Registered Nurses Salary: $93,600 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 3,282,010 registered nurses work nationally, and $93,600 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.2% annual growth; much hiring sits in hospitals.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Registered Nurses grew from 993,740 in 2013 to 1,295,360 in 2025 (30.4%).
Historical employment for Registered Nurses from the California OEWS series, 2013–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$93,600 Median pay (BLS national)
Registered Nurses earn $93,600 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 326,720 employees, $148,330 avg wage
- TX: 261,050 employees, $91,690 avg wage
- FL: 218,100 employees, $88,200 avg wage
- NY: 204,120 employees, $110,490 avg wage
- PA: 146,840 employees, $90,830 avg wage
- IL: 139,900 employees, $91,130 avg wage
- OH: 138,360 employees, $86,110 avg wage
- NC: 108,510 employees, $86,270 avg wage
- MI: 104,210 employees, $90,580 avg wage
- GA: 97,410 employees, $91,960 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Registered Nurses.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 195,470 employees, $115,650 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 107,340 employees, $138,010 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 100,620 employees, $94,580 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 74,840 employees, $97,510 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 72,640 employees, $96,720 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 66,440 employees, $115,710 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 65,300 employees, $96,730 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 59,880 employees, $92,070 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 54,370 employees, $96,640 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 46,330 employees, $96,220 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 U.S. workforce for Registered Nurses is about 3,282,010 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Registered Nurses earn $93,600 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.