State rankings

Nurse Salary by State

California has the highest Annual Mean Wage ($133,340), followed by Hawaii ($113,220) and Oregon ($106,610). South Dakota has the lowest ($64,500).

EconomicsHealth51 states · 2 metricsUpdated Aug 3, 2023Original page
1 source
51 of 51 states
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Cost-of-living adjustmentConverts wages and incomes to what they would buy at average US prices, so $100k in a cheap state and $100k in an expensive one are not treated as equal.More in the glossary →

Annual Mean Wage

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
$80,660
Middle half $75,750 – $88,120
Average
$83,852
51 states
Highest
$133,340
California
Lowest
$64,500
South Dakota

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Annual Mean Wage
#
1California$133,340$64.10
2Hawaii$113,220$54.43
3Oregon$106,610$51.26
4Massachusetts$104,150$50.07
5Alaska$103,310$49.67
6Washington$101,670$48.88
7New York$100,130$48.14
8District of Columbia$98,230$47.23
9New Jersey$96,670$46.48
10Nevada$96,310$46.30
11Connecticut$94,260$45.32
12Minnesota$88,860$42.72
13Rhode Island$88,250$42.43
14Maryland$87,990$42.30
15Arizona$86,740$41.70
16Colorado$86,590$41.63
17New Mexico$85,580$41.15
18Georgia$85,180$40.95
19Delaware$85,020$40.88
20Texas$84,320$40.54
21New Hampshire$83,420$40.11
22Illinois$82,220$39.53
23Virginia$81,860$39.36
24Wyoming$81,010$38.95
25Wisconsin$81,000$38.94
26Michigan$80,660$38.78
27Pennsylvania$80,630$38.76
28Vermont$79,990$38.46
29Florida$79,910$38.42
30Idaho$78,610$37.79
31Ohio$78,450$37.72
32Montana$78,350$37.67
33Kentucky$77,620$37.32
34North Carolina$77,420$37.22
35Maine$77,410$37.22
36Oklahoma$76,920$36.98
37Utah$76,400$36.73
38Louisiana$75,920$36.50
39Indiana$75,580$36.34
40North Dakota$75,000$36.06
41South Carolina$74,330$35.74
42Nebraska$73,510$35.34
43Tennessee$72,480$34.85
44West Virginia$72,230$34.73
45Kansas$71,990$34.61
46Missouri$71,860$34.55
47Iowa$69,370$33.35
48Mississippi$67,930$32.66
49Alabama$66,910$32.17
50Arkansas$66,530$31.98
51South Dakota$64,500$31.01

What correlates with Annual Mean Wage?

Pearson r against 2,095 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Annual Mean Wage tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. RN Hourly MeanNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. RN Annual MeanNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. RNNursing Pay by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. RN Annual MedianNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. RN Hourly MedianNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Cost of LivingOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = +0.86 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Annual Mean Wage tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Housing CostPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.78 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  2. CLA RatingMost Conservative States
    r = −0.76 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Disapproval RatingBiden Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.75 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Affordability RankQuality of Life by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Affordabillity (WalletHub)Best States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Walmarts per 1 Million PopulationWalmart Stores by State
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Annual Mean Wage?
California has the highest Annual Mean Wage, at $133,340, followed by Hawaii ($113,220) and Oregon ($106,610).
Which state has the lowest Annual Mean Wage?
South Dakota has the lowest Annual Mean Wage, at $64,500.
What is the median Annual Mean Wage across US states?
The median is $80,660 across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this nurse salary by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: RN average wage for all 50 states - Becker's Healthcare.