Independent Salary Data Researcher
Published Jan 15, 2026
Updated Jul 21, 2026
Maintained by the author using IRS Publication 15-T, SSA wage-base announcements, and BLS OEWS data.
All calculator formulas are deterministic JavaScript — no AI inference in the numbers.
Content is reviewed for accuracy when tax figures are updated annually. See Methodology · Author Profile
Nursing remains one of the most in-demand professions in the US, with salaries that vary
dramatically by state, specialty, experience, and employer. The median registered nurse earns
$86,000–$92,000 per year nationally — but top earners in high-demand
specialties and states can make $130,000 or more.
Use our Salary Calculator to convert any RN salary
to hourly, weekly, and monthly rates. Or check your take-home pay
after taxes.
Median RN salary: ~$89,000/year = $42.79/hour = $3,423/bi-weekly paycheck (gross)
Est. take-home (single filer, avg. state): ~$66,000/year or ~$2,538/bi-weekly
Calculate your RN take-home pay and see where you rank. Use the take-home pay calculator for your state, or check your income percentile vs all US workers.
This guide exists because nursing pay is one of the easiest salary categories to misread from headline numbers alone. Shift structure, specialty, union coverage, hospital system, and state taxes can all change the practical value of the same-looking RN salary.
SalaryLabs uses this page as a market-context layer, not as a contract quote. The goal is to help readers separate gross benchmark, specialty premium, and location reality before treating a number like a final compensation answer.
$90K+BLS median annual wage for registered nurses (2026)
CA leadsHighest-paying state for RNs by BLS data
ICU/ORSpecialties with strongest pay premiums
Best workflow: use this guide to frame RN market context, then move to Take Home Pay for paycheck reality, US Salary Heatmap for location-adjusted context, or Negotiation Script once the pay story is clear.
RN Salary by State: 2026 Planning View
State-by-state pay varies more for nurses than almost any other profession:
State
Median Annual Salary
Hourly Rate
Rank
California
$133,000
$63.94
#1
Hawaii
$113,000
$54.33
#2
Oregon
$106,000
$50.96
#3
Alaska
$105,000
$50.48
#4
Washington
$102,000
$49.04
#5
Massachusetts
$99,000
$47.60
#6
New York
$97,000
$46.63
#7
Nevada
$89,000
$42.79
#12
Texas
$79,000
$37.98
#25
Florida
$75,000
$36.06
#31
Alabama
$64,000
$30.77
#48
Mississippi
$61,000
$29.33
#50
* Source framing: latest available BLS RN wage context, read here as a 2026 planning view for registered nurses (SOC 29-1141), not as a live quote for every hospital or contract.
1California
$133K
2Hawaii
$113K
3Oregon
$106K
4Alaska
$105K
5Washington
$102K
25Texas
$79K
48Alabama
$64K
50Mississippi
$61K
High pay ≠ high purchasing power. A California RN earning $133,000 pays up to 13.3% in state income tax and faces some of the highest housing costs in the US. A Texas RN earning $79,000 pays zero state income tax. Use our Take Home Pay Calculator to compare real net income across states.
RN Salary by Experience Level
Experience Level
Annual Salary Range
Hourly Range
Entry Level (0–2 years)
$58,000 – $72,000
$27.88 – $34.62
Mid-Level (3–7 years)
$72,000 – $95,000
$34.62 – $45.67
Experienced (8–15 years)
$90,000 – $115,000
$43.27 – $55.29
Senior (15+ years)
$105,000 – $140,000
$50.48 – $67.31
* Experience bands are directional career-stage ranges built around public RN wage context. Hospital system, union coverage, specialty mix, and shift structure can move the actual band materially.
Entry / 0–2 yrs
New grad RN
$65K
$58K – $72K
State and hospital system matter most. CA entry beats most state seniors.
Mid / 3–7 yrs
Staff RN
$83K
$72K – $95K
Specialty and shift differentials start to move the band here.
Experienced / 8–15 yrs
Senior staff / charge
$102K
$90K – $115K
Charge nurse, preceptor, and specialty roles price higher in this band.
Senior / 15+ yrs
Lead / advanced
$122K
$105K – $140K
Travel, union, ICU/OR specialties — top earners well above median here.
Registered Nurse Salaries by Specialty — 2026 BLS Data — salarylabs.siteView data table
Registered Nurse Salaries by Specialty — 2026 BLS Data
Rank
Job / Category
Value
1
Travel Nurse
115000
2
ICU / Critical Care
92000
3
Emergency Room (ER)
88000
4
Labor & Delivery
85000
5
Med-Surg
80000
6
Clinic / Outpatient
75000
7
School Nurse
62000
RN Salary by Specialty
Specialty
Median Annual Salary
Notes
CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist)
$230,000
Highest-paid nursing role
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
$134,000
Requires MSN/DNP
ICU / Critical Care RN
$105,000
High demand post-pandemic
ER / Emergency Room RN
$98,000
High acuity, shift differentials
OR / Surgical RN
$96,000
Specialized training required
Travel Nurse
$120,000 – $180,000
Includes tax-free stipends
Med-Surg RN
$82,000
Most common RN role
Pediatric RN
$85,000
Children's hospitals
Psych / Mental Health RN
$80,000
Growing demand
School Nurse
$58,000
Lower pay, better hours
* Specialty rows combine public nursing wage context with editorial market-band estimates. Use them to compare role shape and ceiling, not as a quoted pay schedule for a specific employer.
Travel Nurse Salary: The Premium Option
Travel nursing offers significantly higher pay than staff positions — typically
$2,000–$3,500 per week in total compensation. This includes:
Taxable hourly wages: $25–$40/hour (similar to staff RN rates)
Tax-free housing stipend: $1,000–$2,000/week (if you maintain a tax home)
Tax-free meal/incidental stipend: $200–$500/week
Sign-on bonuses: $1,000–$5,000 per contract (13 weeks typical)
Annualized, experienced travel nurses earn $100,000–$180,000 — but at the cost of
frequent relocation and less job stability.
* Travel-nurse figures assume contract-based compensation with stipends and can vary sharply by specialty, crisis demand, tax-home status, and contract timing.
RN Take-Home Pay: What You Actually Keep
Your gross RN salary is very different from your take-home pay. Here is a realistic
breakdown for a California RN earning $105,000/year (single filer):
$105,000 gross salary
− $16,100 standard deduction = $88,900 taxable
− $14,270 federal income tax (est.)
− $8,033 FICA (7.65%)
− $9,187 California state tax (est.)
= ~$73,510 take-home (~$2,827/bi-weekly)
That's roughly a 30% combined tax burden before any pre-tax benefit elections. Use our Take Home Pay Calculator
to see a more specific net-pay estimate for your state and filing status.
How to Increase Your RN Salary
Registered nurses have more options than most professions to increase earnings — through certifications, specialization, location, and employment type. Here are the most impactful strategies:
Pursue specialty certifications: Board certification in your specialty (CCRN for critical care, CEN for emergency, ONC for oncology) typically adds $5,000–$15,000 to base salary and improves hiring prospects significantly.
Advance your degree: Moving from an ADN to BSN adds $5,000–$10,000 on average. A Master's (MSN) opening paths to NP, CRNA, or CNS roles can double or triple your earnings ceiling.
Travel nursing for premium pay: Temporary contract positions at high-need hospitals pay $2,000–$3,500/week including stipends. Even a 6-month stint can build substantial savings while gaining diverse clinical experience.
Target high-paying states: California, Hawaii, and Oregon offer the highest RN wages — but factor in cost of living. Texas and Arizona offer strong wages with no or low state income tax.
Shift differentials: Night, weekend, and holiday shifts often pay 10–25% premiums. For a nurse earning $85,000 base, consistently working nights could add $8,500–$21,000 annually.
Per diem and PRN positions: Working as needed (per diem) typically pays 15–30% above staff rates — useful for supplementing income without full-time contract requirements.
RN Salary vs Other Healthcare Roles (2026)
Role
Median Salary
Entry Level
Experienced
LPN/LVN
~$56,000
$42,000
$68,000
Registered Nurse (RN)
~$89,000
$65,000
$115,000
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
~$132,000
$105,000
$160,000
Clinical Nurse Specialist
~$120,000
$95,000
$145,000
CRNA
~$230,000
$185,000
$280,000
RoleMedianExperienced
LPN / LVN$56K$68K exp.
Registered Nurse (RN) ←$89K$115K exp.
Clinical Nurse Specialist$120K$145K exp.
Nurse Practitioner (NP)$132K$160K exp.
CRNA$230K$280K exp.
The RN Pay Rule
State + specialty + shift type — those three move RN pay more than experience alone.
A California ICU night-shift RN and a Mississippi clinic day-shift RN can be
$70,000+ apart at the same experience level. The headline median hides
this spread entirely. Use state, specialty, and shift context before benchmarking any offer.
What is the average registered nurse salary in 2026?
The national median is approximately $86,000–$92,000/year, or $41–$44/hour for full-time staff RNs. Pay varies dramatically by state, specialty, and setting — with California averaging $133,000 and Mississippi averaging $61,000. Hospital-based RNs typically earn 10–15% more than those in outpatient or clinic settings.
Which states pay registered nurses the most?
In this guide, California ($133,000), Hawaii ($113,000), Oregon ($106,000), Alaska ($105,000), and Washington ($102,000) appear at the top of the RN pay table. Cost of living still matters: California's higher wages can be offset by taxes and housing, while states such as Texas and Nevada can look stronger after tax.
How much do travel nurses make?
Travel nurses often earn $2,000 to $3,500 a week including stipends, which can put the annualized number well above many staff roles. The tradeoff is instability: short contracts, repeated relocation, and thinner long-term benefits.
What nursing specialty pays the most?
CRNAs (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) usually sit at the top of nursing pay bands in this guide. Advanced-practice and high-acuity roles such as Nurse Practitioner, ICU, ER charge, and flight nursing also tend to price above general staff RN work, but exact ranges depend on employer type, shift structure, and geography.
Is nursing salary negotiable?
Yes, especially in private systems, specialty settings, and hard-to-fill roles. Even when base pay is on a grid, there is often room on bonuses, differentials, relocation help, or loan support.
Use the RN pay data above to benchmark your current position: see how your salary compares by state and specialty, or prepare for your next contract negotiation.
RN pay changes quickly by state, specialty, shift, and hospital system. Use the next steps to check what the benchmark means after taxes and local cost pressure before treating it like a final job answer.
Data & Methodology: Salary ranges rely on public BLS nursing wage context, while take-home illustrations use simplified 2026 IRS payroll-tax references where needed for pay context. Experience, specialty, and travel-nursing bands are editorial comparison ranges built around that public anchor, not employer-specific pay schedules. Treat this guide as market context, not as a substitute for tax, legal, or contract advice. Methodology
