According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing salaries have increased on average 1.3% per year from 2008 to mid-2014 and have seen a steady increase since then. By state, the biggest gains are seen in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Minnesota and Indiana.
How has your state fared? As the nursing shortage grows, there has been a growing demand for nurses, but some states are in greater need than others.
In this article, we compare nursing salaries by state in 2017 vs. 2016 and predict 2018 salaries using those trends.
Nursing Average Salary Trends and Changes
The mean salary of an RN in the United States is $74,550/year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In the table below, we compare the average 2016 and 2017 salary by state and how that might change in 2018 based on industry trends.
| State | Average 2016 Salary¹ | Average % Change² | Average 2017 Salary¹ | Estimated 2018 Salary³ |
| Alabama | $56,908.80 | +1.70% | $57,886.40 | $58,880.79 |
| Alaska | $86,444.80 | +1.20% | $87,505.60 | $88,579.42 |
| Arizona | $73,444.80 | +2.30% | $75,108.80 | $76,810.50 |
| Arkansas | $57,636.80 | +2.10% | $58,822.40 | $60,032.39 |
| California | $101,753.60 | +0.90% | $102,689.60 | $103,634.21 |
| Colorado | $70,553.60 | +2.90% | $72,571.20 | $74,646.50 |
| Connecticut | $78,270.40 | +2.50% | $80,204.80 | $82,187.01 |
| Delaware | $70,824.00 | +3.30% | $73,174.40 | $75,602.80 |
| District of Columbia | $80,496.00 | +11.90% | $90,105.60 | $100,862.39 |
| Florida | $64,625.60 | +0.40% | $64,896.00 | $65,167.53 |
| Georgia | $64,750.40 | +3.10% | $66,747.20 | $68,805.58 |
| Hawaii | $88,920.00 | +9.10% | $96,990.40 | $105,793.27 |
| Idaho | $62,483.20 | +3.30% | $64,521.60 | $66,626.50 |
| Illinois | $70,886.40 | +1.70% | $72,092.80 | $73,319.73 |
| Indiana | $60,049.60 | +4.00% | $62,441.60 | $64,928.88 |
| Iowa | $56,284.80 | +2.90% | $57,928.00 | $59,619.17 |
| Kansas | $58,260.80 | +2.90% | $59,945.60 | $61,679.12 |
| Kentucky | $59,820.80 | +2.90% | $61,526.40 | $63,280.63 |
| Louisiana | $63,377.60 | +0.30% | $63,564.80 | $63,752.55 |
| Maine | $63,793.60 | +3.30% | $65,894.40 | $68,064.38 |
| Maryland | $74,713.60 | +0.70% | $75,254.40 | $75,799.11 |
| Massachusetts | $89,065.60 | +0.30% | $89,336.00 | $89,607.22 |
| Michigan | $69,097.60 | +0.03% | $69,118.40 | $69,139.21 |
| Minnesota | $73,944.00 | +4.90% | $77,542.40 | $81,315.91 |
| Mississippi | $57,012.80 | +1.20% | $57,699.20 | $58,393.86 |
| Missouri | $60,840.00 | +4.00% | $63,294.40 | $65,847.82 |
| Montana | $64,292.80 | +3.10% | $66,289.60 | $68,348.42 |
| Nebraska | $60,361.60 | +3.10% | $62,212.80 | $64,120.77 |
| Nevada | $83,782.40 | +1.40% | $84,988.80 | $86,212.57 |
| New Hampshire | $68,681.60 | +2.00% | $70,033.60 | $71,412.21 |
| New Jersey | $80,579.20 | +1.80% | $82,014.40 | $83,475.16 |
| New Mexico | $68,681.60 | +1.70% | $69,846.40 | $71,030.95 |
| New York | $80,828.80 | +3.20% | $83,449.60 | $86,155.38 |
| North Carolina | $61,339.20 | +2.00% | $62,566.40 | $63,818.15 |
| North Dakota | $60,840.00 | +3.80% | $63,128.00 | $65,502.04 |
| Ohio | $63,960.00 | +2.40% | $65,499.20 | $67,075.44 |
| Oklahoma | $60,632.00 | +1.60% | $61,630.40 | $62,645.24 |
| Oregon | $87,006.40 | +2.00% | $88,774.40 | $90,578.33 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,764.80 | +1.50% | $69,825.60 | $70,902.76 |
| Rhode Island | $75,192.00 | +1.90% | $76,648.00 | $78,132.19 |
| South Carolina | $63,460.80 | +0.30% | $63,627.20 | $63,794.04 |
| South Dakota | $55,931.20 | +1.90% | $57,012.80 | $58,115.32 |
| Tennessee | $58,406.40 | +2.80% | $60,049.60 | $61,739.03 |
| Texas | $70,387.20 | +2.40% | $72,072.00 | $73,797.13 |
| Utah | $62,358.40 | +1.10% | $63,044.80 | $63,738.76 |
| Vermont | $67,787.20 | +2.60% | $69,555.20 | $71,369.31 |
| Virginia | $66,664.00 | +2.00% | $67,995.20 | $69,352.98 |
| Washington | $80,121.60 | -0.40% | $79,809.60 | $79,498.81 |
| West Virginia | $59,384.00 | +1.70% | $60,382.40 | $61,397.59 |
| Wisconsin | $67,932.80 | +1.90% | $69,201.60 | $70,494.10 |
| Wyoming | $62,982.40 | +3.00% | $64,896.00 | $66,867.74 |
- Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a “year-round, full-time” hours figure of 2,080 hours.
- Calculation based on data from Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Calculation estimation based on data from previous columns.
On average, travel RNs can expect to make 18% more than a staff RN position.
If this chart has inspired you to look for a travel nursing job, you can start your search here!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our Nomad Navigators team.
Good luck!
The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com
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