Nurses are often the unsung heroes of the healthcare industry, assisting doctors and patients and keeping hospitals running smoothly. Yet nurses’ wages vary greatly across the country, ranging from a healthy six-figure salary to just over $45,000 a year depending on the city.
Of the 25 cities in which registered nurses are paid the highest salaries, 19 are located in California. One reason for this is the strength of California’s nurses union, the California Nurses Association. According to the group, nurses “represented by CNA/NNOC have many of the best collective bargaining contracts in the nation.” Many cities in California also have high costs of living, which often result in higher salaries. For example, nurses in the famously expensive San Jose and Santa Cruz metro areas earn over $130,000 per year.
Conversely, many of the areas where nurses are paid less have lower costs of living, including small rural areas in Alabama and Tennessee. For instance, in the relatively small area of Florence-Muscle Shoals, Alabama, registered nurses earn $46,190 – about $22,000 less than the national median salary. However, registered nurses earn more than the median salary for all jobs in each area, including in the 25 areas where nurses earn the least.
Click here to see the best paying cities for registered nurses.
Click here to see the worst paying cities for registered nurses.
In order to identify the metropolitan areas that pay registered nurses the highest and lowest salaries, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics program for May 2016. The largest hospital for each area is based on the number of employees.
The best paying places:
25. Bakersfield, CA
> Median annual salary: $87,800
> Total no. of registered nurses: 4,800
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,440
> Largest hospital: Bakersfield Memorial Hospital
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24. Bend-Redmond, OR
> Median annual salary: $88,680
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,660
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $35,100
> Largest hospital: St. Charles Medical Center
23. Chico, CA
> Median annual salary: $88,830
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,360
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,310
> Largest hospital: Enloe Medical Center
22. Danbury, CT
> Median annual salary: $90,090
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,460
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $41,910
> Largest hospital: Danbury Hospital
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21. Yuba City, CA
> Median annual salary: $90,280
> Total no. of registered nurses: 890
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $35,490
> Largest hospital: Rideout Memorial Hospital
20. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
> Median annual salary: $90,370
> Total no. of registered nurses: 22,690
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $41,370
> Largest hospital: Oregon Health & Science University Hospital
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19. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
> Median annual salary: $90,490
> Total no. of registered nurses: 740
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $38,720
> Largest hospital: Maui Memorial Medical Center
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18. Urban Honolulu, HI
> Median annual salary: $91,040
> Total no. of registered nurses: 8,940
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $41,030
> Largest hospital: Kapiolani Medical Center
17. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
> Median annual salary: $91,170
> Total no. of registered nurses: 23,340
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $41,190
> Largest hospital: Sharp Memorial Hospital
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16. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA
> Median annual salary: $94,220
> Total no. of registered nurses: 44,890
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $52,770
> Largest hospital: Massachusetts General Hospital
15. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
> Median annual salary: $94,350
> Total no. of registered nurses: 27,090
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $35,450
> Largest hospital: Riverside Community Hospital
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14. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
> Median annual salary: $94,640
> Total no. of registered nurses: 4,470
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $38,420
> Largest hospital: Community Memorial Hospital of San Buenaventura
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13. Redding, CA
> Median annual salary: $97,030
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,760
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $35,460
> Largest hospital: Mercy Medical Center Redding
12. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
> Median annual salary: $98,240
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,700
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $37,900
> Largest hospital: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
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11. Merced, CA
> Median annual salary: $99,860
> Total no. of registered nurses: 840
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,280
> Largest hospital: Mercy Medical Center Merced
10. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
> Median annual salary: $101,330
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,810
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $36,170
> Largest hospital: Atascadero State Hospital
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9. Stockton-Lodi, CA
> Median annual salary: $105,840
> Total no. of registered nurses: 4,280
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $35,250
> Largest hospital: Lodi Memorial Hospital
8. Santa Rosa, CA
> Median annual salary: $106,080
> Total no. of registered nurses: 3,470
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $40,290
> Largest hospital: Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
7. Modesto, CA
> Median annual salary: $107,940
> Total no. of registered nurses: 4,030
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,950
> Largest hospital: Memorial Medical Center
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6. Napa, CA
> Median annual salary: $112,580
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,460
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $39,220
> Largest hospital: Queen of the Valley Med Center
5. Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA
> Median annual salary: $118,560
> Total no. of registered nurses: 18,870
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $42,140
> Largest hospital: University of CA Davis Medical Center
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4. Salinas, CA
> Median annual salary: $120,860
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,380
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,680
> Largest hospital: Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital
3. Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
> Median annual salary: $124,340
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,860
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $40,170
> Largest hospital: Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center
2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
> Median annual salary: $130,240
> Total no. of registered nurses: 15,390
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $59,700
> Largest hospital: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
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1. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
> Median annual salary: $139,740
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,520
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $37,930
> Largest hospital: Dominican Hospital
The worst paying places:
25. Evansville, IN-KY
> Median annual salary: $53,930
> Total no. of registered nurses: 4,110
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $33,200
> Largest hospital: Deaconess Hospital
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24. Gadsden, AL
> Median annual salary: $53,590
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,200
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $26,930
> Largest hospital: Gadsden Regional Medical Center
23. Hattiesburg, MS
> Median annual salary: $53,500
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,770
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $27,330
> Largest hospital: Merit Health Wesley
22. Dubuque, IA
> Median annual salary: $53,020
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,420
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $33,450
> Largest hospital: Mercy Medical Center
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21. Springfield, MO
> Median annual salary: $53,010
> Total no. of registered nurses: 5,800
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $31,070
> Largest hospital: Mercy Hospital Springfield
20. Wichita, KS
> Median annual salary: $52,980
> Total no. of registered nurses: 6,200
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,400
> Largest hospital: Wesley Medical Center
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19. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
> Median annual salary: $52,950
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,000
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,020
> Largest hospital: Covenant Medical Center
18. Morristown, TN
> Median annual salary: $52,900
> Total no. of registered nurses: 650
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $29,550
> Largest hospital: Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System
17. Fort Smith, AR-OK
> Median annual salary: $52,850
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,210
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $28,090
> Largest hospital: Sparks Regional Medical Center
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16. Winchester, VA-WV
> Median annual salary: $52,820
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,330
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $35,110
> Largest hospital: Frederick Memorial Hospital
15. Cedar Rapids, IA
> Median annual salary: $52,780
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,720
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $38,190
> Largest hospital: St. Luke’s Hospital
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14. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
> Median annual salary: $52,370
> Total no. of registered nurses: 3,580
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $34,650
> Largest hospital: Genesis Medical Center, Davenport
13. Joplin, MO
> Median annual salary: $52,100
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,240
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $30,130
> Largest hospital: Freeman Hospital West
12. Jackson, TN
> Median annual salary: $51,840
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,150
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $30,820
> Largest hospital: Regional Hospital
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11. Dothan, AL
> Median annual salary: $51,460
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,010
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $28,690
> Largest hospital: Southeast Alabama Medical Center
10. Pine Bluff, AR
> Median annual salary: $51,160
> Total no. of registered nurses: 620
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $30,910
> Largest hospital: Jefferson Hospital
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9. Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
> Median annual salary: $50,490
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,790
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $32,780
> Largest hospital: UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s
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8. Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
> Median annual salary: $49,960
> Total no. of registered nurses: 980
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $28,360
> Largest hospital: Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital
7. Manhattan, KS
> Median annual salary: $49,910
> Total no. of registered nurses: 580
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $31,020
> Largest hospital: Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan
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6. Johnson City, TN
> Median annual salary: $49,890
> Total no. of registered nurses: 2,940
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $30,110
> Largest hospital: Johnson City Medical Center
5. Decatur, IL
> Median annual salary: $49,400
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,430
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $33,830
> Largest hospital: Decatur Memorial Hospital
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4. Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
> Median annual salary: $49,360
> Total no. of registered nurses: 3,140
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $31,760
> Largest hospital: Holston Valley Medical Center
3. Decatur, AL
> Median annual salary: $48,960
> Total no. of registered nurses: 920
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $31,420
> Largest hospital: Decatur Morgan Hospital
2. Springfield, OH
> Median annual salary: $48,360
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,070
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $31,440
> Largest hospital: Springfield Regional Medical Center
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1. Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
> Median annual salary: $46,190
> Total no. of registered nurses: 1,460
> Median annual salary, all jobs: $29,150
> Largest hospital: Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital
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