How much does a Register Nurse make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Register Nurse in the United States is $74,043 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.
However, a Register Nurse's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $89,834
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $65,605 to $82,308
Key Factors That Influence Register Nurse Salaries
A Register Nurse's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Register Nurse Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Register Nurses. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $93,390
San Francisco: $92,368
Oakland: $90,421
San Jose, CA$93,390
San Francisco, CA$92,368
Oakland, CA$90,421
New York, NY$85,252
Paramus, NJ$84,216
Queens Village, NY$84,212
Passaic, NJ$84,142
Bergenfield, NJ$84,135
Stamford, CT$83,972
Huntington, NY$83,942
Newark, NJ$83,395
Bridgeport, CT$83,238
Vallejo, CA$83,091
New Brunswick, NJ$83,061
Petaluma, CA$83,017
Middlesex, NJ$82,876
Somerset, NJ$82,824
Santa Cruz, CA$82,728
Boston, MA$82,276
Monterey, CA$82,017
Seattle, WA$81,847
Santa Rosa, CA$81,832
Los Angeles, CA$81,810
Juneau, AK$81,617
Washington, DC$81,536
Orange, CA$81,272
Santa Ana, CA$81,077
Long Beach, CA$81,003
Anaheim, CA$80,988
Anchorage, AK$80,951
Santa Maria, CA$80,729
Everett, WA$80,714
Danbury, CT$80,454
Bremerton, WA$80,351
Tacoma, WA$80,085
New Suffolk, NY$80,083
Sacramento, CA$80,063
Santa Barbara, CA$79,981
Trenton, NJ$79,900
San Diego, CA$79,900
Brockton, MA$79,818
Fairbanks, AK$79,637
Lompoc, CA$79,448
Lowell, MA$79,388
Ventura, CA$79,374
Nashua, NH$79,359
Stockton, CA$79,352
Modesto, CA$78,811
Poughkeepsie, NY$78,648
Olympia, WA$78,508
Kennewick, WA$78,508
New Haven, CT$78,478
Lawrence, MA$78,212
Hartford, CT$78,137
Riverside, CA$78,123
New Bedford, MA$78,049
Richland, WA$78,049
Bakersfield, CA$77,945
San Bernardino, CA$77,915
New Britain, CT$77,908
Atlantic City, NJ$77,908
New London, CT$77,878
Norwich, CT$77,856
Portsmouth, NH$77,841
Boulder, CO$77,684
Portland, OR$77,582
Worcester, MA$77,575
Minneapolis, MN$77,345
Philadelphia, PA$77,242
Honolulu, HI$76,997
Saint Paul, MN$76,962
Vineland, NJ$76,945
Providence, RI$76,731
Chicago, IL$76,516
Bellingham, WA$76,427
Springfield, MA$76,368
Baltimore, MD$76,346
Chico, CA$76,161
Pittsfield, MA$75,961
Manchester, NH$75,820
Spokane, WA$75,494
Denver, CO$75,487
Albany, NY$75,139
Troy, NY$75,109
Nassau, NY$75,030
Schenectady, NY$74,954
Wilmington, DE$74,894
Burlington, VT$74,791
Salem, OR$74,761
Portland, ME$74,532
Yakima, WA$74,458
Rochester, MN$74,228
Reno, NV$74,191
Fresno, CA$74,191
Milwaukee, WI$74,124
Detroit, MI$74,050
Ann Arbor, MI$74,038
Allentown, PA$74,028
Colorado Springs, CO$73,902
Syracuse, NY$73,865
Carson City, NV$73,865
Houston, TX$73,762
Eugene, OR$73,725
Gary, IN$73,636
Springfield, OR$73,576
Bismarck, ND$73,562
Galveston, TX$73,510
Medford, OR$73,399
Fort Collins, CO$73,369
Concord, NH$73,332
Austin, TX$73,310
Mesa, AZ$73,154
Reading, PA$73,147
Phoenix, AZ$73,140
Dallas, TX$73,117
Saint Cloud, MN$73,046
Madison, WI$72,947
Utica, NY$72,747
Rochester, NY$72,629
Des Moines, IA$72,621
Raleigh, NC$72,614
Atlanta, GA$72,503
Battle Creek, MI$72,481
Salt Lake City, UT$72,458
Lancaster, PA$72,347
Harrisburg, PA$72,244
Kansas City, MO$72,170
Champaign, IL$72,155
Kansas City, KS$72,155
Fort Worth, TX$72,147
Columbus, OH$72,135
Boca Raton, FL$72,118
Pittsburgh, PA$72,088
Richmond, VA$72,059
Indianapolis, IN$72,044
Cleveland, OH$72,036
Las Vegas, NV$71,947
Cincinnati, OH$71,947
Petersburg, VA$71,836
Huntsville, AL$71,725
Lansing, MI$71,676
Lebanon, PA$71,666
Pueblo, CO$71,659
Appleton, WI$71,637
Buffalo, NY$71,607
Dayton, OH$71,585
Racine, WI$71,570
Charlotte, NC$71,562
Saint Louis, MO$71,540
York, PA$71,496
Elkhart, IN$71,496
Gastonia, NC$71,482
Billings, MT$71,464
Beaumont, TX$71,444
Lorain, OH$71,429
Benton Harbor, MI$71,414
Toledo, OH$71,400
Binghamton, NY$71,363
Rock Hill, SC$71,355
Rockford, IL$71,318
Springfield, IL$71,289
Elyria, OH$71,281
Fargo, ND$71,281
Flagstaff, AZ$71,229
Fort Lauderdale, FL$71,185
Duluth, MN$71,140
Miami, FL$71,140
Cheyenne, WY$71,089
Grand Forks, ND$71,089
Bangor, ME$70,926
Cedar Rapids, IA$70,844
Durham, NC$70,813
Louisville, KY$70,807
Grand Rapids, MI$70,792
Hialeah, FL$70,785
Casper, WY$70,681
Scranton, PA$70,593
New Orleans, LA$70,570
Virginia Beach, VA$70,563
Akron, OH$70,526
Peoria, IL$70,430
Sarasota, FL$70,415
Nashville, TN$70,363
Omaha, NE$70,363
Green Bay, WI$70,363
Baton Rouge, LA$70,326
Charleston, SC$70,311
Jamestown, NY$70,274
Davenport, IA$70,274
Tucson, AZ$70,237
Saint Petersburg, FL$70,193
Tampa, FL$70,178
Evansville, IN$70,133
Port Arthur, TX$70,133
Bradenton, FL$70,104
Santa Fe, NM$69,971
Orlando, FL$69,837
Clearwater, FL$69,815
Canton, OH$69,660
La Crosse, WI$69,660
Albuquerque, NM$69,615
Newport News, VA$69,608
High Point, NC$69,586
Ogden, UT$69,556
Corpus Christi, TX$69,497
Norfolk, VA$69,452
Laramie, WY$69,452
Rock Island, IL$69,408
Saginaw, MI$69,393
Jacksonville, FL$69,386
Salisbury, NC$69,371
Boise, ID$69,356
Moline, IL$69,319
Fort Myers, FL$69,297
Memphis, TN$69,282
Tulsa, OK$69,245
Waterloo, IA$69,200
Spartanburg, SC$69,126
Lincoln, NE$69,089
Fort Wayne, IN$69,075
Provo, UT$69,067
Cedar Falls, IA$68,978
San Antonio, TX$68,949
Greensboro, NC$68,919
South Bend, IN$68,912
Savannah, GA$68,830
Muskegon, MI$68,801
Birmingham, AL$68,793
Winston Salem, NC$68,757
Lake Charles, LA$68,579
Anderson, IN$68,564
Lexington, KY$68,542
Augusta, GA$68,519
Greenville, SC$68,519
Lima, OH$68,460
Wichita, KS$68,453
Tuscaloosa, AL$68,453
Columbia, SC$68,386
Springfield, OH$68,371
Asheville, NC$68,253
Bloomington, IN$68,201
Knoxville, TN$67,934
Shreveport, LA$67,927
Wilmington, NC$67,831
Roanoke, VA$67,831
Topeka, KS$67,697
Frankfort, KY$67,689
Oklahoma City, OK$67,638
Chillicothe, OH$67,609
Longview, TX$67,601
Melbourne, FL$67,594
Sioux Falls, SD$67,475
Mobile, AL$67,468
Terre Haute, IN$67,438
Altoona, PA$67,394
Amarillo, TX$67,342
Killeen, TX$67,320
Fayetteville, AR$67,261
Chattanooga, TN$67,238
Sioux City, IA$67,172
Idaho Falls, ID$67,157
Lynchburg, VA$67,098
Gainesville, FL$67,001
Portsmouth, OH$66,964
Little Rock, AR$66,950
Lafayette, LA$66,920
Youngstown, OH$66,920
Daytona Beach, FL$66,876
Clarksville, TN$66,868
Pensacola, FL$66,861
Temple, TX$66,856
Hopkinsville, KY$66,639
Erie, PA$66,624
Florence, SC$66,594
Charleston, WV$66,476
Great Falls, MT$66,439
Macon, GA$66,335
Tallahassee, FL$66,328
Fayetteville, NC$66,313
Waco, TX$66,298
Helena, MT$66,246
Pine Bluff, AR$66,218
Vincennes, IN$66,128
Lubbock, TX$66,098
Alamogordo, NM$66,054
Twin Falls, ID$65,987
Rapid City, SD$65,965
Jackson, MS$65,832
Huntington, WV$65,826
Greenville, MS$65,824
Parkersburg, WV$65,749
Montgomery, AL$65,735
Wichita Falls, TX$65,661
Springfield, MO$65,661
Biloxi, MS$65,624
Monroe, LA$65,550
Johnstown, PA$65,498
Sumter, SC$65,469
Columbus, GA$65,461
Pascagoula, MS$65,321
Abilene, TX$65,321
Kingsport, TN$65,128
Albany, GA$65,128
Gulfport, MS$65,106
Alexandria, LA$64,862
Fort Smith, AR$64,676
El Paso, TX$64,477
Las Cruces, NM$64,143
Harlingen, TX$63,955
Pocatello, ID$63,943
Florence, AL$63,847
Brownsville, TX$63,832
Mcallen, TX$63,677
Dothan, AL$63,573
Columbus, MS$63,133
Altus, OK$62,788
Lawton, OK$62,648
Pierre, SD$62,381
What Skills Can Increase a Register Nurse's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Planning (Mentioned in 4.92% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
Pediatric (Mentioned in 2.93% Job Postings): Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Basic Life Support (Mentioned in 2.24% Job Postings): BLS is a level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until they can be given full medical care by advanced life support providers. It can be provided by trained medical personnel.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Register Nurse's salary.
Confidentiality: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Effective Communication: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Register Nurse Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Register Nurse roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Energy & Utilities and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Register Nurse positions in Software & Networking or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Register Nurse as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Register Nurse
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Energy & Utilities
$88,851
$43.0
20%
Biotechnology
$85,149
$41.0
15%
Insurance
$81,447
$39.0
10%
Healthcare
$77,745
$37.0
5%
Register Nurse Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Register Nurse's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for a Register Nurse can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $66,267 in 2023
to around $62,247 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Register Nurse salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Register Nurse Over Time
$???
$66,267
$63,687
$62,247
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$66,267
2024
$63,687
2025
$62,247
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Register Nurse
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Register Nurse
Here are companies hiring for Register Nurse and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Register Nurse Job
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FAQ about Register Nurse
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Register Nurse?
The Energy & Utilities industry offers the highest average compensation for Register Nurse roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
