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Discussion

Why does Seattle pay so low?

I graduated from nursing school in the SF Bay Area in California, and was looking into relocating to Washington.

Is it just me or are RN's underpaid in the Seattle area? I was shocked to find that the starting RN pay in Seattle is $30 an hour or less. In California I have seen new grad positions that start at $48!

I've never been one to think about nursing "for the money" but considering the fact that the cost of living in Seattle is not that different from other metropolitan parts of the Bay Area, I am interested in hearing how my Washington nurse peers are able to balance the cost of living with their wages. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

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    I'm a new grad and have not looked around at other states much to see how it compares. But, this area is completely saturated with nurses due to all the schools here. I don't know if that has something to do with it. I have looked at Portland and they make more there than here in Seattle.

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    Cost of living in SF is higher than Seattle. A new grad RN will start between $27-$30hr depending on the hospital. Usually the Seattle area hospitals pay more than the South (Tacoma).

    Also most hospitals have a union and they will pay you based on years of experience.

    Hope that helps.

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    And Seattle pays considerably more than Spokane. See my post in the Nurses, Collective Bargaining section. I just posted it.

    Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

    Somewhere in the PACNW

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    It's always based on cost of living in the area. Seattle's pay is way more compared to where I live now (Florida). Here in FL is a joke. Nurses with years of experience may only get $23-$25/hr starting. New grads get $18/hr depending on where you work. Be thankful. Seattle pay is enough for the area.

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    Yep, it's all relative. In my Texas city, new grads start at $23-25/hr.

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    Cost of living in SF is much higher than Seattle, particularly housing costs.

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