Virginia pay - low comparatively?

[rac1, ASN, BSN, RN]

Moving to Virginia and have talked to quite a few recruiters and am a little shocked at the pay cut I am realizing is going to happen. I have just two years of experience, but even with that I am finding the rates significantly lower than what I am currently making. Nursing is rough work as it is, and we hardly get paid what we should....but the Virginia area is more expensive than where I am coming from and I am a little shocked at the pay difference. Anyone care to suggest hospital systems that pay a little more??

TIA

[Nursegrape7000, BSN, RN]

I do CVICU. My job with Sentara in Virginia paid me $10/hr less than I get here in New Hampshire. I would love to work with those people again though. 

[Purple_Clover]

I GUARANTEE you I make way more money than nurses with similar levels of experience in acute care by me working long term care. ???

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

RN  pay in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area has always been quite low. The Richmond area seems to have much better wages.

[1gr8trnstudent, ADN, BSN, RN]

Richmond has vcu which starts new grads at $25.56 on the floor, I know different specialties like ICU and ED start with more, you might want to look at HCA for higher pay, new grads december 2019 were starting at $31 in the ED depending on location. BON secours pays $24. IDK if all these rates have changed in 1 year due to covid.

[Purple_Clover]

On 10/19/2020 at 12:46 PM, Epidural said:

RN  pay in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area has always been quite low. The Richmond area seems to have much better wages.

I have had multiple offers for $30/hr for an RN in LTC in Hampton Roads, but I make even more than that already.

[Use2BapoorVAnurse]

I was a single parent with two kids living in the Hampton Roads Area of Virginia for 23 years as an Acute Dialysis Nurse.  Once my children were off to college I was determined to rent my property and become a travel dialysis nurse due to the RN pay in Virginia being below average.  In January 2014, I went on my first travel assignment as a travel dialysis nurse at UNC and never looked back!  I was able to put both of my children through college and pay off my home in ten years!  I decided to leave Virginia because the cost of living doesn't match the pay rate or the taxes you'll be constantly paying!  Especially as an RN!  It doesn't matter what specialty.  I have specialized in Dialysis, Psych, Corrections, Home Health, Med Surg, and the ED!  I would have lost approximately $10,000 to $21000 a year if I had returned to Virginia to work and retire, no thanks!  Good Luck!