This is the 2021 ranking. Click here to see the 2022 edition.
The average hourly pay for nurses in the U.S. is $38.74 for registered nurses and $55.05 for nurse practitioners, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational employment statistics survey released March 31.
The highest average hourly wage for both registered nurses and nurse practitioners is in California. RNs and NPs in Alabama and Tennessee made the lowest hourly rates, respectively.
Here is the average hourly wage for nurses by state, in descending order:
State | RN hourly mean wage | Rank | State | NP hourly mean wage |
California | $57.96 | 1 | California | $70.18 |
Hawaii | $50.40 | 2 | New Jersey | $62.93 |
Massachusetts | $46.27 | 3 | Washington | $60.81 |
Oregon | $46.27 | 4 | New York | $60.79 |
Alaska | $45.81 | 5 | Massachusetts | $60.60 |
Washington | $43.90 | 6 | Nevada | $57.64 |
District of Columbia | $43.29 | 7 | Minnesota | $57.16 |
New York | $43.16 | 8 | Wyoming | $57.12 |
Nevada | $43.15 | 9 | Hawaii | $57.11 |
New Jersey | $41.21 | 10 | Oregon | $57.02 |
Connecticut | $40.79 | 11 | Arizona | $56.48 |
Rhode Island | $39.81 | 12 | Rhode Island | $56.39 |
Maryland | $39.23 | 13 | New Mexico | $56.28 |
Minnesota | $38.92 | 14 | Connecticut | $56.15 |
Arizona | $38.64 | 15 | Texas | $56.11 |
Colorado | $37.43 | 16 | District of Columbia | $55.84 |
Texas | $36.92 | 17 | Maryland | $55.40 |
New Hampshire | $36.52 | 18 | Montana | $54.99 |
New Mexico | $36.40 | 19 | Idaho | $54.76 |
Wisconsin | $35.94 | 20 | Utah | $54.59 |
Illinois | $35.85 | 21 | Wisconsin | $54.34 |
Virginia | $35.76 | 22 | Oklahoma | $54.21 |
Delaware | $35.74 | 23 | New Hampshire | $54.07 |
Pennsylvania | $35.66 | 24 | Delaware | $53.96 |
Michigan | $35.57 | 25 | Illinois | $53.87 |
Wyoming | $34.90 | 26 | Louisiana | $53.79 |
Vermont | $34.68 | 27 | Maine | $53.64 |
Idaho | $34.44 | 28 | Pennsylvania | $53.64 |
Georgia | $34.38 | 29 | North Dakota | $53.40 |
Maine | $34.16 | 30 | Alaska | $53.01 |
Montana | $33.91 | 31 | Indiana | $52.86 |
Utah | $33.83 | 32 | Colorado | $52.77 |
Ohio | $33.53 | 33 | Virginia | $52.72 |
North Dakota | $33.47 | 34 | Mississippi | $52.67 |
Florida | $33.42 | 35 | Michigan | $52.48 |
Nebraska | $33.41 | 36 | North Carolina | $52.10 |
North Carolina | $33.15 | 37 | Vermont | $52.06 |
Louisiana | $32.70 | 38 | Iowa | $51.88 |
Indiana | $32.45 | 39 | Nebraska | $51.60 |
South Carolina | $32.28 | 40 | Missouri | $51.38 |
Oklahoma | $32.02 | 41 | Georgia | $51.07 |
Missouri | $31.68 | 42 | Arkansas | $51.06 |
West Virginia | $31.31 | 43 | Ohio | $50.78 |
Kentucky | $31.12 | 44 | West Virginia | $50.59 |
Kansas | $30.87 | 45 | Kansas | $50.25 |
Tennessee | $30.83 | 46 | South Dakota | $49.56 |
Arkansas | $30.60 | 47 | Kentucky | $49.26 |
Iowa | $30.08 | 48 | South Carolina | $48.65 |
Mississippi | $29.45 | 49 | Florida | $48.58 |
South Dakota | $29.31 | 50 | Alabama | $47.98 |
Alabama | $28.96 | 51 | Tennessee | $47.78 |
