Confused about salary and hourly pay adding up......

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So everywhere I've seen on here, people usually start out making between $18-22 an hour. Which BEFORE taxes is UNDER $42,000 a year. Yet every website I've found claims a new RN makes AT LEAST $55,000 or more a year, specifically around here(Memphis), $65,000. That doesn't add up at all...are the hourly wages discussed on here are after taxes or something? How does this all add up? Because after taxes that $18 an hour will end up making $31,000. Are there bonuses or something? Because even with overtime that's not over $45,000 a year. someone explain what I'm missing please.

Here are some sites with some numbers on them...

http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?hdSearchByOption=0&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=Staff%20Nurse%20-%20RN&hdJobCategory=HC05&hdZipCode=38103&hdStateMetro=&hdGeoLocation=Memphis,%20TN%2038103&hdJobCode=HC07000001&hdJobTitle=Staff%20Nurse%20-%20RN&hdCurrentTab=&hdNarrowDesc=Healthcare%20--%20Nursing

http://www.nursing-education-tn.org/c7.htm

http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=RN&l1=memphis%2C+tn

First let me say... WOW!!! These salaries are unbelievably low! Here's my story: I am a brand new grad without any working experience at all. I just accepted a position that starts me out at $34.91 an hr (for nights)... and on the weekend my differential works out to be $40.61 an hour. I really can't imagine working for anything less than $30/hr, which is why I'm totally in shock that I saw something at $18 on here!

As I'm sure you are aware, different areas of the country have wildly different costs of living and pay to nursing as well as other areas. In low-cost areas, obviously 20 is great pay while in high cost areas, 40 may or may not be good pay.

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First let me say... WOW!!! These salaries are unbelievably low! Here's my story: I am a brand new grad without any working experience at all. I just accepted a position that starts me out at $34.91 an hr (for nights)... and on the weekend my differential works out to be $40.61 an hour. I really can't imagine working for anything less than $30/hr, which is why I'm totally in shock that I saw something at $18 on here!

So what part of the country do you work in? I really hope it's Dallas Texas. Also, what size hospital and section do you work in.

Alliestar

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I work in the southern California area. I guess the salaries are vastly different in other places :) honestly, i think the people working at costco make around $20 dollars around here, so that's why it was hard for me to read! I don't know the size of the hospitals, it's pretty big... I'm working in one of their med-surg floors (they have a total of 3 different med-surg floors).

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I work in the southern California area. I guess the salaries are vastly different in other places :) honestly, i think the people working at costco make around $20 dollars around here, so that's why it was hard for me to read! I don't know the size of the hospitals, it's pretty big... I'm working in one of their med-surg floors (they have a total of 3 different med-surg floors).
You absolutely cannot compare Southern California wages to the lower pay rates in other parts of the country.

You're correct . . .the RN in rural Arkansas with 2 years of experience might be earning a measly $18 per hour, but he/she is probably living in a 3,000 square foot home on an acre of land with a mortgage of less than $1,000 per month. The higher the pay, the higher the cost of living (usually).

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You've sure got that right! My average starting pay is about $37 dollars (averaging the night pay with the weekend pay) and that won't buy you much of anything in Orange County, CA.... maybe an OK condo or not-so-good house. Now I'm thinking about moving to Arkansas and buying that 3,000 square foot house, which, out here, costs about $1 million. And I'm afraid to say that does not come with the 1 acre either. :-)

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

I can also assure you that people don't start out at Costco at $20 an hour in Southern California. LA is on of those town where the cost of living is high and while the minimum wage seems high at $8 there is a lot of sandbagging at that level (i.e a lot get paid just at minimum)

I was almost jumping for joy when they were going to transfer hubbie to IN ( oh and me going with) as he was going to have the same salary but cost of living would be 1/4.

Living in Indiana on an LA wage would be nice....

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Living in Indiana on an LA wage would be nice....
I'm living in Texas on LA pay rates, and it has definitely been sweet.
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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Yeah the one downpart would be actually having to move to Indiana. LOL no flames I'm just kidding but it would be culture shock.

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Averages, averages, averages. While a nurse in San Francisco can make $80,000 a year another nurse in Kentucky can make $32,000 a year. It all depends on your area.

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I live in central New Jersey and from what I found out new RT graduates start out at $27 an hour. I hope that's about right.

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Yeah the one downpart would be actually having to move to Indiana. LOL no flames I'm just kidding but it would be culture shock.

I'm from Ohio...a lot like Indiana...currently living in Orange County, CA. It is different, but try going from here to Arkansas. Now THAT's culture shock! Especially for my 14 yo daughter who's only known southern California. We moved there last summer and made it through the school year...barely. Trying to find an LVN job here in OC so I can move her back. Hubby has to stay in AR for 3 years though. :cry: It's a tough decision.

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I worked in LA a few years ago and was making $10/hr at a job that the same company paid $14/hr in the midwest for. LA wages are pretty out of whack because there are more workers than jobs so people are willing to work for less. Most people do not make enough to live on there. When I worked there I live in a house with 7 other people and still paid $430/mo in rent.

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