Registered Nurses Salary: $152,361 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 3,282,010 registered nurses nationally earn a mean of $152,361. Projections imply about 2.2% annual growth; CA accounts for about 306,450 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Registered Nurses: what the data shows
Common questions about registered nurses careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a registered nurses?
Registered Nurses is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1141.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 3,282,010 workers.
What does a registered nurses do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing General Physical Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a registered nurses make?
BLS national median annual wage: $93,600 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $152,361 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $102,841 |
| 25th percentile | $122,963 |
| Median (50th) | $144,144 |
| 75th percentile | $176,880 |
| 90th percentile | $214,557 |
What education do you need?
For Registered Nurses, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is registered nurses in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 24.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 3,282,010.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do registered nursess work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 3,913,800 | 18.4% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 3,686,260 | 17.3% |
| Cross-industry | 3,282,010 | 15.4% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,790,380 | 13.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 2,748,550 | 12.9% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 617,920 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Registered Nurses in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Registered Nurses workforce.
Employment Over Time
3,282,010 Workforce in 2023
The Registered Nurses workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Registered Nurses.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$152,361 Average Wage
In 2023, Registered Nurses earned an average of $152,361.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Registered Nurses.
Salary distribution for Registered Nurses.
Employment Growth Projections
2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,446,625 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.7%
1,615,555 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 24.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Registered Nurses.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Registered Nurses and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Registered Nurses employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Registered Nurses.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Registered Nurses.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Registered Nurses.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 306,450 employees, $153,398 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Registered Nurses.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 81,460 employees, $141,266 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 34,570 employees, $139,367 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 27,660 employees, $143,137 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 25,890 employees, $143,300 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 23,400 employees, $167,450 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 21,790 employees, $176,970 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 21,460 employees, $195,040 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 16,810 employees, $192,647 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 10,440 employees, $133,256 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 5,430 employees, $136,204 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Registered Nurses.
Diversity
Demographic information on Registered Nurses in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Registered Nurses in 2023 was 3,282,010 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Registered Nurses.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Registered Nurses.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Registered Nurses.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Registered Nurses in 2023 were Registered Nursing, Health, Biology.
Common majors for Registered Nurses.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Registered Nurses workers.
Education level distribution for Registered Nurses.
Skills
Registered Nurses need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Registered Nurses.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Registered Nurses.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Registered Nurses include Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Registered Nurses.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Registered Nurses include Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Registered Nurses.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Registered Nurses.
Daily Activities
Registered Nurses spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Registered Nurses.
About
Registered Nurses
The average yearly wage for Registered Nurses was $152,361 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1141 - Registered Nurses
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Registered Nurses reports an average salary of $152,361, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 3,282,010 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.