One of the questions that always arise in people’s minds when they are considering where to work as an RN is the average RN salary by state. There are a number of things that affect the different salaries that you can earn, but the state that you live in is possibly one of the most important. Different states are governed by different state laws and you therefore need to do your research well to determine how much you will need to pay in your state. The highest RN nursing salaries can be found in the following states:
- California: $85,080
- Massachusetts: $81,780
- Hawaii: $80,020
- Maryland: $76,330
- New Jersey: $74,990
Of course it is not always possible to pick and choose which states you would like to work in. sometimes you have to work where you are out whether you like it or not. That is why a discussion is included here of the average salary that you can expect to earn in each of the states. Of course the word ‘average’ is a very important one as different towns and employers within the same state will pay slightly different rates.
RN Salary By State
The salaries that can be earned from state to state can vary significantly from each other. Different state laws can make a significant difference to the RN salary that you can earn there. Going through the states in alphabetical order we can see how vast these differences can be.
- In Alabama the average RN salary is $57,860, while in Alaska you can expect to earn about $74,970 a month. In Arizona the average salary is about $67,130, and in Arkansas you can earn around $57,040.
- In California the average RN salary is about $85,080, in Colorado you can expect to earn around $66,800 as an RN, and the RN salary by state that you can earn in Connecticut is about $71,930. In Delaware you can expect to earn an average of $70,770, and in Washington DC the average is about $74,040.
- The average RN salary for Florida is around $62,270, the average RN salary for Georgia is round about $60,940, and in Hawaii you can expect to earn $80,020.
- In Idaho the average RN salary that you will be eligible to earn $61,320, in Illinois you can expect to earn around $65,440, in Indiana you can expect to earn $57,910, and in Iowa you can expect to earn $51,930.
There are substantial difference between what you can expect to earn in Kansas, namely around $55730, as compared to Kentucky, in the region of $58,110, and Louisiana, in the region of $60290.
Let’s have a look at the various salaries for states staring with the letter “M”. In Maine you can expect to earn around $65,240, in Maryland you can expect to earn around $76,330, in Massachusetts you can expect to earn around $81,780, in Michigan you can earn around $64,100, in Minnesota you can earn around $72,760, Mississippi you can expect to earn in the region of $57,630, in Missouri the average RN salary is $57,460, and in Montana you can earn around $56,380.
The states starting with the letter “N” have the following salary differences. In Nebraska you can earn around $55,040 as an RN, in Nevada the RN salary is about $72,940, in New Hampshire you can earn about $62,060, in New Jersey you can earn n the region of $74,990, in New Mexico you can earn something like $63,550, in New York the salary for an RN is around about $72,790, in North Carolina the average RN salary is $58,880, and in North Dakota the average salary is about $56,110.
In Ohio the average salary is around about $59,740, in Oklahoma you can expect to earn $53,210, and in Oregon the average salary is $73,300.
In Pennsylvania the average RN salary is in the region of $63,600, and in Rhode Island the average that an RN can expect to earn is $68,830. South Carolina will give you a salary of $59,680, and South Dakota will earn you a salary of $53,520.
In Tennessee the average RN salary is about $59,520, in Texas the average RN salary is about $64,670, in Utah the average RN salary is about $59,370, in Vermont the average RN salary is about $63,230, and in Virginia the average RN salary is $63,270.
Lastly let’s consider the “W” states. In Washington you can earn around $72,450, in West Virginia you can earn $53,030, in Wisconsin you can earn about $63,200, and in Wyoming is $58,060.
The average across all states is therefore about $64,241. This information is taken from http://nursinglicensemap.com/nurse-salary/. The information contained here is merely an average indication of what you can hope to earn in each of these states.
Salaries By State According To Experience
Experience plays a big role on the salary that you will earn as an RN. Within the same state there can be significant differences in the salary that you are eligible to earn. The experience you have is one of the factors that affect this. If you have a little experience there is nothing for you to do but to work your way up. If you have a lot of experience you will be able to apply for a higher salary. Remember your rights in this regard. The more experience you have the more they should be paying you so make sure that you get what is owed you. The numbers mentioned below are, once again, an average for each category in each state, nut they should give you a fairly good idea of where to start when thinking about the different RN salary by state that you will be able to earn.
Alabama:
- Little Experience: about $17,680
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $20,000
Alaska:
- Little Experience: about $10,000
- Average Experience: about $10,400
- Advanced Experience: about $12,000
Arizona:
- Little Experience: about $17,160
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $19,760
Arkansas:
- Little Experience: about $15,600
- Average Experience: about $17,680
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
California:
- Little Experience: about $19,760
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $24,000
Colorado:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Connecticut:
- Little Experience: about $16,640
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Delaware:
- Little Experience: about $15,080
- Average Experience: about $16,640
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
District of Columbia:
- Little Experience: about $20,800
- Average Experience: about $25,000
- Advanced Experience: about $31,200
Florida:
- Little Experience: about $20,800
- Average Experience: about $22,880
- Advanced Experience: about $25,000
Georgia:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Hawaii:
- Little Experience: about $10,400
- Average Experience: about $13,000
- Advanced Experience: about $15,080
Idaho:
- Little Experience: about $11,000
- Average Experience: about $15,000
- Advanced Experience: about $16,640
Illinois:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Indiana:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Iowa:
- Little Experience: about $15,600
- Average Experience: about $17,680
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Kansas:
- Little Experience: about $16,640
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Kentucky:
- Little Experience: $18,720
- Average Experience: $18,720
- Advanced Experience: $20,800
Louisiana:
- Little Experience: about $17,160
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $19,760
Maine:
- Little Experience: about $11,111
- Average Experience: about $15,080
- Advanced Experience: about $16,640
Maryland:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Massachusetts:
- Little Experience: about $17,680
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $20,000
Michigan:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,000
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Minnesota:
- Little Experience: about $16,640
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $18,803
Mississippi:
- Little Experience: about $16,640
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Missouri:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Montana:
- Little Experience: about $10,400
- Average Experience: about $13,000
- Advanced Experience: about $15,080
Nebraska:
- Little Experience: about $14,560
- Average Experience: about $16,640
- Advanced Experience: about $16,640
Nevada:
- Little Experience: about $12,000
- Average Experience: about $15,600
- Advanced Experience: about $16,640
New Hampshire:
- Little Experience: about $14,000
- Average Experience: about $16,640
- Advanced Experience: about $16,640
New Jersey:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $19,552
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
New Mexico :
- Little Experience: about $14,560
- Average Experience: about $16,640
- Advanced Experience: about $17,160
New York:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
North Carolina :
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
North Dakota :
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Ohio :
- Little Experience: about $20,000
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $24,960
Oklahoma:
- Little Experience: about $16,640
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Oregon:
- Little Experience: about $16,640
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Pennsylvania:
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $21,840
Rhode Island :
- Little Experience: about $11,000
- Average Experience: about $14,560
- Advanced Experience: about $15,600
South Carolina :
- Little Experience: about $17,680
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $20,000
South Dakota :
- Little Experience: about $10,000
- Average Experience: about $10,400
- Advanced Experience: about $12,000
Tennessee :
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Texas :
- Little Experience: about $20,800
- Average Experience: about $22,880
- Advanced Experience: about $27,040
Utah:
- Little Experience: about $14,560
- Average Experience: about $16,640
- Advanced Experience: about $17,680
Vermont :
- Little Experience: about $10,400
- Average Experience: about $13,000
- Advanced Experience: about $15,080
Virginia :
- Little Experience: about $18,720
- Average Experience: about $20,800
- Advanced Experience: about $20,800
Washington :
- Little Experience: about $17,680
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $19,760
West Virginia:
- Little Experience: about $15,080
- Average Experience: about $16,640
- Advanced Experience: about $18,720
Wisconsin :
- Little Experience: about $17,680
- Average Experience: about $18,720
- Advanced Experience: about $19,760
Wyoming :
- Little Experience: about $10,000
- Average Experience: about $11,000
- Advanced Experience: about $13,000
Keep these rates in mind when deciding where to qualify as an RN as it can affect your current and future salary when you have more experience rather significantly.
Now that you are aware of what the various salaries by state are for an RN you should be able to make a better decision about where you would like to work. If you live in a high paying state, then lucky you. If you live in one of the lower paying states, or if you are not happy with the potential salary that you can earn in your state you may want to consider relocating to a different state that may pay better. Remember though that you will have to make sure that you are aware of the various procedures that are required in this regard. You will need to have your RN license transferred from one state to the other. You will soon learn that there are some states where you cannot transfer your license no matter how hard you try, although most states do have something in place that will allow you to move your license. If you are in this job for the money you will be disappointed and this is usually considered to not be the right attitude towards nursing. However there is no harm in looking for a position where you will be paid well, allowing you to support yourself easily, hence the need for an analysis of RN salary by state.