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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 |
RNslave
over 5 years 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
over 5 years ago
6 comments
Also, last time I checked. After cost of living, Texas was the best state to work as Nurse.
nicoledenean
over 5 years 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
over 5 years 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
over 5 years 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
almost 6 years ago
52 comments
The wages are irrelevant obviously the higher the wage the more it cost to live in that state. DUH.
geanna
almost 6 years ago
6 comments
Do you have any other indicators besides wage to determine "top states to be a nurse"?
nursebuttercup
almost 6 years ago
2 comments
I think when speaking of worst vs best or quality of where you work it is insulting to base it only on salary or job availability. To look @ where you want to work you need to look @ the quality of care, who has ratios and where or how are pts best cared for. You can be paid a nice salary, but if your patient care is poor or your working conditions are poor (i.e. no breaks, poor benefits), than who cares about salary. When rating best to worst places to work these should be the things that are considered not how many jobs are available or how much money are you going to make.
eponinemonet
almost 6 years ago
4 comments
I think it is important to look at the cost of living in whatever state you are looking at. California is one of the highest paying, but the cost of living is so much higher than other places. The information about Oklahoma is incorrect. I make over $20 an hour, that's without shift diff($23nightd/$25 nights-weekends)/non agency. I do not know of any hospital in the Okc metro that pays under $18. Average rent/morgage here is $400-900 month. California is $1300+ a month. Gas in Okc is cheaper, utilities are cheaper, groceries are cheaper ect..My paycheck stretches a lot further here than in California. Why don't you calculate the cost of living and then tell us whose making better money?
JDQ13
almost 6 years ago
4 comments
The information for Nevada is wrong here. In northern Nevada, at least, a new ADN grad will make about $30 per hour, not 22.
RNinTX
almost 6 years ago
2 comments
Texas - DFW area. I have a friend doing pedi-home health (RN) making about 78-80K a year. I just started a Hospice Job - making about 58K a year. But when I was job hunting one big FTW hospital said they were starting RN's without recent experience at $21.50. The best wages go to nurses who specialize or work agency positions. When I posted my resume my phone rang off the hook with agencies just dying to hire nurses. I wanted a local low key M-F job though.
Best advice I have to young nurses: get in the hospital - do the time, pay your dues and then take that experience you earned with little pay and go make some bucks. They will send you anywhere you want to go, pay your expenses, etc. The sky's the limit!
rny2k
almost 6 years ago
8 comments
I have heard new grads in my state of California are making around $38 and hour. I wonder if the information was taken from union hospitals or not and if union hospitals are paying higher than non-union?
mleafrn
almost 6 years ago
12 comments
I knew Oklahoma would rate low but the cost of living is also very low. I have lived and worked in alot of the higher paying staes and the cost of living ate up alot more of my salary. I recently reached the $20.25 /hr after 5 years as a Case Manager who supervised. I went to salary and lost money but negotiated more paid vacation---3 weeks. I have free medical, dental and vision, they pay the 1st $1000, then I pay the next $1000, then its all paid by them. Really a pretty good deal with matching 401K. My daughter is BSN MSN in OR Management in VA and makes $95,000/yr.
terrylpowell
almost 6 years ago
2 comments
I agree with the majority of you guys that this salary scale is way off. I, for example, was making almost $40.00 per hour working nights at a LTAC facility three years ago in San Diego. Here in Tucson, I was recently offered $32.00 per hour working nights on an Ortho unit. Currently, I am doing a 20 Week seasonal RN stint at a LTAC facility for $40.00 bucks per hour. It does vary though. For example, I understand that a local large hospital here is offering new grads around $25.00 per hour. Maybe this scale is based on new grad salaries.
NewGrad09
almost 6 years ago
2 comments
I agree that these figures are skewed. I am a new grad of a BSN program and I just accepted a job in KS and the starting pay of new grads there is $21.50hr. I have many other friends accepting nursing positions in KS as well and the lowest pay I have heard is $20.25hr. So it would be interesting to know how these figures were compiled.