National median: $82K (range: 55K–110K). Salaries adjusted by state cost index. Ranked by cost-adjusted purchasing power. The difference between the best and worst state is $11,703/year in real purchasing power.
Nursing is one of the most geographically flexible careers — every state needs nurses. Travel nursing can pay $100K+ and you can strategically establish residency in a no-tax state. Even staff nurses see meaningful take-home differences across states.
The highest-paying state for registered nurses is Hawaii with an estimated salary of $157K and take-home of $107,310. But the best purchasing power goes to Tennessee \u2014 where a $74K salary, after taxes and cost adjustment, buys what $67,593 would buy nationally.
Regional averages show where registered nurses earn the most and where their money goes furthest:
| # | State | Est. Salary | Tax Rate | Take-Home | Monthly | Eff. Rate | Cost-Adj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $74K | 0% | $60,834 | $5,070 | 17.8% | $67,593 |
| 2 | Wyoming | $77K | 0% | $62,945 | $5,245 | 18.3% | $66,962 |
| 3 | Texas | $76K | 0% | $62,241 | $5,187 | 18.1% | $66,926 |
| 4 | South Dakota | $75K | 0% | $61,538 | $5,128 | 17.9% | $66,889 |
| 5 | Nevada | $83K | 0% | $67,166 | $5,597 | 19.1% | $66,500 |
| 6 | Florida | $82K | 0% | $66,462 | $5,539 | 18.9% | $66,462 |
| 7 | Arkansas | $71K | 3.9% | $56,924 | $4,744 | 19.8% | $66,190 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $89K | 0% | $71,387 | $5,949 | 19.8% | $66,099 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $68K | 4.82% | $54,483 | $4,540 | 19.9% | $65,642 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $75K | 2.5% | $60,319 | $5,027 | 19.6% | $65,564 |
| 11 | Washington | $90K | 0% | $72,090 | $6,008 | 19.9% | $65,536 |
| 12 | Ohio | $74K | 2.75% | $58,799 | $4,900 | 20.5% | $65,332 |
| 13 | Nebraska | $75K | 4.55% | $59,319 | $4,943 | 20.9% | $65,186 |
| 14 | Indiana | $74K | 2.95% | $58,651 | $4,888 | 20.7% | $65,168 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $75K | 3% | $59,288 | $4,941 | 20.9% | $65,151 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $71K | 4.5% | $56,647 | $4,721 | 20.2% | $65,111 |
| 17 | Arizona | $80K | 2.5% | $63,055 | $5,255 | 21.2% | $65,005 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $68K | 4% | $53,893 | $4,491 | 20.7% | $64,931 |
| 19 | Alabama | $72K | 5% | $57,087 | $4,757 | 20.7% | $64,872 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $74K | 3.5% | $58,244 | $4,854 | 21.3% | $64,716 |
| 21 | Kansas | $74K | 5.58% | $58,150 | $4,846 | 21.4% | $64,611 |
| 22 | Alaska | $104K | 0% | $81,939 | $6,828 | 21.2% | $64,519 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $75K | 5.9% | $58,661 | $4,888 | 21.8% | $64,463 |
| 24 | Iowa | $73K | 3.8% | $57,357 | $4,780 | 21.4% | $64,446 |
| 25 | Missouri | $73K | 4% | $57,211 | $4,768 | 21.6% | $64,281 |
| 26 | Michigan | $75K | 4.25% | $58,350 | $4,863 | 22.2% | $64,121 |
| 27 | Montana | $80K | 5.65% | $62,117 | $5,176 | 22.4% | $64,038 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $80K | 3.07% | $62,599 | $5,217 | 21.8% | $63,877 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78K | 3.99% | $60,536 | $5,045 | 22.4% | $63,722 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $75K | 6% | $58,613 | $4,884 | 21.9% | $63,709 |
| 31 | Delaware | $84K | 6.6% | $64,265 | $5,355 | 23.5% | $63,005 |
| 32 | Illinois | $76K | 4.95% | $58,479 | $4,873 | 23.1% | $62,881 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $76K | 7.65% | $58,462 | $4,872 | 23.1% | $62,862 |
| 34 | Virginia | $84K | 5.75% | $64,730 | $5,394 | 22.9% | $62,844 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $86K | 5.99% | $65,928 | $5,494 | 23.3% | $62,788 |
| 36 | Utah | $81K | 4.45% | $62,154 | $5,180 | 23.3% | $62,782 |
| 37 | Georgia | $76K | 5.19% | $58,297 | $4,858 | 23.3% | $62,685 |
| 38 | Idaho | $78K | 5.3% | $59,514 | $4,960 | 23.7% | $62,646 |
| 39 | Maine | $80K | 7.15% | $61,337 | $5,111 | 23.3% | $62,589 |
| 40 | Maryland | $92K | 5.75% | $70,059 | $5,838 | 23.8% | $62,552 |
| 41 | Colorado | $86K | 4.4% | $65,492 | $5,458 | 23.8% | $62,373 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $91K | 6.99% | $68,659 | $5,722 | 24.6% | $61,855 |
| 43 | Vermont | $86K | 8.75% | $64,385 | $5,365 | 25.1% | $61,319 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $81K | 9.85% | $60,572 | $5,048 | 25.2% | $61,184 |
| 45 | Massachusetts | $97K | 5% | $72,165 | $6,014 | 25.6% | $61,156 |
| 46 | Oregon | $90K | 9.9% | $66,299 | $5,525 | 26.3% | $60,271 |
| 47 | New Jersey | $94K | 10.75% | $68,336 | $5,695 | 27.3% | $59,422 |
| 48 | New York | $103K | 10.9% | $73,938 | $6,161 | 28.2% | $59,150 |
| 49 | California | $116K | 13.3% | $80,353 | $6,696 | 30.7% | $56,586 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $157K | 11% | $107,310 | $8,943 | 31.6% | $55,891 |