies, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes311132.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nursing Assistants, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes311131.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurses, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292061.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes251072.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Registered Nurses, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nurse Midwives, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291161.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nurse Practitioners, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291171.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nurse Anesthetists, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291151.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Texas, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tx.htm.