NYC average RN Salary

caffeineRx · Mar 11, 2010

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katherine100, LPN · Jun 16, 2010

DoGoodThenGo said:
Not for nothing, considering the work load and stress level, 70K or so per year is not allot of money, especially for anyone living in NYC/NYS with it's high local taxes.
If you are lucky and bring home about 65K or so, figure about 21K goes for rent (average rent on a NYC studio apartment is about 1800 per month), then there are the other living expenses associated with living here.

1800$ is not the average for all boroughs.

Hokis1130 · Mar 30, 2011

I completely agree with guilty sins

MollyG · Apr 23, 2011

I work @ Mount Sinai- I have 7 years RN experience & work 37.5 hours/week nights, BSN, RNC, made $88,000 last year with just a wee bit of overtime. Am moving back to MN and taking a HUGE paycut....but a much cheaper cost of living!!

Mindylane · Apr 26, 2011

Wow, ok, I was just so surprised to see that so many people think 70k is not a reasonable salary to live off of. I live on Long Island right now. We just moved from the border of Queens/LI (in the 5-towns) and I am making 30k per year (in the social work field.) My husband is in IT and makes about 1.5% more than that per year. We live(d) in a relatively small apartment, but we were comfortable, had enough extra for trips and fun stuff, and never "struggled" (we were even able to purchase a new Prius this year). Now, I realize that Queens is not Manhattan, nor is Long Island Manhattan, but surely there are ways to make a career in Manhattan work with a salary of 70k!!? I can't imagine how we're making it (we're both in our early 20s and just starting out) but it seems so few cannot? Do you HAVE to live in Manhattan? Take the LIRR and get a monthly ticket, perhaps? I am going into Nursing because I am passionate about the medical field, but also to improve our lifestyle for the future and if I even if I made 70k for the rest of my life, I'd be pretty damn happy.

NYU_Grad · Apr 27, 2011

I moved from New Mexico to New York City in 1999 and have been living off less than 70K per year. It is doable. I don't have any kids. I have a significant other who splits my rend with me ($1600 a month for a one bedroom near NY Pres/Cornell). DINKS (dual income, no kids) I'm actually becoming a nurse so I can earn 70-80K!

True, rent and food are more pricey. But, I ride the subway and/or walk everywhere. I'm 15 pounds lighter as a result (I'd probably have to get a gym membership to burn the calories I burn here in a suburb) and my monthly unlimited subway card is $80 a month. I can't imagine adding the cost of GAS for two of us, a car payment for the two of us, and car insurance for the two of us for a suburb or city with no public transport. Keep that in mind re cost of living nowadays.

Lukemusic · May 14, 2011

guiltysins said:
Nursing is something I really want to do, so the pay isn't really something I have an opinion on. The way I always look at it is that if teachers can put up with the crap they do, then I shouldn't have a problem doing it either. As long as I have enough to have my own apartment, then I'm getting paid enough. If I wanted to make a lot of money, I'd become an accountant like my sister and call it a day.

I agree! This is coming from a current teacher. We have so much to deal this I'm leaving the professional. I am sure nursing has its share of hard times, but at least I don't have to wonder about the next time I will be laid off (which has happened and might happen again because of an incompetent superintendent) due to budget cuts.

DoGoodThenGo · May 14, 2011

Lukemusic said:
I agree! This is coming from a current teacher. We have so much to deal this I'm leaving the professional. I am sure nursing has its share of hard times, but at least I don't have to wonder about the next time I will be laid off (which has happened and might happen again because of an incompetent superintendent) due to budget cuts.

Not to put the kybosh on anyone's dreams; but you might want to rethink that last part.

Having a RN license, especially in NYC does not automatically equal lifetime gainful employment. You only have to read some of the posts here to see that.

First as a new graduate and licensed RN you have to obtain your first position (no easy feat these days), hoping it is one with full time hours, otherwise you'll have to cobble together several nursing gigs (if you can find them), to make ends meet.

Even after finding a job the healthcare situation in New York City and State is in flux. Providing services and or running a hospital here is already an expensive ordeal and that is about to become more difficult as the coming changes to federal health care dollars changes under "Obamacare". Then sooner or later New York State must tackle it's vast Medicare/Medicaid spending (highest in the United States). In short the message that hospitals must do "more with less" isn't going away anytime soon.

As one of the largest costs for hospitals, nursing service is always one of the first on the chopping block. Even if you are a full time hire there could be times when you'll be called off due to low census, or simply out right laid off due to budget cuts or the like.

There were RNs from the closing of the two last Catholic hospitals in Queens over two years ago looking for work when St. Vinny's and Harlem General closed last year. By most media accounts there are still nurses from all three hospitals still to date trying to find full time work.

On top of all this even with those three recent closures, NYC and to an extent NYS still has too many hospital and nursing home beds. This could very well mean more places going "bye-bye".

Finally there is this little tidbit: of all the NYC hospitals or healthcare sytems only a few aren't operating in the red. Mount Sinai is one IIRC, Sloan Kettering, North Shore-LIJ (who paid cash money for Lenox Hill and seems to have enough deep pockets to go ahead with the urgent care center planned for the former St. Vinny's site"), and that is pretty much about it.