Registered Nurse Salary Guide 2025

Wondering how much RNs are earning in 2025? Our guide covers top-paying states, salary trends, and tips to maximize your earnings.

Written byThe Pickle Team

Published on06 Jan 2025

If you’re looking to grow in your nursing career, earn a higher salary, or lead salary conversations with confidence, keep reading because we created this guide for you!

How much money do registered nurses make?

The median annual pay for United States based Registered Nurses (RNs) is $86,070¹, and the top 10% of registered nurses earned more than $136,680¹. However, this is not the full picture - there are a couple factors that influence pay like your specialty, location, years of experience and type of work setting. In fact, the type of degree earned can also influence pay!

Let’s dive into how these factors influence compensation 💰

Highest Paying Nursing Settings¹

Nursing is incredibly fulfilling, but it's also important to ensure you're being compensated fairly for your hard work. Are you earning what you deserve?

Depending on your experience and the setting you work in, salaries can vary widely. Glassdoor reports that RNs can earn from $66,000 to almost $120,000 or more annually.

So, why such is there a wide salary range? It’s because the type of nursing setting you work in can play a significant role in determining your pay.

As of May 2023¹, the highest paying nursing settings for registered nurses include:

States with a $95k+ average salary¹

Another way to earn more money as an RN is to work in certain cities or states with higher average salaries. Cost of living compares costs of basic expenses like housing, transportation, food, childcare and utilities in different locations². The higher the cost of living index number, the more expensive the place is!

In this case, living in a state like Nevada means high pay and more savings with a COL score of 102.7 a better bang for your buck!

Source: BLS 2023 and World Population Review

Top Paying Nursing Specialties

Registered nurses (RNs) have a wide range of opportunities to maximize their earning potential by specializing in niche fields. With the healthcare industry continually evolving, there are many specialities to explore⁵ each offering unique challenges, skill sets, and rewards. Here are the top 9 fastest growing RN specialties and nationwide average salaries⁶

Top 5 States with the Most Projected Jobs 2022 - 2032

Registered Nurses can boost their salaries as they increase their experience, but where should you move to maximize their earning potential?

Looking at the projected job growth⁷ over the next 10 years by state can highlight areas with a high demand for RNs, which often leads to more job opportunities and higher salaries. Here are the top 5 states with the highest projected job growth:

Future Outlook

Though we can’t see the future, we can use existing data to help make informed decisions! Whether you’re a student or have experience under your belt, here are some trends in the field you can expect in the coming years:

💰 Increased Demand for Registered Nurses⁸

The high demand for registered nurses is driving growth in salaries. This profession has rapidly evolved in the past decade¹ - in 2013, BLS reported a median salary of $66,220⁸. In 2023, registered nurses earned a median salary of $86,070⁸ - a $20,000 increase in a decade! That’s a 30% growth in salary within just a decade, how great is that 😎

☀️ Consider a Master’s Degree in Nursing

In the next decade, the registered nurse field is expected to grow over 6%¹. If you’re considering getting a master’s degree in a specialized path as a nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife or nurse practitioner, it might be a great investment. As of 2023, the median salary for all three professions is $129,480. The BLS predicts a 40% growth for nurses with a master’s degree over the next decade⁹, so definitely worth thinking about!

Check out this article for more information on online MSN programs.

📈 Major Cities Have Higher Wages for Registered Nurses¹⁰

If you’re a new grad or experienced RN interested in working in a city, check out our job posts in these metropolitan cities! They are consistently ranked¹⁰ for having the highest employment rates and as of 2023 pay over $170,000 yearly. Of course the cost of living in California is pretty high, but might be worth considering!

Metropolitans with Highest Salaries for RNs

Salary transparency is not always the easiest topic, we hope this guide makes the conversation less daunting.

🔍 Good luck on the job hunt, you got this!! Find your match with Pickle.

_SOURCES

Highest Paying Nursing Settings1

States with a $95k+ average salary1

Highest Paying Nursing Settings¹

States with a $95k+ average salary¹