north pay better than south

[twinner05]

Why is it that the northern states pay a lot more than the southern states in nursing?

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

The cost of living is higher in the north.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

My husband almost got transferred to FL......wellington/west palm...... I went on several interviews. Personally I think the sun has affected the brains.....this was during the housing bubble.....to get a zero lot line house that was actually smaller because they included the screened lanai as living space...I would have taken at that time almost a $30.00/pay cut...with everything taxed and having to probably invest in a private school to meet with my children's present level/quality of education...it was a step backward.

I told each interviewer how much I made up north....I had one tell me I was obviously embellishing the truth...so I showed her a pay stub...she was shocked and said....maybe I should move up north.

BUt for the most part it is the cost of housing/living.

[twinner05]

Wow that's interesting. If it wasn't for the lousy pay, I'd move down to nc or sc in a second.

[ebinbrooklyn]

From numbers I've seen thrown around on here (I have no official verification of this but I'm sure someone does somewhere - and if so, please share because I'm genuinely curious), new grad salaries in the south and rural areas seem to be almost half to three quarters of what they are where I currently live (NYC). Here is a cost of living calculator to give you a better idea if those salaries are truly a liveable wage in your given area: Cost of Living comparison calculator

[priorities2]

In some mid/large size northern cities, new grad pay is 58k-60k. Is this unusual?

[ebinbrooklyn]

No--not really. I know ADN new grad salaries for public hospitals in the outer boroughs of NYC is around $62K, and private hospitals can be around $70K. I'm not sure about BSN salaries but I've seen north of $40/hour posted.

Midway down the page there's a graph that lists CA, MA, HI, AK and NV as the highest paying states - this doesn't give much information as to what a new grad can expect but is good for an overall picture: Registered Nurses*

And here's a breakdown of hourly vs. salary by state: 2012 Salary Survey Results on ADVANCE for Nurses

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

From numbers I've seen thrown around on here (I have no official verification of this but I'm sure someone does somewhere - and if so, please share because I'm genuinely curious), new grad salaries in the south and rural areas seem to be almost half to three quarters of what they are where I currently live (NYC). Here is a cost of living calculator to give you a better idea if those salaries are truly a liveable wage in your given area: Cost of Living comparison calculator

very cool calculator

Cost of Living comparison calculator

[kaydensmom01]

The cost of living in the north is much higher than most of the south usually. Where I am located a nice Home with many acres is under $200,000 which is not the case in the north, especially the large cities like NYC. When I used the cost of living calculator I stated my income here, around 45000 and it stated to maintain the cost of living in New York I would need to make 109,000. Just because someone in the north gets paid more, does not mean that their lifestyle is any different.

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

Just because someone in the north gets paid more, does not mean that their lifestyle is any different.

Exactly !!!!

[ComeTogether, LPN]

I live in SC, moved from MA. I couldn't afford to live in MA. 300k for a middle of the road home up there. Here, I make crappy money, (and I mean really, really crappy. I'm a CNA) but, my rent is less than half of what I paid there so It all comes out in the wash. Also, homes are much more affordable. :-)

And I should add that trading "s" words is worth it!! Snow for sunshine!!

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

I wouldn't survive the snow, I will keep the sunshine :)