While some states and metropolitan areas pay higher nursing salaries than others, an important factor is considering just how livable a wage an RN can expect to receive when moving to a certain area. Although some areas have higher wages for RNs, that wage may not be in line with the cost of living in a given region.
Based on the annual mean wage of RNs and the cost of living per state, the top two states for nurses to work in are Nevada and Texas. Nevada has a 101.6 rating on the cost of living index, coupled with an annual mean wage for RNs of $83,790 per year. Texas is lower on the cost of living spectrum (90.4) and gives nursing professionals the opportunity to bring home $70,390 each year in terms of annual mean wage.
HIGHEST PAYING STATES FOR RNS
It’s no surprise that California tops the list of highest-paying states for registered nurses. However, some of the other states that cracked the top five were somewhat surprising, offering high annual mean wages for RNs:
• California ($101,750)
• Massachusetts ($89,060)
• Hawaii ($88,910)
• Oregon ($87,000)
• Alaska ($86,450)
Sources: https://online.drexel.edu/nursing-today-and-tomorrow.aspx
