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Top 10 Best and Worst States to Be a Nurse
NursingLink.com and CareerVoyages.gov
There is a projected need for 1,001,000 nurses needed in the United States by 2016. Nurses are one of the most in demand professions in America, but with so many job openings, it begs the question: Where should you work? NursingLink is committed to providing its members with the most most pertinent career research available. Below is the 10 best and worst places to be a Nurse based on salary and job openings.
Top 10 Highest Nurse Paying States
| State | Salary (hourly) |
| 1. California | $25.45 |
| 2. Hawaii | $24.76 |
| 3. Massachusetts | $23.38 |
| 4. New Jersey | $23.33 |
| 5. Alaska | $23.09 |
| 6. Delaware | $22.98 |
| 7. Oregon | $22.91 |
| 8. Nevada | $22.83 |
| 9. Maryland | $22.79 |
| 10. Connecticut | $22.62 |
sheliae
about 1 month ago
2 comments
I also agree that these are old wages! I"ve bee a LPN for 13 yrs and i make 20.07
/hrly. i plan on going back to school in Jan. to start my Rn! :)
meljojack
3 months ago
2 comments
current going rate in Hawaii is 45 hr, almost throughout Oahu
linda67
4 months ago
4 comments
Iam an LPN of nine years. Started at a nursing home last year part-time and was told I would get shift differential and was started at $18.50/hr only to find out from other nurses there that this is all you get...no shift diff, no raise, only a $75 dollar bonus if you come in and do an extra shift. Is this legal for employers to lie to get nurses in their facility? This is NC... I made more than this with an agency fresh out of nursing school....
gaby133
4 months ago
32 comments
OK, everybody is talking about these low rates for RN's and it's giving me chills. I used to work in Michigan, for agencies, back in '98 and making $40/hr and then moved to south Florida, on staff, and got cut down to $25/hr until I got tired of hospital stress, short staff all the time and the low pay. I started doing home health and working 4-5 hours a day making 100K+ every year, driving very little too.
Now I was thinking to relocate to Arizona or South Carolina,not sure yet, and I want to know if any of you know how home health is and if you know any areas with concentrated elderly population.
reversenayr
4 months ago
50 comments
It doesn't mater to me. i just want to work in the states. can anyone help me land a job there?I am a filipino educated nurse here in the Philippines and I am a Registered Nurse in Vermont USA and I also passed the IELTS. there is visa retrogression but if a hospital will sponsor me to land a job there,it really matters a lot.
RNslave
5 months ago
4 comments
After reading several of these comments, I think we need to value ourselves and our profession more. We should be demanding more compensation for the knowledge and risks we take with this profession. It is sad that a plumber or electrician makes more than a nurse. It's sad that a family law attorney can charge 270.00 to 400.00 per hour for their services and we can't be valued enough to be paid for what we are really worth in saving lives every day. I think nurses should unionize across the country to finally get the message to these hospitals, agencies, and LTC facilities that we deserve much more than the pittance that they throw at us.
jillyan208
5 months ago
24 comments
This has to be an old pay scale. I realize that the cost of living is higher in a lot of the states, but in Ohio, we are making much more than some of the top ten. As an LPN, I make more than some of the top 10.....
RNslave
5 months ago
4 comments
Living in Northern Illinois, the pay rates for RN's are not high enough for the cost of living. With over 30 years experience, I am working 2 jobs just to survive! The pay rates are from 26.00 to 32.00 per hour which is an insult to the profession. We deserve to make at least $50.00 per hour and up. Also, the health insurance benefits are very costly. Twenty years ago, I made 21.00 per hour and the pay rates have not increased enough for inflationary cost of living expenses. And they wonder why seasoned nurses are fed up!
msgmass
5 months ago
10 comments
Also, last time I checked. After cost of living, Texas was the best state to work as Nurse.
msgmass
5 months ago
10 comments
We pay our nurses up to $50/ hr. Those must be very old figure. http://www.msgstaffing.net
nicoledenean
6 months ago
2 comments
I work in KS and started out last year as a new grad at $21.50. those must be old figures.
Psalm139
6 months ago
6 comments
Michigan maybe one of the top ten states with the most job openings but good luck finding them. I have friends who have just graduated and they are having a horrible time finding a job, some are even having to leave in order to find work.
tracivrn
6 months ago
10 comments
I know that California nurses make more than that. Also, by law, they get time and a half after 8 hours for every shift they work. And believe me, after working in about 43 hospitals, sometimes the wage doesn't matter. I agree with nursebuttercup. Management is a consideration also.
AmbitiousFutureRN
6 months ago
52 comments
The wages are irrelevant obviously the higher the wage the more it cost to live in that state. DUH.
geanna
7 months ago
4 comments
Do you have any other indicators besides wage to determine "top states to be a nurse"?