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

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$181,240$119,010$221,840115.6$150,822
San Francisco, CA$181,240$119,010$221,840115.6$150,822
San Jose, CA$179,210$119,220$211,380110.4$154,660
Sacramento, CA$157,810$101,670$207,920106.7$144,849
San Diego, CA$132,750$98,350$168,810111.9$119,576
Fresno, CA$131,390$97,010$181,210102.2$130,954
Long Beach, CA$129,000$43,050$170,140113.6$106,933
Los Angeles, CA$129,000$43,050$170,140113.6$106,933
Portland, OR$116,850$94,630$137,870105.4$112,027
Boston, MA$110,893$61,744$145,297108.3$102,426
Seattle, WA$109,700$85,720$142,480111.1$103,633
New York, NY$108,540$79,220$136,480112.6$98,798
Minneapolis, MN$100,800$76,560$123,850104.8$94,017
Washington, DC$98,000$73,570$127,360108.9$90,922
Philadelphia, PA$96,710$72,890$119,440102.6$92,488
Las Vegas, NV$96,500$78,460$132,010100.2$97,979
Austin, TX$93,470$69,600$117,99098.1$97,026
Houston, TX$93,330$67,810$115,46098.6$95,702
Arlington, TX$93,300$66,560$117,390——
Dallas, TX$93,300$66,560$117,390103.1$91,415
Atlanta, GA$92,240$66,470$127,400100.1$94,945
Mesa, AZ$89,390$71,230$111,400103.3$89,570
Phoenix, AZ$89,390$71,230$111,400103.3$89,570
Baltimore, MD$89,310$66,670$119,150104.5$88,824
Tucson, AZ$88,030$64,440$99,57096.9$89,746
Denver, CO$87,330$71,560$116,680105.8$88,096
Chicago, IL$85,160$67,560$107,980103.6$87,659
Colorado Springs, CO$84,340$65,170$103,110100.7$85,863
Detroit, MI$83,900$68,750$102,790100.3$87,360
San Antonio, TX$83,740$63,480$108,66094.7$93,838
Miami, FL$83,590$65,000$110,330114.2$76,834
Albuquerque, NM$83,380$76,320$124,80095.5$96,655
Milwaukee, WI$82,780$69,200$106,90096.9$91,018
Raleigh, NC$81,910$64,850$103,64098.2$87,727
New Orleans, LA$81,400$63,870$107,89026.3$328,783
Charlotte, NC$81,190$64,240$103,13097.3$86,371
Columbus, OH$81,020$66,300$99,77095.5$90,228
Fort Worth, TX$80,594$51,438$101,002103.1$78,178
Indianapolis, IN$80,290$62,930$103,71095.7$89,429
Cleveland, OH$80,240$69,210$105,380——
Kansas City, MO$79,920$64,010$100,05092.5$87,646
Oklahoma City, OK$79,850$62,830$99,02090.4$90,722
Jacksonville, FL$79,800$61,750$100,56099.5$83,471
Louisville, KY$79,260$62,140$103,49093.1$91,991
Tulsa, OK$79,060$60,540$101,52089.2$95,815
Omaha, NE$78,090$63,790$99,68091.9$88,901
Nashville, TN$78,020$60,020$101,91096.3$86,529
El Paso, TX$77,950$60,570$113,69089.9$92,835
Memphis, TN$77,290$62,190$104,79092.2$89,109
Wichita, KS$67,360$55,280$91,71018.3$398,306

“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.

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