According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a nurse in the United States was $68,450 as of May 2013. While this figure might be useful for understanding the current and future salaries for nurses in general, it can be difficult to determine what an average salary is for a first year nurse or an experienced nurse from a major metropolitan area. For these reasons more specific data is necessary to truly answer this question with any accuracy.
Nurses are the backbone of the medical industry. Without them, doctors would be swamped with paperwork and unable to focus on patient care.
The average salary for a nurse varies depending on their specialty and experience level. The average salary for a registered nurse is $75,000 per year, but this number can be much higher if you have specialized training in a particular field.
Nurses who work in hospitals may have higher salaries than those who work in private practice or at home care agencies. The average salary for an emergency room nurse is $65,000 per year while the average salary for a critical care nurse is $98,000 per year.
Nurses who work in intensive care units or burn centers can earn even more—$126,000 per year on average.
What is the average salary for a nurse
Introduction
Nurse salaries in the United States are highly dependent on a variety of factors such as area, experience and employer.
Average Nurse Salary by State
The average salary for a nurse in the United States is $64,690. This figure varies by state and employer type. On average, nurses in California earn the highest wages at an average annual salary of $83,390. Nurse salaries are also highest for those working for private practices or hospitals at $77,600 and $76,970 per year respectively. Nurses who earned a bachelor’s degree earn more than those with associate’s degrees or high school diplomas; however, they all make well above minimum wage—a full $12-$14/hour higher on average than their peers without degrees!
State Annual Pay
Alaska is the state with the highest average salary for nurses, at $89,700 per year. Alabama comes in second place, with an average annual salary of $66,000. The lowest median paycheck for this occupation was found in Hawaii at $53,900 per year, while California pays its nurses an average of $70,400 each year.
There are many factors that contribute to what a nurse earns each year. Some of these include:
- Experience level and skill set * Location (city vs rural) * Type of facility (acute care vs long term care)
1 Alabama $66,000
- Alabama
Average salary for a nurse in Alabama: $66,000
- United States
Average salary for a nurse in the US: $73,690
2 Alaska $89,700
If you’re looking for a place to live where the pay is high, Alaska is a great option. The average RN salary in Alaska is $89,700 per year, which is significantly higher than the national average. There are many reasons why nurses would want to work in Alaska:
- The cost of living in Alaska is much lower than other states
- The demand for nurses exceeds that of most other states and territories.
- Nurses who work on boats and ships can earn bonuses by working off shore during their shifts. This means they get paid more money because they have to travel further from home than usual when they go to work. And since most people don’t like moving far away from their families or friends, this opportunity gives residents an advantage over others who don’t want the hassle of relocating themselves every day!
3 Arizona $73,300
Arizona is a state in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the Mountain West states. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico; its other neighboring states are Nevada and Mexico. Arizona’s border with Mexico spans 366 miles (583 kilometers).
4 Arkansas $63,800
The average salary for a nurse in Arkansas is $63,800.
Nurses who work in Arkansas earn an average of $4,000 more than nurses in the country as a whole.
5 California $102,700
California is the most populous state in the United States. As of July 1, 2017, California has a population of 39,250,017 and it is expected to grow by more than 1 million people by 2029. California’s population accounts for 14% of the entire U.S. population and roughly 40% of America’s GDP (gross domestic product).
6 Colorado $80,200
The average annual salary for a nurse in Colorado is $80,200. The average hourly wage for a nurse working in Colorado is $39.74. The median is $34.62 per hour.
The numbers above are based on the median hourly pay rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure represents an average of all nurses, including those with less experience, as well as some who make more than the national average salary for this job title (e.g., nurse practitioners). In addition, the number does not include hourly wages paid to advanced practice registered nurses or other medical professionals with higher levels of training and education who may be included in this category but whom we do not consider “nurses.”
7 Connecticut $88,400
The average salary for nurses in Connecticut is $88,400.
8 Delaware $83,100
The average salary for a nurse in the state of Delaware is $83,100.
The average salary for a nurse in Delaware is slightly lower than the national average. In fact, most states have an average higher than the national one. The exception to this rule is New York and Texas; they have averages that are less than what’s calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
9 District of Columbia$90,000
The District of Columbia is the place to be if you want to make a lot of money as a nurse. The average salary of $90,000 is higher than in any other state—and it’s even higher than some cities pay their police officers. DC has traditionally been more expensive than other parts of the country, so it’s no surprise that nurses here earn more on average.
10 Florida $61,900
As you might imagine, the average salary of a nurse in Florida varies depending on several factors. For example, where you work and what type of nursing job you have will affect your salary. In addition, if you’re working in a larger city or remote area, your pay may be higher or lower than usual due to the cost of living. Other factors that can impact your wage include:
- years spent doing this particular kind of work
- education level and specialty skills
- geographic location (urban vs rural)
The Average Nurse Salary by Employer Type
The average salary for a nurse in the United States is $68,450. However, this figure varies substantially depending on what state you live in, the type of employer you work for, and even your city. This article takes a look at how much nurses make by each of these categories.
Employer Annual Pay* *Excludes bonuses and other compensation.
The average salary for nurses depends on a number of factors, including the employer and their location. Nurses in Delaware make an average of $86,410 per year (as of May 2019), while those in New York earn an average of $79,212 annually.
Nurses typically earn more than $60,000 per year. According to Payscale (as of February 2019), hospital-based registered nurses with less than five years experience can expect to earn between $56,000 and $61,000 annually; registered nurses with six to 10 years’ experience can expect to earn between $59,000-$63,000 annually; while registered nurses who have been employed for 11 or more years can earn anywhere between $58-$65 per hour depending on their specialization and certification level.
If you’re looking to become a nurse yourself: Registered Nurse (RN) is one of the most popular jobs among recent college graduates—and it’s also one of the highest paying too! According to Glassdoor (as of March 2018), new RNs can look forward to earning about 97k on average over 40 hours each week after taxes/benefits are factored into their total compensation package.[1]
Conclusion
These figures are provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and show that, in general, nurses who work for the state make less money than those working for a private company. The salaries also vary depending on where you live – the highest paying states being California and Connecticut with average salaries over $100K per year. On average though nurses can expect to earn around $75k per year which is still higher than many other professions out there today!
