State rankings

Nursing Pay by State

California has the highest RN ($113,240), followed by Hawaii ($104,060) and District of Columbia ($94,820). South Dakota has the lowest ($59,540).

EconomicsHealth51 states · 7 metricsUpdated Mar 13, 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 →

RN

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest 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
$70,240
Middle half $66.1K – $79.2K
Average
$73,963
51 states
Highest
$113,240
California
Lowest
$59,540
South Dakota

Data

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

51 states · # = rank by RN
#
1California$113,240$36,630$60,240
2Hawaii$104,060$37,710$51,010
3District of Columbia$94,820$35,320$54,220
4Massachusetts$93,160$35,040$60,340
5Oregon$92,960$34,780$54,740
6Alaska$90,500$40,320$63,850
7Nevada$88,380$34,890$58,470
8New York$87,840$38,810$49,860
9Washington$86,170$33,800$57,940
10New Jersey$84,280$31,190$57,510
11Connecticut$83,440$34,360$57,380
12Rhode Island$82,310$33,020$59,860
13Minnesota$80,130$35,150$48,460
14Arizona$78,330$32,640$54,290
15Maryland$77,910$32,450$55,020
16Colorado$76,230$33,980$53,180
17Texas$74,540$27,930$47,370
18Delaware$74,100$31,770$53,520
19New Hampshire$73,880$33,430$54,220
20Illinois$73,510$29,760$53,290
21New Mexico$73,300$28,850$48,330
22Michigan$73,200$31,200$50,300
23Wisconsin$72,610$31,280$46,550
24Virginia$71,870$29,400$46,070
25Pennsylvania$71,410$31,590$49,200
26Vermont$70,240$31,710$50,210
27Maine$69,760$30,770$46,930
28Georgia$69,590$27,890$42,570
29Idaho$69,480$28,950$46,430
30Montana$69,340$30,440$44,730
31Wyoming$68,690$31,930$46,980
32Ohio$68,220$28,690$45,020
33Utah$67,970$28,890$49,660
34Florida$67,610$27,790$45,580
35Nebraska$66,640$29,920$44,450
36Indiana$66,560$28,610$46,050
37North Carolina$66,440$26,540$45,880
38North Dakota$66,290$34,320$46,760
39Louisiana$65,850$23,340$40,300
40South Carolina$64,840$26,560$42,190
41Oklahoma$64,800$26,030$42,090
42Missouri$64,160$26,490$43,410
43Kentucky$63,750$27,280$42,740
44West Virginia$63,220$26,900$37,500
45Tennessee$62,570$27,250$41,270
46Kansas$62,450$27,280$44,260
47Arkansas$61,330$25,950$40,760
48Iowa$60,590$30,520$44,220
49Alabama$60,230$24,590$39,310
50Mississippi$59,750$23,980$39,020
51South Dakota$59,540$28,120$38,760

What correlates with RN?

Pearson r against 2,090 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 tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Annual Mean WageNurse Salary by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Hourly Mean WageNurse Salary by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. RN Hourly MeanNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. RN Annual MeanNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. RN Hourly MedianNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. RN Annual MedianNurses Pay by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

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

  1. CLA RatingMost Conservative States
    r = −0.81 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Housing CostPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.78 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Disapproval RatingBiden Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.76 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Walmarts per 1 Million PopulationWalmart Stores by State
    r = −0.75 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Affordability RankQuality of Life by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Affordabillity (WalletHub)Best States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.74 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest RN?
California has the highest RN, at $113,240, followed by Hawaii ($104,060) and District of Columbia ($94,820).
Which state has the lowest RN?
South Dakota has the lowest RN, at $59,540.
What is the median RN across US states?
The median is $70,240 across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this nursing pay by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Nursing License Map.