2017 Nursing Salaries by State, Degree, and License - Highest & Lowest
Whether you are a new grad searching for that first job or an experienced nurse thinking of relocating, everyone is interested in finding out how their salary stacks up. Can they make more somewhere else? Based on data provided by more than 18,000 nurse respondents in the 2017 allnurses Salary Survey, below you will find some general figures to help guide you. Remember, the grass is not always as green as it may first appear.
NursesGeneral NursingSalary Survey
Perhaps one of the most direct, straightforward, "is-what-it-is", "want-to-know" topics asked in the 2017 allnurses Salary Survey is the range of average salaries by state. Which states pay the highest and which pay the lowest? The are a few variables to consider when looking at these types of statistics. Cost of living, urban areas versus suburban, desirability of location to live in, number of medical facilities in surrounding area etc. Cost of living is one of the biggest factors influencing salary variations from state to state and city to city.
Cost of living index is the most inclusive factor in the variation of salary from state to state. The cost of living is cost of maintaining a certain standard quality of living. "Cost of living indexes are meant to compare the expenses an average person expect to incur to acquire food, shelter, transportation, energy, clothing, education, healthcare, childcare and entertainment in a given region."
The Top 10 Highest Cost of Living Indices in the US are:
New York City, NY
San Francisco, Ca
Washington DC
Honolulu, HI
San Jose, Ca
Boston, MA
Los Angeles, Ca
Oakland, Ca
Seattle, WA
San Diego, Ca
The Top 10 Lowest Cost of Living Indices in the US are:
Memphis, TN
Indianapolis, IN
Omaha, NE
Columbus, OH
Las Vegas, NV
Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio, TX
Birmingham, AL
Des Moines, IA
Buffalo, NY
Taking all of this into account, nursing salaries will vary greatly based on degree/license, cost of living, type of facility, urban or suburban, teaching versus nonteaching hospitals, education, years of experience, and even benefits offered. The average salaries based on data provided by more than 18,000 nurses in the allnurses 2017 Salary Survey represent nurses of all levels of experience, degree of education, overtime pay, gender, position, and work setting. Cost of living was not incorporated in these figures. There is another article providing another list of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia with adjusted average state salaries for RNs that do incorporate cost of living factors. We will also give you some tools to customize your comparison. When the complete 2017 allnurses Interactive Salary Survey results are released, you will be able to see a more customized view of salaries.
Below is the breakdown of the states with the highest and lowest salaries grouped by degree and license. How did your state do? Any surprises?
