Take your wage and plug it into this inflation calculator... Discuss

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 8, 2011

I plugged in my starting salary as a new grad back in 1977. I made 4.51 per hour.

In today's dolars, that came to approximately 20.50. So it seems to me that starting salaries have pretty much stayed even with inflation. No increase, no decrease. Things have not improved ... but they also have not gotten worse.

Nursing salaries have stagnated over the past few years in this rough economy. But back in the early part of this century, there was a noticable nursing shortage and nursing pay increased dramatically (much faster than inflation). Things evened out in the long run. The recent stagnation is painful ... but if you look over the last 35 years, new grads have neither gained nor lost ground. In most communities, they have stayed the same relative to inflation.

The belief that nurses used to make a lot more money than they do today (relative to the cost of living) is simply not true -- at least not for most nurses ... in most jobs ... in most parts of the country.

Back when I was a new grad, $4.51 per hour was not exactly luxury living. I had to get a roommate to be able to afford an apartment in a nice complex -- and not just rent a couple of rooms in the basement of somebody's house.

I strongly disagree with your conclusion that the current wages are significantly worse than those of previous generations and/or that they are "slave wages." But I thank you for the calculator link.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Aug 8, 2011

My $8 starting wage would be $18.13 today.

My hospital starts new grads @ $26-27, 45.9% greater than the cost of inflation. Pretty good I think

Also, over the length of my career, my salary has increased by >131% over the rate of inflation. Not slave wages in my book

tokmom, BSN, RN · Aug 9, 2011

I plugged in my crappy GN wage and new grads make more than I did as a new nurse!

I'm very happy with what I make and don't feel as though I make slave wages.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 9, 2011

This thread has brought back memories:

I remember when I left that job after 2 years. With 2 years of experience ...IF I worked the night shift on the weekend and was the Charge Nurse ... the differentials brought me to a few pennies over $6.00 per hour. I thought that was great -- more than $6.00 per hour! Wow!

Two years later -- new MSN in hand -- I got a job in Chicago with a salary of $25,000 per year. I remember searching for an apartment and the rental consultant being really surprised and impressed that a young woman as young as I was (26 years old) could make that make that much money in a year.

I just ran the $25,000 figure through the calculator and came up with just over$62,000. Yes, that's in the neighborhood for what a young, new MSN with only 2 years of bedside practice can expect to earn. Once again, wages are shown to have kept pace with inflation -- neither gaining or losing ground significantly.

I wonder what the OP thought we BabyBoomers earned when we were young. Did she think nurses used to be rich people?

Fribblet · Aug 9, 2011

In today's dolars, that came to approximately 20.50. So it seems to me that starting salaries have pretty much stayed even with inflation. No increase, no decrease. Things have not improved ... but they also have not gotten worse.

I'm a nurse with experience and I make less than $20/hour at my hospital job. Sad, huh?

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Aug 9, 2011

Are you using the Inflation Calculator that shows up in the box on the upper left part of the page? If so, my 7.00 in 1985 turns into 14.68 in 2011.... I didn't see anything for wages.

On disability, there have been no cost of living increases over the last 3 years, with increases in all medical expenses, food, gas, etc..... And I'm starting with only 2/3 of my last salary.

Boog'sCRRN246, RN · Aug 9, 2011

There are exceptions, but I find it shocking that the new grad RN salary has remained in the ball park of $20/hr for so long. Are we becoming slaves?
http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

1.) Slaves do not earn any sort of wage.

2.) If they did, they would probably accept $20/hour more graciously than most new grad RNs I know. :twocents:

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Aug 9, 2011

I resent that! I am not a slave.

I am a workhorse.

tater.jake · Aug 9, 2011

I should not have used the word "slave," but inflation is something we should be mindful of as we head toward the future. All I know is that I have seen new grads THIS YEAR being started at $20/hr, and I also know RNs that started in the 90s with that same wage. I guess you can consider yourself lucky if this has not been your experience, but don't tell me that wage stagnation isn't happening.

dudette10, MSN, RN · Aug 9, 2011

I made 11.05 an hour (salary converted to an hourly for ease of comparison) when I started my first professional non-healthcare job 20 years ago. With inflation, it's 17.78 today. I make more than that in my first nursing job now.

I also put in my salary by hour from 10 years ago as a manager for the same company. It's only a couple dollars more an hour than my base is now. With my shift differential, it's the same.

Quite frankly, this calculator makes me feel better knowing that I have the same earning power now as I did when I left the workforce a decade ago. I'm not looking to get rich off nursing; I'm just looking to not lose ground financially. Maybe I'm one of the weird ones who feels that nursing pays all right.

HeatherEMT · Aug 9, 2011

I agree. As a tech, I make 15.51 (I have been with the same company for 7 years and recieved raises each year along with promotions) ... and I was suprised to find out that when I am done with Nursing School, I will probably only make 22-24 an hour. I will not even make double what I do as a tech. That was scary for me to realize, as I kept assuming nurses make like 30-40 an hour and was greatly looking forward to the increase in salary. I understand that some of the older folks on here think we are being silly for complaining for such a thing.. but, nurses deserve to make decent money for the job that they do.. and the pay should continue to increase with the cost of living. I remember my grandparents telling me when hamburgers at McDonalds used to be 5 cents. We have evolved since then and prices for simple things like this have increased dramatically. It is a reasonable expectation to want the salary of a hard job to go up. I hope the pay gets better before I am done with Nursing School.