What States Pay the Highest and Lowest Nursing Salaries

[allnurses]

As with any job, salaries for nurses vary greatly from state to state and even city to city within the same state. Below are listed average high and low state salaries by degree based on the results of the allnurses salary survey. In order to find the "best" state to work in, more than just the numbers below have to be considered.

These figures represent nurses of all levels of experience, age, position, specialty area, work setting, etc. The figures also do not account for the cost of living indexes.

Cost of Living

We all know that the cost of living index greatly affects the value of the salary and what that salary will buy.

Generally, the cost of living is highest on the West Coast and in the Northeast. The states in the South, Midwest, and sections of the Mountain West have the lowest cost of living.

Based on cost of living data provided by research conducted by the Council for Community and Economic Research, the cost of living indexes for the highest and lowest states are as follows.

States with the Highest Cost of Living:

HAWAII: 167.1

WASHINGTON DC: 144.8

CONNECTICUT: 132.7

ALASKA: 134.5

NEW YORK: 130.4

States with the Lowest Cost of Living:

TENNESSEE: 90.6

KENTUCKY: 91

ARKANSAS: 91.5

INDIANA: 91.7

KANSAS: 91.9

How does your salary stack up to the ones listed?

Are you thinking about moving in search of a higher salary?

Remember......it's more than the numbers that count.

what-states-pay-the-highest-and-lowest-nursing-salaries.pdf

[BSN16]

dirtyhippiegirl said:

Woohoo, Kansas representin' our crappie salaries.

Iowa too...

[BSN16]

Alismom said:

Florida is definitely one of the bottom 6. I started as a GN at $21

Ummm...GNs in iowa start at $16.

[dannibeeRN]

NickiLaughs said:

California state been pretty good to me. I make about 130k a year, part time. I do 4 8s (32 hours) a week. When you add in vacation time, holiday pay, etc. It's pretty hard to beat. My benefits are good. And some people cringe at cost of living, but bringing home 7k a month allows me to very comfortably afford that 1900/mo mortgage. I'm working on paying off my student loans and cars, hopefully that will be done in the next 5 years and we can live the low stress lifestyle. ?

Cali has also been good to me! My stats are the same as yours except I work 3 12s a week. I live very comfortably in the East Bay Area with my husband and kids. We close on a new house next week and my student loans are next on my "to do" list. It's unfortunate that some areas in the country don't match that area's current cost of living. We work hard at what we do and deserve to get compensated well for our efforts.

[DesertSky, BSN]

I can tell you the low pay represented for Kansas is before taxes. Shockingly enough, Kansas also has some of the highest tax rates in the country.

[DesertSky, BSN]

calivianya said:

Very important question here. Not all states have income tax, but I'm not familiar enough off the top of my head to know if any of the bottom states are free of income tax. If those are before tax numbers, those could be very skewed if a nurse is trying to figure out in what states the actual compensation is the worst.

Kansas is one of the lowest paying across numerous lists and has a relatively high rate of state income tax.

[DesertSky, BSN]

As someone who started as a new grad with a BSN in Kansas, it is true the pay is very low. After securing a job in another state before learning my husband's job was relocating him to Kansas, it was like a punch in the stomach when I compared new grad pay in Kansas to my other job offer.

The one thing I will mention is that due to the low pay, cold winters, and general lack of people flocking to move to Kansas, there are plenty of opportunities for new grads especially in speciality areas. It may be harder to land a job as a new grad in larger cities such as Kansas City or Wichita, but if you are willing to move to more rural areas of Kansas there are an abundance of opportunities. If you work for 2 years and take advantage of your employer paying for all of your certifications (TNCC, ACLS, PALS, etc...) you will be very marketable and will have an abundance of job offers wherever you would like to move...

[Axgrinder]

I'm surprised AZ wasn't amongst the lowest paying states. In 1994 the top pay for a new grad was $12.75/hr with a BSN (is that a laugh after the debt I accumulated in college?). That wasn't even $25,000 a year full time. My BFF moved here around that time from Washington, DC - she had been earning > $20.00/hr with the same degree as a new grad. Pathetic. I just don't understand cost of living disclaimers - it pretty much cost the same in every state to fly some where, buy certain items, and pay to live. We are under paid ladies and gentlemen, no two ways about it.

[8&$$]

I live in Flagstaff, AZ as a new grad I am making $27.50 in behavioral health clinic, most of my classmates that landed in the local hospital are making $31.50 including differentials an hour and some of them are starting in the ICU and ER and making more. I think we are doing pretty good for new grad nurses. Forgot to say we only have associates

[feelix, RN]

These results seem skewed The cost of living is low in Texas and a nurse with 5 years experience should not be making less than 65000 with an ADN working Med Surg.

[Axgrinder]

I am truly happy to hear that. I'm glad new grads are now being paid what you are worth.

Travel back in time to Tucson, 1994 (UMC - now called BUMC) … not so fortunate.

If this doesn't seem possible I'm sure it can easily be verified. There are plenty of us still working whom remember the bad old days of nursing pay scales.

[Axgrinder]

nursing education said:

I live in Flagstaff, AZ as a new grad I am making $27.50 in behavioral health clinic, most of my classmates that landed in the local hospital are making $31.50 including differentials an hour and some of them are starting in the ICU and ER and making more. I think we are doing pretty good for new grad nurses. Forgot to say we only have associates

Yes. This is pay in 2016. I was talking about new grad pay in 1994.

[Kssrn404]

Mississippi here yahoo!!'n