Registered Nurse Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Registered Nurse salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026

Cities tracked
50
National average
$94,480

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How Registered Nurse pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Registered Nurse pay ranges from about $67,360 in Wichita, KS to $181,240 in San Francisco, CA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, San Jose, CA delivers the strongest real buying power (about $154,660 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $94,480.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)		Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
San Francisco, CA$181,240$119,010$221,840115.6$156,782
Oakland, CA$181,240$119,010$221,840115.6$156,782
San Jose, CA$179,210$119,220$211,380110.4$162,328
Sacramento, CA$157,810$101,670$207,920106.7$147,901
San Diego, CA$132,750$98,350$168,810111.9$118,633
Fresno, CA$131,390$97,010$181,210102.2$128,562
Long Beach, CA$129,000$43,050$170,140113.6$113,556
Los Angeles, CA$129,000$43,050$170,140113.6$113,556
Portland, OR$116,850$94,630$137,870105.4$110,863
Boston, MA$110,893$61,744$145,297108.3$102,394
Seattle, WA$109,700$85,720$142,480111.1$98,740
New York, NY$108,540$79,220$136,480112.6$96,394
Minneapolis, MN$100,800$76,560$123,850104.8$96,183
Washington, DC$98,000$73,570$127,360108.9$89,991
Philadelphia, PA$96,710$72,890$119,440102.6$94,259
Las Vegas, NV$96,500$78,460$132,010100.2$96,307
Austin, TX$93,470$69,600$117,99098.1$95,280
Houston, TX$93,330$67,810$115,46098.6$94,655
Arlington, TX$93,300$66,560$117,390——
Dallas, TX$93,300$66,560$117,390103.1$90,495
Atlanta, GA$92,240$66,470$127,400100.1$92,148
Mesa, AZ$89,390$71,230$111,400103.3$86,534
Phoenix, AZ$89,390$71,230$111,400103.3$86,534
Baltimore, MD$89,310$66,670$119,150104.5$85,464
Tucson, AZ$88,030$64,440$99,57096.9$90,846
Denver, CO$87,330$71,560$116,680105.8$82,543
Chicago, IL$85,160$67,560$107,980103.6$82,201
Colorado Springs, CO$84,340$65,170$103,110100.7$83,754
Detroit, MI$83,900$68,750$102,790100.3$83,649
San Antonio, TX$83,740$63,480$108,66094.7$88,427
Miami, FL$83,590$65,000$110,330114.2$73,196
Albuquerque, NM$83,380$76,320$124,80095.5$87,309
Milwaukee, WI$82,780$69,200$106,90096.9$85,428
Raleigh, NC$81,910$64,850$103,64098.2$83,411
New Orleans, LA$81,400$63,870$107,89092.6$87,905
Charlotte, NC$81,190$64,240$103,13097.3$83,443
Columbus, OH$81,020$66,300$99,77095.5$84,838
Fort Worth, TX$80,594$51,438$101,002103.1$78,171
Indianapolis, IN$80,290$62,930$103,71095.7$83,898
Cleveland, OH$80,240$69,210$105,380——
Kansas City, MO$79,920$64,010$100,05092.5$86,400
Oklahoma City, OK$79,850$62,830$99,02090.4$88,330
Jacksonville, FL$79,800$61,750$100,56099.5$80,201
Louisville, KY$79,260$62,140$103,49093.1$85,134
Tulsa, OK$79,060$60,540$101,52089.2$88,632
Omaha, NE$78,090$63,790$99,68091.9$84,973
Nashville, TN$78,020$60,020$101,91096.3$81,018
El Paso, TX$77,950$60,570$113,69089.9$86,707
Memphis, TN$77,290$62,190$104,79092.2$83,829
Wichita, KS$67,360$55,280$91,71088.9$75,771

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

Compare cost of living

Frequently Asked Questions

The national average for Registered Nurses is $94,480 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $67,360 in Wichita to $181,240 in San Francisco.

San Jose leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $179,210 average pay is worth about $162,328 in national-average dollars, ahead of San Francisco at $156,782.

Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. San Jose's index is 110.4, so its $179,210 average equals about $162,328 in national buying power.

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