January 21, 2022
Nursing can be a demanding career choice, with shifts commonly running between 10 and 12 hours in fast-paced work environments. If you're entering the workforce as a registered nurse or looking for a new position, an important factor to consider is where you will have the opportunity to earn the best living. A lot goes into determining salary, including experience, market demand, and cost of living. That's why we've compiled a list of the highest-paying states for nurses to help you assess your options. Before we jump in, here's a quick look at the top 10:
- California
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Oregon
- Washington
- Nevada
- Massachusetts
- District of Columbia
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
How We Calculated the Highest Nursing Pay by State in 2022
To determine where nurses make the most money, we accessed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data from the latest release of the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. This program collects annual wage estimates across nearly 800 occupations, and we focused specifically on registered nurses for the purpose of this study to see where nurses get paid the most. Included in this dataset below are the gross annual wage estimates for registered nurses in each state.
Next, to ensure we paint an accurate picture of income, we adjusted gross income based on the estimated living wage in each state. Collected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a living wage is an estimate of the cost of living in a region based on typical expenses. In this study, we used the living wage for a single individual with no children, but MIT also provides estimates for other family configurations if you're interested.
Subtracting the living wage in each state from the average gross salary gave us an estimate of where nurses have the highest and lowest disposable income. States (including DC) were then ranked from 1-51 and the state with the highest disposable income, California, was named the highest-paying state for nurses in 2022. Keep reading below for a full breakdown of the rankings including the average income, living wage, and adjusted disposable income for each state.
Adjusted Registered Nurse Salary by State in 2022
| Rank | State | Average Income | Living Wage | Disposable Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $124,000 | $38,823 | $85,177 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $106,530 | $40,412 | $66,118 |
| 3 | Alaska | $97,230 | $31,333 | $65,897 |
| 4 | Oregon | $98,630 | $35,050 | $63,580 |
| 5 | Washington | $95,350 | $33,982 | $61,368 |
| 6 | Nevada | $88,800 | $28,442 | $60,358 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $96,630 | $36,889 | $59,741 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $98,540 | $41,850 | $56,690 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $89,690 | $33,696 | $55,994 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $88,530 | $33,240 | $55,290 |
| 11 | New York | $93,320 | $31,333 | $65,897 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $85,270 | $30,763 | $54,507 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $84,030 | $30,977 | $53,053 |
| 14 | Arizona | $81,600 | $31,077 | $50,523 |
| 15 | Texas | $79,120 | $29,134 | $49,986 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $77,590 | $29,057 | $48,533 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $78,270 | $30,089 | $48,181 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $76,000 | $27,861 | $48,139 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $76,850 | $29,160 | $47,690 |
| 20 | Michigan | $75,930 | $28,354 | $47,576 |
| 21 | Maryland | $82,660 | $35,879 | $46,781 |
| 22 | Colorado | $80,670 | $34,009 | $46,661 |
| 23 | Illinois | $78,260 | $31,975 | $46,285 |
| 24 | Delaware | $73,130 | $27,425 | $45,705 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $97,230 | $31,333 | $65,897 |
| 26 | Idaho | $73,640 | $29,007 | $44,633 |
| 27 | Montana | $73,610 | $29,004 | $44,606 |
| 28 | Ohio | $71,640 | $27,369 | $44,271 |
| 29 | Vermont | $75,160 | $31,057 | $44,103 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $71,200 | $27,211 | $43,989 |
| 31 | Georgia | $75,380 | $31,940 | $43,440 |
| 32 | Maine | $73,630 | $31,043 | $42,587 |
| 33 | Utah | $72,790 | $30,211 | $42,579 |
| 34 | Virginia | $76,680 | $34,552 | $42,128 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $69,850 | $28,234 | $41,616 |
| 36 | Florida | $72,000 | $30,825 | $41,175 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $70,380 | $29,251 | $41,129 |
| 38 | Indiana | $68,890 | $27,955 | $40,935 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $71,200 | $30,617 | $40,583 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $68,180 | $28,133 | $40,047 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $67,640 | $27,837 | $39,803 |
| 42 | Missouri | $67,790 | $28,535 | $39,255 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $69,580 | $30,328 | $39,252 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $67,260 | $28,048 | $39,212 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $66,680 | $27,563 | $39,117 |
| 46 | Kansas | $66,560 | $28,093 | $38,467 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $65,810 | $27,652 | $38,158 |
| 48 | Iowa | $64,990 | $28,327 | $36,663 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $63,130 | $27,936 | $35,194 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $60,540 | $26,225 | $34,315 |
| 51 | Alabama | $61,920 | $28,652 | $33,268 |
Learn More About Nursing Job Markets
We know more goes into choosing where to live than salary. If you want to learn about other industry factors beyond the highest-paying states for nurses, check out our article on the best states for nurses. We dig into market demand and growth trends to help you find the right fit for your talents.
Sources
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Living Wage Calculator" https://web.mit.edu/. 31 March 2022.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics" https://www.bls.gov/. 31 March 2022.
