The average annual salary for a nurse is $67,000. This figure is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) May 2016 data, which shows that the median national wage for certified nursing assistants was $26,590 per year.
The BLS’s most recent data also shows that the median national wage for registered nurses was $67,490 per year in May 2016.
The annual salary for a nurse ranges widely depending on the type of nursing you do, your location, and the level of experience you have. Nurses who work in hospitals make anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 per year. The average annual salary is around $70,000. Nurses who work in outpatient care centers make close to $40,000 per year on average. Private duty nurses earn higher salaries than nurses working in hospitals or outpatient care centers.
Annual Salary For A Nurse
What you can earn as a nurse depends on your education, experience, role, industry and locale. Your nursing career may begin as a certified nurse assistant or registered nurse, or perhaps you’ve earned a master’s in nursing and became a nurse practitioner.
Whatever your chosen pathway, it could be beneficial to research what the typical salary is for your career in your state of practice. Information on salary for the nursing careers below was last retrieved in February 2021 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Nationally, the 2019 mean pay for these nursing careers was as follows:
| Nursing Career | 2019 Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Nursing Assistant (CNA) | $30,720 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LPN/LVN) | $48,500 |
| Registered Nurse (RN) | $77,460 |
| Nurse Practitioners (NP) | $111,840 |
| Nurse Midwife (CNM) | $108,810 |
| Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) | $181,040 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | $83,160 |
Annual mean salary for the above nursing careers was retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wages Estimates.
Mean Nursing Salary by State
| State | Nursing Assistant | LPN/LVN | RN | Nurse Practitioner | Nurse Midwife | Nurse Anesthetist | Nursing Instructor/Teacher, Postsecondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $24,590 | $39,310 | $60,230 | $99,570 | N/A | $157,430 | $71,020 |
| Alaska | $40,320 | $63,850 | $90,500 | $115,890 | $85,920 | N/A | $75,940 |
| Arizona | $32,640 | $54,290 | $78,330 | $111,480 | $117,700 | $144,530 | $81,110 |
| Arkansas | $25,950 | $40,760 | $61,330 | $105,840 | N/A | $182,960 | $55,170 |
| California | $36,630 | $60,240 | $113,240 | $138,660 | $154,500 | $227,290 | $101,930 |
| Colorado | $33,980 | $53,180 | $76,230 | $106,760 | $102,520 | $175,100 | $75,530 |
| Connecticut | $34,360 | $57,380 | $83,440 | $115,140 | $112,920 | $198,750 | $97,350 |
| Delaware | $31,770 | $53,520 | $74,100 | $112,430 | $95,110 | N/A | N/A |
| Florida | $27,790 | $45,580 | $67,610 | $101,510 | $84,270 | $160,030 | $122,050 |
| Georgia | $27,890 | $42,570 | $69,590 | $105,670 | $98,440 | $174,310 | $77,270 |
| Guam | $29,160 | $35,740 | $58,070 | $72,970 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Hawaii | $37,710 | $51,010 | $104,060 | $124,000 | N/A | $190,330 | $82,800 |
| Idaho | $28,950 | $46,430 | $69,480 | $110,860 | N/A | $150,670 | $76,690 |
| Illinois | $29,760 | $53,290 | $73,510 | $107,860 | $104,640 | $199,660 | $69,770 |
| Indiana | $28,610 | $46,050 | $66,560 | $106,380 | $112,010 | $165,770 | $83,880 |
| Iowa | $30,520 | $44,220 | $60,590 | $109,910 | $104,420 | $202,400 | $75,690 |
| Kansas | $27,280 | $44,260 | $62,450 | $100,550 | N/A | $162,010 | $68,090 |
| Kentucky | $27,280 | $42,740 | $63,750 | $99,560 | $105,890 | $167,400 | $72,240 |
| Louisiana | $23,340 | $40,300 | $65,850 | $106,240 | N/A | $158,500 | $67,080 |
| Maine | $30,770 | $46,930 | $69,760 | $106,960 | $115,200 | $188,840 | $59,220 |
| Maryland | $32,450 | $55,020 | $77,910 | $111,800 | $118,240 | $186,310 | $95,830 |
| Massachusetts | $35,040 | $60,340 | $93,160 | $122,240 | $107,150 | $201,890 | $88,260 |
| Michigan | $31,200 | $50,300 | $73,200 | $108,660 | $92,790 | $194,640 | $81,510 |
| Minnesota | $35,150 | $48,460 | $80,130 | $122,850 | $121,980 | $192,290 | $74,090 |
| Mississippi | $23,980 | $39,020 | $59,750 | $110,740 | $119,640 | $177,820 | $74,070 |
| Missouri | $26,490 | $43,410 | $64,160 | $105,050 | $114,140 | $161,420 | $73,300 |
| Montana | $30,440 | $44,730 | $69,340 | $109,120 | N/A | $239,380 | $77,770 |
| Nebraska | $29,920 | $44,450 | $66,640 | $105,450 | N/A | $179,450 | $75,520 |
| Nevada | $34,890 | $58,470 | $88,380 | $115,970 | N/A | N/A | $72,580 |
| New Hampshire | $33,430 | $54,220 | $73,880 | $110,680 | $108,050 | $196,000 | $72,890 |
| New Jersey | $31,190 | $57,510 | $84,280 | $123,810 | $117,280 | $193,900 | $87,120 |
| New Mexico | $28,850 | $48,330 | $73,300 | $111,930 | $98,750 | $162,320 | $67,120 |
| New York | $38,810 | $49,860 | $87,840 | $122,550 | $120,380 | $200,350 | $97,750 |
| North Carolina | $26,540 | $45,880 | $66,440 | $105,890 | $100,730 | $189,060 | $70,300 |
| North Dakota | $34,320 | $46,760 | $66,290 | $110,950 | N/A | $195,010 | $72,180 |
| Ohio | $28,690 | $45,020 | $68,220 | $103,780 | $103,930 | $184,380 | $79,360 |
| Oklahoma | $26,030 | $42,090 | $64,800 | $113,200 | N/A | $175,090 | $58,440 |
| Oregon | $34,780 | $54,740 | $92,960 | $113,430 | $113,580 | $234,750 | $83,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $31,590 | $49,200 | $71,410 | $101,950 | $98,680 | $174,240 | $81,760 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,540 | $23,170 | $35,040 | N/A | N/A | $54,690 | $35,980 |
| Rhode Island | $33,020 | $59,860 | $82,310 | $115,310 | $108,320 | N/A | $80,220 |
| South Carolina | $26,560 | $42,190 | $64,840 | $100,680 | $99,590 | $165,940 | $74,020 |
| South Dakota | $28,120 | $38,760 | $59,540 | $102,230 | N/A | $190,880 | $73,160 |
| Tennessee | $27,250 | $41,270 | $62,570 | $96,510 | $90,070 | $157,070 | $75,260 |
| Texas | $27,930 | $47,370 | $74,540 | $115,440 | $92,560 | $167,020 | $66,190 |
| Utah | $28,890 | $49,660 | $67,970 | $105,240 | $104,580 | $146,470 | $82,790 |
| Vermont | $31,710 | $50,210 | $70,240 | $105,840 | $94,850 | N/A | N/A |
| Virgin Islands | $31,150 | $48,420 | $68,500 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Virginia | $29,400 | $46,070 | $71,870 | $109,110 | $94,920 | $180,120 | $71,640 |
| Washington | $33,800 | $57,940 | $86,170 | $126,920 | $107,810 | $192,440 | $81,980 |
| Washington, D.C | $35,320 | $54,220 | $94,820 | $111,950 | $95,990 | N/A | $157,560 |
| West Virginia | $26,900 | $37,500 | $63,220 | $103,170 | N/A | $188,580 | $58,590 |
| Wisconsin | $31,280 | $46,550 | $72,610 | $112,130 | $115,100 | $233,600 | $83,690 |
| Wyoming | $31,930 | $46,980 | $68,690 | $118,110 | N/A | $243,310 | $66,880 |
