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
$94480

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 Oakland, CA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Wichita, KS delivers the strongest real buying power (about $398,306 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)
Oakland, CA$181240$119010$221840115.6$150822
San Francisco, CA$181240$119010$221840115.6$150822
San Jose, CA$179210$119220$211380110.4$154660
Sacramento, CA$157810$101670$207920106.7$144849
San Diego, CA$132750$98350$168810111.9$119576
Fresno, CA$131390$97010$181210102.2$130954
Long Beach, CA$129000$43050$170140113.6$106933
Los Angeles, CA$129000$43050$170140113.6$106933
Portland, OR$116850$94630$137870105.4$112027
Boston, MA$110893$61744$145297108.3$102426
Seattle, WA$109700$85720$142480111.1$103633
New York, NY$108540$79220$136480112.6$98798
Minneapolis, MN$100800$76560$123850104.8$94017
Washington, DC$98000$73570$127360108.9$90922
Philadelphia, PA$96710$72890$119440102.6$92488
Las Vegas, NV$96500$78460$132010100.2$97979
Austin, TX$93470$69600$11799098.1$97026
Houston, TX$93330$67810$11546098.6$95702
Arlington, TX$93300$66560$117390——
Dallas, TX$93300$66560$117390103.1$91415
Atlanta, GA$92240$66470$127400100.1$94945
Mesa, AZ$89390$71230$111400103.3$89570
Phoenix, AZ$89390$71230$111400103.3$89570
Baltimore, MD$89310$66670$119150104.5$88824
Tucson, AZ$88030$64440$9957096.9$89746
Denver, CO$87330$71560$116680105.8$88096
Chicago, IL$85160$67560$107980103.6$87659
Colorado Springs, CO$84340$65170$103110100.7$85863
Detroit, MI$83900$68750$102790100.3$87360
San Antonio, TX$83740$63480$10866094.7$93838
Miami, FL$83590$65000$110330114.2$76834
Albuquerque, NM$83380$76320$12480095.5$96655
Milwaukee, WI$82780$69200$10690096.9$91018
Raleigh, NC$81910$64850$10364098.2$87727
New Orleans, LA$81400$63870$10789026.3$328783
Charlotte, NC$81190$64240$10313097.3$86371
Columbus, OH$81020$66300$9977095.5$90228
Fort Worth, TX$80594$51438$101002103.1$78178
Indianapolis, IN$80290$62930$10371095.7$89429
Cleveland, OH$80240$69210$105380——
Kansas City, MO$79920$64010$10005092.5$87646
Oklahoma City, OK$79850$62830$9902090.4$90722
Jacksonville, FL$79800$61750$10056099.5$83471
Louisville, KY$79260$62140$10349093.1$91991
Tulsa, OK$79060$60540$10152089.2$95815
Omaha, NE$78090$63790$9968091.9$88901
Nashville, TN$78020$60020$10191096.3$86529
El Paso, TX$77950$60570$11369089.9$92835
Memphis, TN$77290$62190$10479092.2$89109
Wichita, KS$67360$55280$9171018.3$398306

“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.

Put these numbers to work