California pays registered nurses more than any other state, with a median of $140,270 in May 2025, while the typical state pays $93,600. That puts California $42,720 above the national median for nurses. Big union contracts and staffing laws reach many nurses in the Pacific states at the top of the ranking. Strained rural hospitals and lower prices mark the bottom, where Mississippi and Alabama sit.
These figures are median annual pay for registered nurses (occupation code 29-1141) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, the latest month published. BLS released them in its May 2025 wage release in May 2026, so this 2026 article rests on the latest published figures. All 50 states and the District of Columbia qualified, each with at least 1,000 nurses, for 51 entries in all. Any 2026 figure is an estimate built from a federal wage index, shown beside the reported May 2025 figure.
What the data shows:
- 🏆 California leads at $140,270 a year, or $67.44 an hour.
- 🌊 Four Pacific states top the list, and each pays at least $124,200. The drop from Washington to Alaska is $14,720, the widest gap between any two neighbors in the ranking.
- ⚖️ Only 18 states pay more than the U.S. median of $97,550. The other 33 pay less.
- 🏠After cost of living, California still leads at $126,689. Oregon moves up to second.
- đź“Ť The San Jose metro area pays a median of $216,740, or $104.20 an hour.
| # | State | Median annual pay, May 2025 | Median hourly | vs. U.S. median | % of U.S. | RNs employed | Median pay, 2026 estimated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | — | — | 3,379,720 | — |
| 1 | California | $140,270 | $67.44 | +$42,720 | 143.8% | 338,940 | $145,222 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $136,320 | $65.54 | +$38,770 | 139.7% | 12,940 | $141,132 |
| 3 | Oregon | $129,010 | $62.02 | +$31,460 | 132.3% | 39,730 | $133,564 |
| 4 | Washington | $124,200 | $59.71 | +$26,650 | 127.3% | 69,260 | $128,584 |
| 5 | Alaska | $109,480 | $52.64 | +$11,930 | 112.2% | 7,510 | $113,345 |
| 6 | New York | $109,440 | $52.62 | +$11,890 | 112.2% | 205,810 | $113,303 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $106,500 | $51.20 | +$8,950 | 109.2% | 92,680 | $110,259 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $104,550 | $50.27 | +$7,000 | 107.2% | 88,200 | $108,241 |
| 9 | Nevada | $103,670 | $49.84 | +$6,120 | 106.3% | 27,070 | $107,330 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $102,740 | $49.39 | +$5,190 | 105.3% | 40,110 | $106,367 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $102,540 | $49.30 | +$4,990 | 105.1% | 11,440 | $106,160 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $101,510 | $48.80 | +$3,960 | 104.1% | 70,110 | $105,093 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $100,640 | $48.39 | +$3,090 | 103.2% | 10,090 | $104,193 |
| 14 | Colorado | $100,260 | $48.20 | +$2,710 | 102.8% | 54,490 | $103,799 |
| 15 | Maryland | $99,790 | $47.98 | +$2,240 | 102.3% | 52,910 | $103,313 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $99,700 | $47.93 | +$2,150 | 102.2% | 15,390 | $103,219 |
| 17 | Delaware | $99,520 | $47.85 | +$1,970 | 102.0% | 14,290 | $103,033 |
| 18 | Arizona | $99,500 | $47.84 | +$1,950 | 102.0% | 73,150 | $103,012 |
| 19 | Vermont | $97,460 | $46.86 | -$90 | 99.9% | 7,410 | $100,900 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $96,430 | $46.36 | -$1,120 | 98.9% | 146,520 | $99,834 |
| 21 | Illinois | $95,990 | $46.15 | -$1,560 | 98.4% | 138,910 | $99,378 |
| 22 | Texas | $95,970 | $46.14 | -$1,580 | 98.4% | 271,380 | $99,358 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $95,530 | $45.93 | -$2,020 | 97.9% | 68,060 | $98,902 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $94,340 | $45.36 | -$3,210 | 96.7% | 17,980 | $97,670 |
| 25 | Michigan | $94,300 | $45.34 | -$3,250 | 96.7% | 104,950 | $97,629 |
| 26 | Virginia | $93,600 | $45 | -$3,950 | 96.0% | 77,490 | $96,904 |
| 27 | Georgia | $93,550 | $44.98 | -$4,000 | 95.9% | 100,950 | $96,852 |
| 28 | Idaho | $92,460 | $44.45 | -$5,090 | 94.8% | 16,880 | $95,724 |
| 29 | Maine | $86,990 | $41.82 | -$10,560 | 89.2% | 16,540 | $90,061 |
| 30 | Montana | $85,280 | $41 | -$12,270 | 87.4% | 10,950 | $88,290 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $84,730 | $40.74 | -$12,820 | 86.9% | 24,720 | $87,721 |
| 32 | Utah | $84,600 | $40.67 | -$12,950 | 86.7% | 27,420 | $87,586 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $84,350 | $40.56 | -$13,200 | 86.5% | 111,120 | $87,328 |
| 34 | Florida | $84,190 | $40.48 | -$13,360 | 86.3% | 229,940 | $87,162 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $83,760 | $40.27 | -$13,790 | 85.9% | 5,330 | $86,717 |
| 36 | Indiana | $83,500 | $40.14 | -$14,050 | 85.6% | 68,980 | $86,448 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $82,920 | $39.87 | -$14,630 | 85.0% | 38,270 | $85,847 |
| 38 | Ohio | $82,510 | $39.67 | -$15,040 | 84.6% | 143,730 | $85,423 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $82,360 | $39.60 | -$15,190 | 84.4% | 49,750 | $85,267 |
| 40 | Missouri | $81,780 | $39.32 | -$15,770 | 83.8% | 76,310 | $84,667 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $81,500 | $39.18 | -$16,050 | 83.5% | 72,200 | $84,377 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $81,040 | $38.96 | -$16,510 | 83.1% | 50,300 | $83,901 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $80,730 | $38.81 | -$16,820 | 82.8% | 11,340 | $83,580 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $80,230 | $38.57 | -$17,320 | 82.2% | 48,970 | $83,062 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $80,130 | $38.52 | -$17,420 | 82.1% | 23,430 | $82,959 |
| 46 | Kansas | $79,320 | $38.14 | -$18,230 | 81.3% | 33,800 | $82,120 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $78,940 | $37.95 | -$18,610 | 80.9% | 29,400 | $81,727 |
| 48 | Iowa | $78,630 | $37.80 | -$18,920 | 80.6% | 34,420 | $81,406 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $78,060 | $37.53 | -$19,490 | 80.0% | 14,710 | $80,816 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $77,090 | $37.06 | -$20,460 | 79.0% | 29,060 | $79,811 |
| 51 | Alabama | $77,080 | $37.06 | -$20,470 | 79.0% | 54,340 | $79,801 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. The 2026 column is an estimate, not reported data.
Why Nurse Pay Differs So Much by State
Pay jumps fastest where nurses bargain as a group with large hospital systems. A 2024 Nursing Outlook review found that 17.6% of registered nurses had union coverage in 2023, a national figure. The same review found that union pay premiums for nurses were modest. Contracts still matter for this ranking, because the biggest raises of 2022 through early 2025 came at hospital systems in the top-paying states, as the state sections below show.
Staffing rules are the second force. California and Oregon both set minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in state law, which raises the number of nurses a hospital must hire. Union contracts add staffing terms too: the New York State Nurses Association said its January 2023 deals won enforceable staffing ratios at Montefiore and Mount Sinai, and Kapiʻolani's October 2024 contract in Hawaii set up a nurse staffing council that meets monthly.
The shortage behind all of this has not ended. In December 2025, after this survey closed, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration projected a national shortage of 108,960 full-time registered nurses through 2038. It projected an 11% shortage in rural areas in 2038, against 2% in metro areas. For nurses weighing a move, that means rural hospitals will likely keep competing hard for staff.
1. California: $140,270
California nurses earn a median of $140,270 a year, or $67.44 an hour. That is 143.8% of the U.S. median, or $42,720 more. The state employs 338,940 registered nurses, more than any other state. Even the lowest-paid 10% of California nurses earn $101,260, above the national median for all nurses.
California's ratio law is the oldest cause on record. The state passed the law in October 1999 and put its minimum nurse-to-patient ratios into force in January 2004. A study of the ratio law found that from 2000 through 2006, nurses in California metro areas saw real wage growth as much as 12 percentage points higher than nurses in metro areas elsewhere. Hospitals had to hire more licensed nurses during a shortage, which pushed pay up.
Union contracts added to that base. In December 2022, more than 21,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses and nurse practitioners in Northern California ratified a four-year contract with raises of 22.5%. That contract covers a small share of the state's nurses. The ratio study ends in 2006, so it does not explain how pay moved in recent years; for most of California's nurses outside Kaiser, there is no documented cause for recent raises.
2. Hawaii: $136,320
Hawaii nurses earn a median of $136,320 a year, or $65.54 an hour. That is 139.7% of the U.S. median, or $38,770 more. The state has 12,940 registered nurses, and its prices are the second-highest of any state in BEA's figures.
Two large hospital contracts reached Hawaii nurses late in the survey window. In October 2024, after two strikes and a lockout, about 600 Hawaii Nurses' Association nurses at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children agreed to a contract with raises averaging 3.5% a year over nearly four years. In January 2025, more than 1,900 nurses at The Queen's Medical Center ratified a three-year contract with a wage increase of nearly 17%. Both contracts are partial causes, since together they cover a minority of the state's nurses.
Both deals took effect only months before the May 2025 survey closed, so they reach just the newest survey panels. No documented cause explains the rest of Hawaii's high pay.
3. Oregon: $129,010
Oregon nurses earn a median of $129,010 a year, or $62.02 an hour. That is 132.3% of the U.S. median, or $31,460 more. The state employs 39,730 registered nurses.
The largest recent cause is the Providence contract. In February 2025, nearly 5,000 nurses at eight Providence hospitals ended a strike with immediate raises of 16% to 22%. Over the life of the contract, their raises total 20% to 42%. That contract reaches about one in eight of the state's nurses, so it is a partial cause.
Oregon's hospital staffing law is a likely contributor alongside that contract. The law, HB 2697, took effect September 1, 2023, and hospitals had to adopt nurse staffing plans meeting its new rules by June 1, 2024. The state can fine hospitals for violations that occur on or after June 1, 2025, after this survey closed. The Providence raises came in February 2025, so they reach only the last survey panel; no documented cause explains Oregon's pay in the earlier panels.
4. Washington: $124,200
Washington nurses earn a median of $124,200 a year, or $59.71 an hour. That is 127.3% of the U.S. median, or $26,650 more. The state employs 69,260 registered nurses.
Seattle-area hospitals signed a wave of large contracts during the survey window. In October 2022, more than 2,000 UW Medicine nurses approved raises of 21% over two years, paid in steps from August 2022 through July 2024. The Seattle Times reported that the deal followed similar contracts at Providence Swedish and Seattle Children's. Those contracts are a partial cause, because they reach Seattle-area nurses at a few systems. No documented cause explains pay for nurses in the rest of the state.
5. Alaska: $109,480
Alaska nurses earn a median of $109,480 a year, or $52.64 an hour. That is 112.2% of the U.S. median, or $11,930 more. The state has 7,510 registered nurses, and it edges out New York by just $40.
A hard-to-fill job market is the documented cause. A December 2023 workforce report for the Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association found a 21% vacancy rate for hospital nurses. It took an average of 118 days to fill a vacant nursing job. The report says Alaska providers have repeatedly raised wages to compete, and total health care wages in the state rose 38% from 2016 to 2022.
That wage growth covers all health care workers, not nurses alone. No documented cause ties a specific raise to Alaska's nurse median.
6. New York: $109,440
New York nurses earn a median of $109,440 a year, or $52.62 an hour. That is 112.2% of the U.S. median, or $11,890 more. The state has 205,810 registered nurses, the fourth-largest nursing workforce in the country.
In January 2023, nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center ended a three-day strike with raises totaling 19% over three years. The New York State Nurses Association counted more than 8,700 of its nurses at Montefiore Bronx and the Mount Sinai hospitals facing that strike. NewYork-Presbyterian, Maimonides, Richmond University Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and BronxCare reached deals with the same 19% raises before the strike, the union reported. These contracts are a partial cause, since they cover city hospitals. No documented cause explains pay for nurses outside New York City.
The Other 45: What Pays What
- New Jersey: $106,500. No documented cause.
- Massachusetts: $104,550. A partial cause: a September 2024 Brigham contract gave 4,000 nurses raises of 20% to 30%.
- Nevada: $103,670. No documented cause.
- Connecticut: $102,740. No documented cause.
- District of Columbia: $102,540. No documented cause.
- Minnesota: $101,510. A partial cause: December 2022 contracts covered 15,000 nurses at 15 hospitals. Twin Cities nurses won 18% over three years.
- Rhode Island: $100,640. No documented cause.
- Colorado: $100,260. No documented cause.
- Maryland: $99,790. No documented cause.
- New Hampshire: $99,700. No documented cause.
- Delaware: $99,520. No documented cause.
- Arizona: $99,500. No documented cause.
- Vermont: $97,460, just $90 below the U.S. median. No documented cause.
- Pennsylvania: $96,430. No documented cause.
- Illinois: $95,990. No documented cause.
- Texas: $95,970. No documented cause.
- Wisconsin: $95,530. No documented cause.
- New Mexico: $94,340. No documented cause.
- Michigan: $94,300. No documented cause.
- Virginia: $93,600, the typical state. No documented cause.
- Georgia: $93,550. No documented cause.
- Idaho: $92,460. No documented cause.
- Maine: $86,990. No documented cause.
- Montana: $85,280. No documented cause.
- Nebraska: $84,730. No documented cause.
- Utah: $84,600. No documented cause.
- North Carolina: $84,350. No documented cause.
- Florida: $84,190. No documented cause.
- Wyoming: $83,760. No documented cause.
- Indiana: $83,500. No documented cause.
- Oklahoma: $82,920. No documented cause.
- Ohio: $82,510. No documented cause.
- South Carolina: $82,360. No documented cause.
- Missouri: $81,780. No documented cause.
- Tennessee: $81,500. No documented cause.
- Kentucky: $81,040. No documented cause.
- North Dakota: $80,730. No documented cause.
- Louisiana: $80,230. No documented cause.
- West Virginia: $80,130. No documented cause.
- Kansas: $79,320. No documented cause.
- Arkansas: $78,940. No documented cause.
- Iowa: $78,630. No documented cause.
- South Dakota: $78,060. No documented cause.
- Mississippi: $77,090. A likely contributor: strained rural hospital finances, covered in the next section.
- Alabama: $77,080. A likely contributor: strained rural hospital finances, covered in the next section.
Lowest-Paying States: Mississippi ($77,090) and Alabama ($77,080)
Mississippi and Alabama pay registered nurses the least, and they sit just $10 apart. Both pay a median of $37.06 an hour, 79.0% of the national median. Alabama nurses earn $20,470 less than the U.S. median.
Weak hospital finances are a likely contributor in both states, along with lower local prices. In November 2022, PBS NewsHour reported that over half of Mississippi's rural hospitals were at risk of closing, with experts at a state Senate hearing saying revenues had not kept pace with the rising costs of care. In March 2023, the head of the Alabama Hospital Association told the Alabama Reflector that hospitals were in "dire financial condition", especially rural ones, in a state that has not expanded Medicaid.
Lower prices do not close the gap. After cost of living, Mississippi ranks 45th and Alabama 49th, still near the bottom. South Dakota has the lowest pay for the lowest-paid 10% of nurses, at $54,040 a year. For a nurse in these states, the figures mean that moving within the South rarely pays as much as moving west.
After Cost of Living: California Still Leads at $126,689
California keeps first place even after adjusting for its prices, the highest of any state. Pay after cost of living divides each state's median by its 2024 price level from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, where the nation equals 100. Oregon moves up to second at $124,815, just ahead of Hawaii. High pay buys less where prices are high, so the adjustment trims the top states' lead without erasing it.
Some mid-ranked states gain the most. New Mexico ranks 24th on pay but 8th after cost of living. Wisconsin goes from 23rd to 9th, and Minnesota from 12th to 7th.
High-price places fall. The District of Columbia drops from 11th to 29th, and New Jersey from 7th to 20th. Florida falls from 34th on pay to last after cost of living, at $81,411. Utah lands next to last after cost of living.
| Rank after cost of living | State | Pay after cost of living | Median pay, May 2025 | Price level (U.S. = 100) | Rank on pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $126,689 | $140,270 | 110.72 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon | $124,815 | $129,010 | 103.36 | 3 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $123,983 | $136,320 | 109.95 | 2 |
| 4 | Washington | $116,061 | $124,200 | 107.01 | 4 |
| 5 | Alaska | $106,957 | $109,480 | 102.36 | 5 |
| 6 | Nevada | $103,692 | $103,670 | 99.98 | 9 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $102,929 | $101,510 | 98.62 | 12 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $102,308 | $94,340 | 92.21 | 24 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $101,525 | $95,530 | 94.09 | 23 |
| 10 | New York | $101,408 | $109,440 | 107.92 | 6 |
| 11 | Delaware | $99,711 | $99,520 | 99.81 | 17 |
| 12 | Vermont | $99,492 | $97,460 | 97.96 | 19 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $99,160 | $102,740 | 103.61 | 10 |
| 14 | Texas | $98,880 | $95,970 | 97.06 | 22 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $98,859 | $104,550 | 105.76 | 8 |
| 16 | Arizona | $98,831 | $99,500 | 100.68 | 18 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $98,830 | $96,430 | 97.57 | 20 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $98,397 | $100,640 | 102.28 | 13 |
| 19 | Michigan | $98,008 | $94,300 | 96.22 | 25 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $97,882 | $106,500 | 108.81 | 7 |
| 21 | Colorado | $97,291 | $100,260 | 103.05 | 14 |
| 22 | Georgia | $97,151 | $93,550 | 96.29 | 27 |
| 23 | Idaho | $96,823 | $92,460 | 95.49 | 28 |
| 24 | Illinois | $96,030 | $95,990 | 99.96 | 21 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $95,714 | $99,700 | 104.17 | 16 |
| 26 | Maryland | $95,075 | $99,790 | 104.96 | 15 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $94,396 | $82,920 | 87.84 | 37 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $94,037 | $84,730 | 90.1 | 31 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $93,302 | $102,540 | 109.9 | 11 |
| 30 | Virginia | $92,578 | $93,600 | 101.1 | 26 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $90,957 | $80,230 | 88.21 | 44 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $90,801 | $78,940 | 86.94 | 47 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $90,750 | $80,730 | 88.96 | 43 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $90,365 | $83,760 | 92.69 | 35 |
| 35 | Montana | $90,105 | $85,280 | 94.64 | 30 |
| 36 | Missouri | $90,049 | $81,780 | 90.82 | 40 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $89,886 | $81,040 | 90.16 | 42 |
| 38 | Maine | $89,634 | $86,990 | 97.05 | 29 |
| 39 | Iowa | $89,595 | $78,630 | 87.76 | 48 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $89,534 | $80,130 | 89.5 | 45 |
| 41 | Indiana | $89,468 | $83,500 | 93.33 | 36 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $89,424 | $84,350 | 94.33 | 33 |
| 43 | Ohio | $88,937 | $82,510 | 92.77 | 38 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $88,712 | $81,500 | 91.87 | 41 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $88,657 | $77,090 | 86.95 | 50 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $88,118 | $78,060 | 88.59 | 49 |
| 47 | Kansas | $88,067 | $79,320 | 90.07 | 46 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $87,852 | $82,360 | 93.75 | 39 |
| 49 | Alabama | $86,779 | $77,080 | 88.82 | 51 |
| 50 | Utah | $85,572 | $84,600 | 98.86 | 32 |
| 51 | Florida | $81,411 | $84,190 | 103.41 | 34 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities, 2024.
Best-Paying Metro Areas: San Jose Leads at $216,740
The San Jose metro area pays nurses a median of $216,740 a year, or $104.20 an hour. Eight of the 10 best-paying metro areas are in California, and the other two are in Hawaii. For a nurse choosing where to work, the city can matter as much as the state.
| Rank | Metro area | Median annual pay, May 2025 | Median hourly | RNs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $216,740 | $104.20 | 22,930 |
| 2 | Vallejo, CA | $203,290 | $97.74 | 4,120 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $186,610 | $89.71 | 41,750 |
| 4 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $174,550 | $83.92 | 3,720 |
| 5 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $171,460 | $82.43 | 23,590 |
| 6 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $170,960 | $82.19 | 1,750 |
| 7 | Yuba City, CA | $149,320 | $71.79 | 1,080 |
| 8 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $144,350 | $69.40 | 1,270 |
| 9 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $139,520 | $67.08 | 28,680 |
| 10 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $139,260 | $66.95 | 9,680 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area estimates.
What's Not in the Data
These figures count base wages only. They leave out overtime, shift differentials, on-call pay and bonuses that are not tied to output, as well as benefits. Night-shift and overtime pay can lift a nurse's take-home pay well above the median.
The survey counts only workers on a payroll, so self-employed nurses are not included. It counts each worker where the employer is located. A travel nurse employed by a staffing agency is counted where that agency's employer record sits, not always where the nurse works.
Hourly figures assume a full-time year of 2,080 hours. Each May estimate blends six survey panels collected over three years, so a raise from early 2025 shows up only in part.
The lowest-paid 10% figures describe the bottom of each state's pay range. They do not show what a new graduate earns.
FAQs
Which state pays registered nurses the most?
California. Its nurses earned a median of $140,270 in May 2025, or $67.44 an hour. Hawaii ranked second at $136,320.
Which state pays registered nurses the least?
Alabama, at a median of $77,080 in May 2025. Mississippi was just $10 higher at $77,090. Both work out to $37.06 an hour.
What is the median registered nurse salary in the U.S.?
$97,550 a year, or $46.90 an hour, in May 2025. The mean was higher, at $101,420. Only 18 states paid nurses more than the national median.
Which state is best for nurse pay after cost of living?
California, at $126,689 after adjusting for 2024 prices. Oregon ranked second at $124,815. Florida ranked last after the adjustment, at $81,411.
How much do registered nurses make per hour in California?
$67.44 an hour, the median in May 2025. The San Jose metro area paid a median of $104.20 an hour, the highest of any metro area.
Do nurses in Texas make more than nurses in Florida?
Yes. Texas nurses earned a median of $95,970 in May 2025. Florida nurses earned $84,190. Texas also ranked higher after cost of living.
How much will California nurses make in 2026?
About $145,222, estimated. That estimate applies a federal wage index to California's reported May 2025 median of $140,270. BLS will not publish surveyed 2026 figures until 2027.
Which city pays nurses the most?
San Jose, California. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area paid a median of $216,740 in May 2025. Vallejo, California, ranked second at $203,290.
How This List Was Built
The measure is median annual pay for registered nurses, occupation code 29-1141, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, released in May 2026. National figures for the same period are a median of $97,550, a mean of $101,420, a median hourly wage of $46.90 and employment of 3,379,720. All figures come from one period, so the ranking shows pay levels, not changes over time. Each place had to report at least 1,000 nurses and use the same occupation code. Fifty states and the District of Columbia qualified, for 51 entries. Two places were left out for falling below the 1,000-worker floor: Guam, with 690 nurses, and the Virgin Islands, with 470.
The 2026 estimates are not reported data. Each is the May 2025 median multiplied by 1.0353, the change in the BLS Employment Cost Index for wages and salaries of civilian workers in professional and related occupations (series CIU1020000120000I), from 163.976 in the second quarter of 2025 to 169.762 in the second quarter of 2026.
Pay after cost of living divides each May 2025 median by the state's 2024 regional price parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, released February 19, 2026, then multiplies by 100. Metro figures come from the same BLS survey's May 2025 metropolitan estimates.