California has the highest hourly mean wage for registered nurses in the U.S., and Oregon has the highest hourly mean wage for RNs after adjusted for cost of living, according to data published April 2 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Below are the mean hourly and annual wages for nurses in 49 states and Washington, D.C., adjusted for cost of living. Becker’s calculated these figures using May 2024 salary data from BLS and 2024 cost of living index data from the World Population Review.
Editor’s note: This list excludes data from Colorado due to data quality concerns stemming from issues with the state’s unemployment insurance system modernization. Although the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages resumed publication for the state in February, the updated data could not be incorporated into the BLS release scheduled for April 2. Estimates for Colorado may be released at a later time.
| State | Annual Wage | Hourly Wage | Cost of Living Index (2024) | RN hourly mean wage, adjusted by cost of living |
| Alabama | $74,970 | $36.04 | 88 | $40.95 |
| Alaska | $112,040 | $53.86 | 123.8 | $43.51 |
| Arizona | $95,230 | $45.79 | 111.5 | $41.07 |
| Arkansas | $77,720 | $37.36 | 88.7 | $42.12 |
| California | $148,330 | $71.31 | 144.8 | $49.25 |
| Colorado | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Connecticut | $103,670 | $49.84 | 112.3 | $44.38 |
| Delaware | $95,450 | $45.89 | 100.8 | $45.53 |
| District of Columbia | $109,240 | $52.52 | 141.9 | $37.01 |
| Florida | $88,200 | $42.40 | 102.8 | $41.25 |
| Georgia | $91,960 | $44.21 | 91.3 | $48.42 |
| Hawaii | $123,720 | $59.48 | 186.9 | $31.82 |
| Idaho | $89,770 | $43.16 | 102 | $42.31 |
| Illinois | $91,130 | $43.81 | 94.4 | $46.41 |
| Indiana | $85,850 | $41.27 | 90.5 | $45.60 |
| Iowa | $77,780 | $37.39 | 89.7 | $41.68 |
| Kansas | $79,430 | $38.19 | 87 | $43.90 |
| Kentucky | $83,900 | $40.34 | 93 | $43.38 |
| Louisiana | $84,110 | $40.44 | 92.2 | $43.86 |
| Maine | $87,440 | $42.04 | 112.1 | $37.50 |
| Maryland | $96,650 | $46.46 | 115.3 | $40.29 |
| Massachusetts | $112,610 | $54.14 | 145.9 | $37.11 |
| Michigan | $90,580 | $43.55 | 90.4 | $48.17 |
| Minnesota | $99,460 | $47.82 | 95.1 | $50.28 |
| Mississippi | $79,470 | $38.21 | 87.9 | $43.47 |
| Missouri | $81,950 | $39.40 | 88.7 | $44.42 |
| Montana | $88,480 | $42.54 | 94.9 | $44.83 |
| Nebraska | $82,890 | $39.85 | 93.1 | $42.80 |
| Nevada | $102,280 | $49.17 | 101.3 | $48.54 |
| New Hampshire | $94,620 | $45.49 | 112.6 | $40.40 |
| New Jersey | $106,990 | $51.44 | 114.6 | $44.89 |
| New Mexico | $94,360 | $45.37 | 93.3 | $48.63 |
| New York | $110,490 | $53.12 | 123.3 | $43.08 |
| North Carolina | $86,270 | $41.48 | 97.8 | $42.41 |
| North Dakota | $81,900 | $39.38 | 91.9 | $42.85 |
| Ohio | $86,110 | $41.40 | 94.2 | $43.95 |
| Oklahoma | $85,800 | $41.25 | 85.7 | $48.13 |
| Oregon | $120,470 | $57.92 | 112 | $51.71 |
| Pennsylvania | $90,830 | $43.67 | 95.1 | $45.92 |
| Rhode Island | $99,770 | $47.96 | 112.2 | $42.75 |
| South Carolina | $84,930 | $40.83 | 95.9 | $42.58 |
| South Dakota | $72,210 | $34.72 | 92.2 | $37.66 |
| Tennessee | $82,010 | $39.43 | 90.5 | $43.57 |
| Texas | $91,690 | $44.08 | 92.7 | $47.55 |
| Utah | $88,240 | $42.42 | 104.9 | $40.44 |
| Vermont | $92,710 | $44.57 | 114.4 | $38.96 |
| Virginia | $90,930 | $43.72 | 100.7 | $43.42 |
| Washington | $115,740 | $55.64 | 114.2 | $48.72 |
| West Virginia | $80,650 | $38.77 | 84.1 | $46.10 |
| Wisconsin | $90,450 | $43.48 | 97 | $44.82 |
| Wyoming | $88,020 | $42.32 | 95.5 | $44.31 |
