Virginia nurse seeking more $$$

[bigbearnurse, MSN, RN]

Hi everyone

I'm a BSN/RN at VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia with about 2 years experience on a telemetry step-down unit and am looking for a change. I was a second-career nurse when I started, so therefore my salary is on the lower end, and also being in Virginia, it is below the national average. I am looking to rectify this asap :) Does anyone have recommendations on what US metro areas have more attractive salaries compared to cost of living? Virginia is not exactly cheap, and since new grads start at around 21-22/hr here it makes little sense to keep churning my wheels for substandard pay.

Also had questions about unions - are they worth it? Is California the only place in the US where any time worked over 8 hours in a day is overtime, for example? There are definite perks to my current job such as a 4-1 patient-nurse ratio, but the discouraging pay has been a major drawback. I am lucky in that I have freedom to move - and have considered travel nursing - but limited in my current experience and knowledge of what nursing is like elsewhere. Any info is really appreciated!