Registered Nurse Salary by State, Adjusted for Cost of Living
Published October 2026 · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BEA RPP 2024
Nurse pay varies by tens of thousands of dollars between states, but so do rent, groceries and other costs. This study divides each state's average registered nurse salary by its price level to show what that pay is actually worth.
Registered Nurses: pay by state after cost of living
- California pays registered nurses the most both before and after adjusting for prices: $150,280 on paper, worth $135,730 at national-average prices.
- Biggest climbers once prices are counted: Oklahoma (from 43rd to 25th); Nebraska (from 36th to 20th); West Virginia (from 39th to 23rd).
- Biggest drops: Maryland (from 17th to 38th); New Hampshire (from 18th to 39th); Virginia (from 27th to 44th).
- The gap between the best- and worst-paying state is $73,260 before adjusting and $49,018 after, so prices narrow the gap by $24,242.
- Lowest adjusted pay: Alabama, at $86,712 ($77,020 before adjusting). The U.S. average is $101,420.
| State | Average salary | Price level | Adjusted salary | Adjusted rank (change) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $150,280 | 110.7 | $135,730 | 1st (no change) |
| Oregon | $123,140 | 103.4 | $119,136 | 2nd (+1) |
| Washington | $121,540 | 107.0 | $113,575 | 3rd (+1) |
| Hawaii | $124,340 | 110.0 | $113,087 | 4th (-2) |
| Alaska | $114,870 | 102.4 | $112,223 | 5th (+1) |
| Massachusetts | $117,960 | 105.8 | $111,539 | 6th (-1) |
| Nevada | $105,710 | 100.0 | $105,732 | 7th (+3) |
| New York | $113,440 | 107.9 | $105,114 | 8th (-1) |
| Minnesota | $103,420 | 98.6 | $104,866 | 9th (+3) |
| New Mexico | $95,290 | 92.2 | $103,338 | 10th (+11) |
| Connecticut | $105,250 | 103.6 | $101,583 | 11th (no change) |
| New Jersey | $110,100 | 108.8 | $101,190 | 12th (-4) |
| Wisconsin | $94,690 | 94.1 | $100,632 | 13th (+10) |
| Delaware | $99,460 | 99.8 | $99,651 | 14th (+1) |
| Arizona | $99,730 | 100.7 | $99,059 | 15th (-1) |
| Rhode Island | $101,260 | 102.3 | $99,003 | 16th (-3) |
| Georgia | $95,080 | 96.3 | $98,740 | 17th (+5) |
| Vermont | $96,650 | 98.0 | $98,665 | 18th (+1) |
| Texas | $95,380 | 97.1 | $98,272 | 19th (+1) |
| Nebraska | $88,330 | 90.1 | $98,032 | 20th (+16) |
| Michigan | $94,300 | 96.2 | $98,008 | 21st (+4) |
| District of Columbia | $106,980 | 109.9 | $97,342 | 22nd (-13) |
| West Virginia | $86,970 | 89.5 | $97,176 | 23rd (+16) |
| Idaho | $92,710 | 95.5 | $97,085 | 24th (+4) |
| Oklahoma | $85,060 | 87.8 | $96,832 | 25th (+18) |
| Montana | $91,510 | 94.6 | $96,688 | 26th (+4) |
| Colorado | $99,370 | 103.1 | $96,427 | 27th (-11) |
| Pennsylvania | $94,020 | 97.6 | $96,360 | 28th (-2) |
| North Carolina | $90,470 | 94.3 | $95,912 | 29th (+4) |
| Wyoming | $88,600 | 92.7 | $95,586 | 30th (+5) |
| Kentucky | $86,140 | 90.2 | $95,542 | 31st (+9) |
| Indiana | $89,150 | 93.3 | $95,522 | 32nd (+2) |
| Louisiana | $84,190 | 88.2 | $95,446 | 33rd (+11) |
| Missouri | $85,900 | 90.8 | $94,586 | 34th (+7) |
| Ohio | $87,730 | 92.8 | $94,563 | 35th (+2) |
| Maine | $91,700 | 97.0 | $94,487 | 36th (-7) |
| Illinois | $94,360 | 100.0 | $94,400 | 37th (-13) |
| Maryland | $99,010 | 105.0 | $94,332 | 38th (-21) |
| New Hampshire | $97,900 | 104.2 | $93,986 | 39th (-21) |
| North Dakota | $83,600 | 89.0 | $93,976 | 40th (+5) |
| Arkansas | $81,520 | 86.9 | $93,769 | 41st (+6) |
| South Carolina | $87,670 | 93.7 | $93,516 | 42nd (-4) |
| Tennessee | $85,390 | 91.9 | $92,947 | 43rd (-1) |
| Virginia | $93,850 | 101.1 | $92,825 | 44th (-17) |
| Utah | $90,950 | 98.9 | $91,995 | 45th (-14) |
| Iowa | $80,540 | 87.8 | $91,771 | 46th (+2) |
| Kansas | $82,360 | 90.1 | $91,442 | 47th (-1) |
| Mississippi | $78,950 | 87.0 | $90,796 | 48th (+1) |
| Florida | $90,650 | 103.4 | $87,657 | 49th (-17) |
| South Dakota | $77,140 | 88.6 | $87,079 | 50th (no change) |
| Alabama | $77,020 | 88.8 | $86,712 | 51st (no change) |
All 51 states with published BLS figures, ranked by adjusted salary. Price level is the BEA Regional Price Parity (2024, U.S. = 100). Rank change compares the adjusted rank with the rank by average salary. See the full Registered Nurses salary page.
Methodology
Wages: mean annual wages by state from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Only states for which BLS publishes a figure are included.
Prices: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024 (all items), the most recent year available. An RPP of 110 means prices in that state are 10% above the national average.
Adjusted salary = average salary ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). It shows what the average salary would buy at national-average prices.
Limitations: RPPs are statewide averages, so prices in a large city can be much higher than the state figure. The adjustment does not account for state and local taxes. Wages are employer-reported means and exclude overtime, benefits and self-employed workers. Wage and price data come from consecutive years (May 2025 and 2024).
Cite this study
USA Salaries, "Registered Nurse Salary by State, Adjusted for Cost of Living," based on BLS OEWS May 2025 and BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. https://usasalaries.com/research/nurse-salary-by-state-cost-of-living/
Journalists and researchers are welcome to use these figures with a link to this page. Questions: contact us.