Registered nurses make $35.24 an hour or $73,300 each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Actual earnings will depend on a nurse’s education and experience as well as the location and facility. Travel nurses, for example, earn more per hour than nurses working a full time position. And nurses in Hawaii earn nearly twice as much as nurses in Mississippi.
How much do nurses make in each state?
Salaries vary greatly in the United States. Some key findings.
- Nurses in Hawaii have the highest average salary of any state. They earn $53.22 per hour or $110,700 per year.
- Mississippi has the lowest average salary for nurses. They earn $28.17 per hour or $58,590 per year.
State | Hourly median wage | Annual median wage |
Hawaii | $53.22 | $110,700 |
California | $53.18 | $110,620 |
Oregon | $44.89 | $93,370 |
District of Columbia | $43.98 | $91,470 |
Alaska | $43.54 | $90,550 |
Massachusetts | $42.09 | $87,540 |
Nevada | $42.02 | $87,400 |
New York | $41.99 | $87,330 |
New Jersey | $40.35 | $83,920 |
Washington | $40.14 | $83,490 |
Rhode Island | $39.97 | $83,140 |
Connecticut | $39.24 | $81,630 |
Minnesota | $37.77 | $78,560 |
Arizona | $36.93 | $76,820 |
Maryland | $36.92 | $76,780 |
Colorado | $36.10 | $75,100 |
Texas | $35.29 | $73,400 |
New Mexico | $35.18 | $73,180 |
Delaware | $35.01 | $72,830 |
New Hampshire | $34.95 | $72,690 |
Michigan | $34.74 | $72,260 |
Illinois | $34.43 | $71,620 |
Wisconsin | $34.40 | $71,560 |
Pennsylvania | $33.91 | $70,540 |
Virginia | $33.77 | $70,230 |
Idaho | $33.33 | $69,320 |
Maine | $33.14 | $68,940 |
Georgia | $32.89 | $68,410 |
Montana | $32.65 | $67,920 |
Vermont | $32.39 | $67,370 |
Wyoming | $31.87 | $66,290 |
Florida | $31.65 | $65,830 |
Ohio | $31.63 | $65,790 |
Utah | $31.36 | $65,240 |
Nebraska | $31.25 | $65,010 |
North Dakota | $31.10 | $64,680 |
North Carolina | $31.06 | $64,600 |
Louisiana | $30.79 | $64,040 |
South Carolina | $30.65 | $63,750 |
Indiana | $30.61 | $63,670 |
Oklahoma | $30.60 | $63,650 |
Missouri | $30.03 | $62,470 |
Kentucky | $29.89 | $62,180 |
West Virginia | $29.55 | $61,450 |
Tennessee | $29.42 | $61,200 |
Kansas | $29.23 | $60,800 |
Arkansas | $29.01 | $60,340 |
Iowa | $28.60 | $59,490 |
Alabama | $28.27 | $58,800 |
South Dakota | $28.21 | $58,670 |
Mississippi | $28.17 | $58,590 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2019