Compare Nurses Salaries Across The Nation

[Monica RN,BSN]

Wondering how nurse salaries are comparing as a whole across the nation. Are you paid more for having a BSN or Masters as compared to those with an ASN degree? I am writing from Florida where our RN's start at about 17.00 an hour. The high end of the scale will top out at about 23 or 24 an hour if they have many many years of experiance and a higher degree. How does this compare to the rest of the states?

[Monica RN,BSN]

Thanks everybody for continuing to add to my thread. I think it is interesting for us to see the variances throughout our country for the same types of work we all encounter.

Thanks

[webbiedebbie]

I live in the south and work in a military town. With 5 years experience as an RN, I only make $17.82 an hour.

I know...I know

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

I am an RN BSN with one year experience in CCU. I started out at 21.04 (new grad pay) and just got my first raise to 22.38 (unionized hospital, the whole hosptial just got an 7% raise and will get a 4% raise in 6 months...as well as another raise or two next year). We have a four dollar night shift differential. It's not the best but definately not the worst. Plus, I really enjoy where I work. This is above the standard pay for our area.

[palesarah]

New grads at my hospital (in NH) were all hired at $17.64, with a 50-cent increase upon passing the boards, regardless of degree. The hospital is giving patient care staff an unexpected raise this week, I think it's 3% (75 cents minimum) for nurses. So for the new grads who have passed the boards, the pay will now be $18.89, with $3.50 evening shift diff and $6.50 nights, plus another $1.50 on weekends.

I don't know what the experienced nurses are making per hour but the salary ladder goes something like- at one year/1000 hours, automatic increase to RNII, with a 3% raise. There are additional raises for RN3 & 4, which are not automatic, one has to accrue a certain number of hours and/or educational credits, etc. My understanding is that most of the RN4s are either MSN nurses with a few years experience or nurses with 15-20 years at the hospital. There is also an additional salary increase for RNC, but a nurse only gets the increase for one certification- some of our LDRP nurses have several certifications under their belts but only got the raise once. And then there are yearly merit increases. So, not as great pay as some places around the country, but enough for me :) As long as I work hard and earn it!

[KathleenC]

I'm glad we're union. The cost of living in the Northeast NYC Metro area is extremely high, but base pay for a new grad. is $55,000/yr at my hospital. There are differentials for evenings and night, degrees and certifications and experience differential of $830/year up to 25 years.

[-jt]

One was also published by Advance for Nurses. Link to the report is below. Very interesting data.

2002 Salary Survey Results - location, demographics, rates, city/state comparisons and analysis:

http://www.advancefornurses.com/common/editorial/editorial.aspx?CC=9429

[Tinker]

I'm a new grad in New York City. I get base pay of $58k, plus a $6k a year shift differential, and $1000 for having a BSN. It sounds great, but after I pay federal, state, and city taxes, not too much is left over.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

Now that I'm a nursing instructor, I make $10,000 year LESS than what I was making as a staff nurse. I am still thankful for my job and salary and truly enjoy what I do (though it is generally very stressful for the first 3 years till one learns the ropes). The worst part is the SHORTAGE of nursing instructors due to the LOW SALARIES. Most people (even BSN nurses) do not want to join our ranks when they find out the salary. So we are forever working short (I have 52 hours worth of lecture to get ready this semester; had double clinicals last semester). This can get very tiring.

[Chrislynn2003]

In Delaware, new grads (RN's) start around $20-22/hr.

[Nurse89]

I was a only a little surprised to see the differences in salaries posted here. I have nurse friends from several states and our salaries vary, but not even close to what I have seen posted...especially Debralynn,.. wow, have you checked around on the salaries, pretty sure you have, but....$12/hr??

I got a dollar more than that as a new grad 14 years ago at the hospital where I started, and that was consider low then. There is a nursing shortage here, just like everywhere else,.. but a new grad is looking at appx. $20.00/hr to start and after a certain amount of years, usually 10, that goes up quite a bit.

ok...that's my comparison fellow nurses. :kiss:

[burp]

full time rns start around 16-17 a hr in nashville where im at, i do only agency and get 36-40 a hr. been a rn for 4 yrs, do icu amd er

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

burp??? How did you come up with that screen name, I wonder?