Average Nurse Salary by State in 2025: Which US States With the Highest LPN, RN and APRN Salaries?

Becoming a nurse requires a calling and a passion for offering assistance and care to a broad range of patients in need. However, one important factor in choosing nursing as a career is the salary you may expect to earn in your future work environment. And, while figuring out how much you can make as a nurse will be important for planning your education, as well as deciding in which state you will practice, figuring out the job salaries for each state and role can be time-consuming and tedious. 

We at Nightingale College created a curated guide about nurse salaries by state, occupation, and level of education, including any other considerations that will affect your future wage. Thus, you can browse Annual, monthly, and hourly salary estimates for roles including licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners, compare the benefits for different career paths, and inform your expectations.

While knowing your earning potential is incredibly important when choosing a career, it’s just as useful to know how your paycheck will hold up in terms of where you live. That’s why your nursing salary adjusted to the cost of living is a criterion you also need to consider. We want you to have all the facts, which is why we included the adjusted salaries so that you realistically know how much money you will earn.

• Certified Nursing Assistant Salary by State
• Average Nurse Salary by State
• Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by State
• Registered Nurse Salary by State
• BSN Nurse Salary by State
• MSN Nurse Salary by State
• Factors Affecting the Nurse Salary
• Key Takeaways for Nurses

You can also listen to a podcast inspired by our report of nurse salaries across the US:

Nurse Salaries: An Overview

Below you will find an interactive map that provides an overview of annual nursing salaries throughout the United States. We have included salaries for LPNs, registered nurses, BSN RNs, and for some of the most sought-after MSN nursing roles. 

Use the drop-down menu to select the average salary for each nursing role. You can also select the option to view the nursing wages adjusted for the local cost of living.

Let us discuss different levels of nursing and their corresponding salary expectations. As a general rule, the more you advance your education, the higher your income potential will be. Here are some of the most common nursing levels and the national average salaries for each of them:

Average Nurse Salary by State

Nurses can make anywhere from over $60,000 per year to six figures.

Below, you can see the nurse salary by state for all US states*, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The industry and substate data for Colorado was suspended due to quality concerns.

*However, the latest data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not include data on the state of Colorado. While the publication of said data is set to resume, it is not available at the time of writing. All presented data will be updated once the set of data becomes available.

Certified Nursing Assistant Salary by State

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are trained healthcare professionals who provide basic care to patients under the supervision of registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. The role is an entry-level position requiring the least preparation in the industry, with a state-approved CNA program typically taking 4 to 12 weeks for completion. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the national salary for nurse assistants to be $41,270 per year, which amounts to $19.84 per hour. 

Below you can find the current estimates for the certified nursing assistant salary by state, as presented by the BLS:

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary by State

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), licensed practical nurses make an average of $63,540 per year, which corresponds to an hourly wage of $30.55 or a monthly salary of $5,091.67.

LPN employment is also expected to grow steadily throughout the decade. BLS job outlook projections indicate a 3% growth from 2023 to 2033, which is slightly slower than the average for all occupations (4%). On a year-to-year basis, there are approximately 54,000 new job openings for licensed practical nurses.

Find out more about the LPN role, including the job outlook and work settings specific to it.

Highest Paying States for LPN

The states where licensed practical nurses make the most money are the following:

1. Washington – $79,970 per year
2. California – $79,090 per year
3. Oregon – $78,160 per year
4. Alaska – $77,850 per year
5. Rhode Island – $77,240 per year
6. Massachusetts – $76,400 per year
7. New Hampshire– $73,850 per year
8. Arizona – $72,840 per year
9. Maine – $72,600 per year
10. Nevada – $71,460 per year

Below, you can find the LPN salary breakdown by state for the annual, adjusted, hourly, and monthly wages that you can expect:

Read more about LPN salaries to understand better how your wage can vary by location and what other factors affect it.

Registered Nurse Salary by State

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that registered nurses make an average of $98,430 per year, which is equivalent to an hourly wage of $47.32 and a monthly salary of $7,886.67.

Considering the job outlook, the BLS statistics show an employment rise of 6% throughout the decade, which is higher than the 4% job increase for all occupations, but below the 9% increase for all healthcare diagnosing and treating practitioners. Numerically, the increase amounts to 197,200 additional jobs by 2033. Additionally, RNs have 194,500 new job openings each year.

Read more about job outlook for registered nurses to understand how the benefits and obligations of an RN vary based on their role and work setting.

States With the Highest Salaries for RNs

Here are the states with the highest annual salaries for registered nurses across the US, according to the BLS.

1. California – $148,330 per year
2. Hawaii – $123,720 per year
3. Oregon – $120,470 per year
4. Washington – $115,740 per year
5. Massachusetts – $112,610 per year
6. Alaska – $112,040 per year
7. New York – $110,490 per year
8. District of Columbia – $109,240 per year
9. New Jersey – $106,990 per year
10. Connecticut – $103,670 per year
11. Nevada - $102,280 per year

All RN salary estimates for other states are below $100,000. If you want to explore what you may earn annually, monthly or hourly, you can browse the registered nurse salary by state below:

Discover more about the highest paying nursing jobs in the industry for RNs and all other roles.

BSN Nurse Salary by State

As we have established before, the more you learn, the more you earn, and this is especially true for getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. 

And, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide specific information about the salaries of BSN-educated nurses, the BSN Nursing portal points out that BSN-educated nurses are the top 25% earners in the field. Therefore, the data showing the 75th percentile salary range is a good indicator of the average annual salary of BSN nurses. 

In addition to enjoying higher salaries, BSN RNs also have tremendous job prospects. Over 80% of employers in the healthcare industry have a strong preference for hiring BSN trained nurses, while over 42% already require that their new hires have a BSN degree. Compared to ADN nurses, BSN nurses are typically associated with better results and fewer medical mistakes, so the need for them will only increase over the decade. 

Read more about the differences in nursing practice from our article on ADN vs. BSN patient outcomes.

Highest Paying States for BSN Nurses

Here are the 10 highest paying states for BSN-level nurses across the US:

1. California – $172,200 per year
2. Hawaii – $139,310 per year
3. Massachusetts – $132,980 per year
4. Oregon – $130,800 per year
5. Washington – $130,420 per year
6. Alaska – $130,010 per year
7. District of Columbia – $126,770 per year
8. New York – $125,810 per year
9. New Jersey – $123,130 per year

You can find the BSN nursing salary for each state below. The values correspond to the 75% percentile of earners in each state. 

Read our dedicated BSN salary guide to find out more about your expected pay after earning your Bachelor’s degree.

Here are some of the highest paying BSN jobs that you may access once you earn your bachelor’s in nursing.

Nurse Case Manager Salary

On average and on a national level, nurse case managers make $137,730 per year or $66.22 per hour. However, depending on the industry you end up working in as a nurse case manager, your salary can reach $219,080 per year or $105.33 per hour.

Below, you can find the nurse case manager salary for each US state, according to the BLS (figures for Medical and Health Services Managers):

Explore the nurse manager salaries by state and more data on the wage estimates.

Informatics Nurse Salary 

Informatics nurses make on average $73,410 per year or $35.30 per hour, according to the BLS.

Below you can find the informatics nurse salary for each US state:

ICU Nurse Salary

While being an ICU nurse is a demanding job, being one of the RN positions with the highest level of responsibility, the salaries are proportionally high. On average and nationwide, ICU nurses make $85,205 per year or $41 per hour, according to job search engine ZipRecruiter.

Below, you can find how much ICU nurses make in every state in the US, according to data published by ZipRecruiter:

Learn more about the ICU nurse salaries across the US.

Travel Nurse Salary 

Travel nurses are BSN-trained professionals that provide quality care to a broad spectrum of patients, by traveling to and working with different healthcare facilities across the country. Generally, a travel RN acts as a temporary employee who fills short-term employment gaps, making them essential, considering the nationwide nursing shortage. 

Since travel nurses are generally temporary employees and do not have the guarantee of year-round employment, their payment is highly dependent on their ongoing placement opportunities. However, considering that you would perform your travel nursing duties with the same frequency as any other, you can expect to earn $121,710 per year or $59 per hour as a travel nurse (according to ZipRecruiter).

Below you can also find estimates for the travel nursing salary for each state, as reported by ZipRecruiter. Remember, however, that, as a travel nurse, you will require increased mobility, and your month-to-month salary can vary depending on your place of employment:

Learn more about how much travel nurses make and the travel nursing jobs that you may access.

Operating Room Registered Nurse Salary 

According to the recruitment platform Talent.com, operating room registered nurses (also known as perioperative nurses) make $131,309 per year or $63.13 per hour, which is higher than the US average for RNs.

Below you can find the average salaries for operating room nurses for each state, as reported by ZipRecruiter:

You can also explore all BSN jobs and evaluate their benefits and responsibilities.

If you want to advance your education and also increase your expected salary, Nightingale College provides the ideal programs for you:

• If you are starting from zero, our three-year BSN program is a flexible and accessible hybrid program that focuses on concept-based theory, intervention skill-based and case-based preparation, as well as direct focused client care, to prepare you for taking the NCLEX-RN.
• If you already are an RN and wish to further your education in a convenient way, our RN-to-BSN program is a 12-month-long fast track to earning your Bachelor’s degree. If you have to accommodate your current work schedule or other commitments, this fully online option will certainly suit your needs.

Reach your fullest career potential with our programs!

 

MSN Nurse Salary by State

If you further your education by getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, you will also advance your career and increase your projected salary, by accessing different specializations. 

To understand the impact of advancing your education, read our BSN vs. MSN degree comparison.

The average salaries, as well as job outlook for MSN nurses, vary greatly among specialties. Below, we will give a closer look at some of the most sought after MSN jobs as well as the expected salaries for each.

You can also read our comprehensive, dedicated MSN salary overview.

Nurse Educator Salary

The national average estimated salary for nurse educators in 2025 is $87,090 per year. Nursing instructors are in particularly high demand. The nursing faculty shortage is one of the leading causes of the countrywide nursing shortage, making the job outlook for nurse educators all the more promising. 

Below you can find a nurse educator salary by state breakdown. Since a nurse educator does not work year-round or full time, the BLS only estimates the nurse educator salary for each state only on an annual basis:

Learn more about how to become a nurse educator, as well as the nurse educator salaries you can expect.

Nurse Practitioner Salary

Nurse practitioners are some of the highest-paid MSN nurses. On average, NPs earn around $132,000 annually or $63.46 per hour. Nurse practitioners are easily the nursing specialty with the best career outlook. The NP employment rate is expected to grow by 46% by 2033, with approximately 135,500 new jobs being created throughout the decade.

You can find the nurse practitioner salary for every state below, as reported by the BLS:

Find out more about nurse practitioner salaries in the US.

Certified Nurse Midwife Salary

Nurse midwives make an average Annual salary of $128,110 per year. That breaks down to $61.59 per hour. They also have great job prospects. BLS projections indicate that the job outlook for midwifery will grow by 7% throughout the decade. 

Certified nurse midwives were the only nursing specialization to see their annual salary decrease by approximately $3,460 since the previous seurvey period of the BLS.

Here are the salary of a nurse midwife for each of the states in the US, according to the BLS:

Find out more about nurse midwife salaries across the US.

Certified Nurse Anesthetist Salary

Certified registred nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are by far the best paid advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). On a national level, nurse anesthetists earn an average of $231,700 annually, which corresponds to a mean hourly wage of $111.39. Also, they have excellent job prospects. The BLS estimates indicate that there will be over 5,200 new job openings for nurse anesthetists over the decade, with a 10% increase over the decade.

One important change is that you cannot become a nurse anesthetist with an MSN degree. As of 2025, aspiring CRNAs require a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) to practice, according to the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA CRNA).

Below you can find the nurse anesthetist salary for every US state, as reported by the BLS:

Learn more about nurse anesthetist salaries across the US.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Salary

Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) are MSN-level nursing professionals specializing in providing holistic mental health care, including assessment, diagnosis, medication management, and therapy, to patients of all ages experiencing psychiatric disorders. They work collaboratively with other healthcare providers to develop personalized treatment plans and promote mental wellness.

According to job aggregator Indeed.com, PMHNPs earn on average $138,518 per year, which is equivalent to an hourly wage of $58.19. Below, you can find psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner salary estimates for each US state:

As you can see, earning an MSN degree is incredibly impactful on your career and salary. However, the required full-time education process can be difficult and unaccommodating of your current needs and responsibilities, especially if you are continuing your work.

One easy way of pursuing an MSN degree at your own pace is by enrolling in one of the hybrid 2-year learning programs at Nightingale College:

• The MSN FNP Program is a path that combines online instruction, in-person seminars and preceptorship experiences to prepare you for the responsibilities of a family nurse practitioner.
• The MSN Ed Program is a path that blends online and in-person instruction that proves ideal if you want to specialize as a nurse educator.

• The MSN PMHNP Program is a program that prepares students to become ARPNs, but with a stronger emphasis on psychiatric and mental health concepts, thus being ideal for psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners.

Advance your education with our programs!

Factors Affecting the Nurse Salary

Your projected nurse salary can vary depending on various factors, including your location, level of education and certification, overall experience in the field, your level of specialization, the industry that you work in, as well as your work schedule. 

Location

The nurse salary difference between the lowest and the highest paying states ranges between $28,260 (for LPNs) and $183,377 (for certified nurse anesthetists). Generally, the difference evens out to the double of the projected nurse salary in the lowest paying state.

Metropolitan areas also provide better pay for nurses in general. For example, the difference in the annual salary between the highest paying metropolitan area (San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California) and the highest paying non-metropolitan area (the North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area) for registered nurses amounts to $43,760 more for the metropolitan area. On average, working in metropolitan areas can add $33,790 more per year to your earnings.

Level of Education and Certification

The average payment for nursing staff with a PN diploma (the lowest level of certification for the nursing field) is $60,790 per year. If you advance to an RN by getting an ADN or by completing a shorter LPN-to-ASN path, you will earn on average $33,690 more per year. If, however, you also complete a BSN program or an RN-to-BSN track, your salary is expected to increase by an additional $10,190 as you would join the top 25% earners in your field. If, then, you also earn an MSN, you can earn anywhere from $34,010 to $119,720 more per year, depending on your specialization. Additionally, we have recently seen that the highest nursing specialty covered now requires a DNP/DNAP degree for certification, further enforcing that educational advancement is a central part of a functional nursing career ladder.

Specializations 

Although your level of education and accreditation are decisive factors for nurse salary estimates, your earning potential can also differ based on the specialization route you take in your educational path.

We can take the various types of MSN programs that you can enroll in as a BSN nurse as examples:

• If you pursue the MSN Ed Program, you will have better chances to specialize as a nurse educator, where you will win, on average, $86,570 per year, which is the lowest salary average for MSN-level nurses. Additionally, you will not work year-round.
• If you go into the MSN FNP Program, you will be better prepared for the role of family nurse practitioner and may also further specialize in midwifery. Thus, you will be eligible to earn between $128,490 and $131,570 per year.
• If you enroll in the MSN PMHNP Program, you can specialize as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and potentially earn $158,140 per year, according to the average salary of NPs for psychiatric and mental health facilities.

In other words, the role you specialize for will affect your salary, duties and future career advancement opportunities.

Work Experience

In the nursing industry, work experience can make a world of difference, both in matters of patient outcomes and for how much you earn. You may consider the earning differences between wage percentiles for registered nurses to reflect this exact fact:

• 10% Percentile – $63,720 per year
• 25% Percentile – $75,990 per year
• 50% Percentile (Median) – $86,070 per year
• 75% Percentile – $104,670 per year
• 90% Percentile – $104,670 per year

In other words, the earning potential for the lowest 10% of RNs is $30,760 less than the national average, while the top 10% of earners make $10,190 more than the mean annual salary.

Industry Differences

Your place of work as well as the industry you are employed in will affect your annual salary. For example, as a registered nurse, you can earn $20,380 more by working a government job, which is the highest paid type of industry. Here is a comparison of some of the highest paying and most frequent industries for registered nurses:

Work Schedule Differences

Most occupations in the industry are standard nine-to-five nursing jobs, but this is not always the case. For instance, although travel nurses are generally better paid, they do not have the guarantee of a stable work schedule. Consequently, their annual salary can be lower than their hourly wage would indicate. That is why you should always check both the annual and hourly salary estimates, in order to make an informed decision regarding your career of choice.

Key Takeaways for Nurses

Registered Nurses with a BSN degree and an MSN degree will be in high demand in the next decade. And not only is demand growing – so are salaries. Of course, alongside the salary, there are many other things to consider when picking a career. The location, the job benefits, the schedule, the cost of living in the area – these are just a few of the characteristics you have to take into account when pursuing a nursing job. Keep them in mind while planning your career path and you will get the most personal and professional satisfaction out of your career as a registered nurse. 

Do you want to broaden your horizon, your education and most importantly, your salary? Enroll in Nightingale College’s BSN program and take your career to the next level!

Already a working professional? Get ahead of the game by pursuing a fully online RN-to-BSN degree.