State rankings

Nurses Pay by State

California has the highest RN Hourly Mean in 2023 ($66.20), followed by Hawaii ($57.55) and Oregon ($54.54). South Dakota has the lowest ($33.19).

EconomicsHealth51 states · 8 metricsUpdated May 25, 2024Original page
2 sources
Year 202351 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map
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 →

RN Hourly Mean, 2023

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
$41.93
Middle half $39.22 – $45.55
Average
$43.08
51 states
Highest
$66.20
California
Lowest
$33.19
South Dakota

Data

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

51 states · # = rank by RN Hourly Mean
#
1California$66.20$137,690$64.42$133,990
2Hawaii$57.55$119,710$62.12$129,210
3Oregon$54.54$113,440$53.34$110,940
4Washington$53.38$111,030$51.79$107,720
5Alaska$52.51$109,210$51.16$106,410
6Massachusetts$52.33$108,850$47.95$99,730
7District of Columbia$51.37$106,850$50.59$105,220
8New York$51.26$106,620$50.28$104,570
9New Jersey$49.02$101,960$48.15$100,160
10Connecticut$48.96$101,840$48.37$100,620
11Nevada$46.97$97,700$46.25$96,210
12Rhode Island$45.71$95,070$45.60$94,840
13Minnesota$45.59$94,830$46.78$97,300
14Delaware$45.51$94,670$44.81$93,200
15New Mexico$44.30$92,140$40.37$83,970
16Maryland$44.27$92,090$42.95$89,340
17Colorado$44.10$91,730$41.78$86,900
18Arizona$43.96$91,430$42.46$88,310
19Texas$43.37$90,210$40.92$85,110
20Georgia$43.27$90,000$40.20$83,620
21New Hampshire$42.98$89,410$41.65$86,620
22Vermont$42.49$88,380$39.37$81,900
23Virginia$42.48$88,350$40.43$84,100
24Illinois$42.14$87,650$39.65$82,470
25Pennsylvania$42.08$87,530$39.80$82,780
26Wisconsin$41.93$87,220$40.05$83,300
27Michigan$41.45$86,210$39.28$81,710
28Florida$40.75$84,760$38.92$80,960
29Ohio$40.59$84,430$38.44$79,940
30Maine$40.55$84,340$39.24$81,610
31Wyoming$40.38$83,990$38.45$79,970
32Utah$39.95$83,100$38.36$79,790
32Idaho$39.95$83,090$38.53$80,130
34Montana$39.88$82,950$38.06$79,170
35Indiana$39.76$82,700$37.76$78,530
36North Carolina$39.68$82,530$38.26$79,580
37Oklahoma$39.48$82,110$37.87$78,760
38Kentucky$39.31$81,770$37.42$77,830
39South Carolina$39.13$81,390$37.68$78,380
40Louisiana$38.83$80,760$36.85$76,650
41Nebraska$38.36$79,780$37.55$78,100
42North Dakota$38.07$79,190$36.03$74,930
43Tennessee$37.61$78,240$36.64$76,200
44Missouri$37.30$77,590$37.11$77,190
45Kansas$36.65$76,240$36.43$75,780
46West Virginia$36.53$75,990$37.85$78,730
47Mississippi$36.30$75,510$33.35$69,370
48Iowa$35.87$74,610$34.41$71,570
49Arkansas$35.05$72,900$35.06$72,920
50Alabama$34.31$71,370$31.68$65,900
51South Dakota$33.19$69,030$32.23$67,030

What correlates with RN Hourly Mean (2023)?

Pearson r against 2,089 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 RN Hourly Mean tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Hourly Mean WageNurse Salary by State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Annual Mean WageNurse Salary by State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. RNNursing Pay by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Cost of LivingOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)
    r = +0.86 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Annual Mean WageSonographer Salary by State
    r = +0.86 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

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

  1. CLA RatingMost Conservative States
    r = −0.78 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Disapproval RatingBiden Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.78 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Housing CostPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.77 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  4. Trump Approval RatingTrump Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Walmarts per 1 Million PopulationWalmart Stores by State
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Affordability RankQuality of Life by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest RN Hourly Mean?
California has the highest RN Hourly Mean in 2023, at $66.20, followed by Hawaii ($57.55) and Oregon ($54.54).
Which state has the lowest RN Hourly Mean?
South Dakota has the lowest RN Hourly Mean in 2023, at $33.19.
What is the median RN Hourly Mean across US states?
The median is $41.93 across the 51 US states with data in 2023.
Where does this nurses pay by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Query System - US Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - US Bureau of Labor Statistics.