How Much Does a Registered Nurse Make?

If you are interested in becoming a registered nurse, RN, a question you would want to ask is, how much does a registered nurse make? So, here is the answer.

An important factor that determines how much a registered nurse makes is the demand for them.

The demand for Registered nurses has continued to rise and so is their salary in spite of the recession.

According to a recent finding by the job website, Indeed.com, “Average Nurse RN salaries for job postings nationwide are 10% higher than average salaries for all job postings nationwide.”

This demand can be explained considering the high attention and awareness to healthcare issues by the government and individuals.

People want to do all that they can to stay alive and live longer, and the government is supportive of that.

Therefore, there is generally a huge spending on healthcare by both the government and individuals, with the registered nurse, being a critical service provider in the sector making lots of money.

On the national average, registered nurses make $33.13 hourly and $68,910 yearly.

Where Registered Nurses Make the Most Money

According to the May 2013 report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs make the most money working in other transit and ground passenger transportation industry with hourly wage of $41.72 and yearly salary of $86,780.

This is followed by the federal executive branch (OES Designation) where RNs earn $38.07 hourly and $79,190 yearly.

The next high paying industry is the insurance and employee benefit funds where registered nurses earn $37.79 in one hour and $78,600 in a year.

Aerospace production and parts manufacturing pay $35.67 hourly and $74,200 yearly, while outpatient care centers pay $35.62 per hour and $74,100 annual salary.

Where Most RNs are Employed

The highest number of registered nurses is employed in general medical and surgical hospitals than in any other place.

This sector, which, employs about one and a half million RNs, pays them $33.94 hourly and $70,590 annually.

Next on the list of top employers are physicians’ offices. Physician’s offices employ over 170,000 RNs across the U.S. and pay $30.22 in an hour and $62,850 yearly.

Home health care services have more than 160,000 registered nurses working in the sector, and pay $32.17 per hour and $66,910 each year.

About 140,000 RNs work with nursing care facilities where they make $29.81 hourly and $62,010 annually.

Outpatient care centers employ about 100,000 RNs with hourly and yearly wages of $35.62 and $74,100 respectively.

How much Registered Nurses Make Across States

California tops the list of high paying states with registered nurses making $46.62 and $96,980 hourly and yearly income respectively.

Next is Hawaii with hourly wage of $41.05 and yearly salary of $85,380.

A RN in Massachusetts makes $40.25 per hour and $83,720 in a year, while in Alaska the hourly and yearly rates are $40.21 and $83,640 respectively.

Oregon comes as the fifth state where registered nurses make more money. The hourly rate is $38.67, while $80,440 is earned annually.

Below is a table that shows how much registered nurses make in all states:

Data sourced from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2013 occupational employment and wages report for Registered Nurses.

* Note: All wages and salaries are mean estimates.