Salary by profession · US · 2026
Registered nurse salary in the US
What is the average registered nurse salary in the US?
The median US registered nurse earns about $86,070 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics), typically $66,000–$106,000. That's around $5,782 a month take-home in a no-tax state, and places the typical registered nurse in roughly the 76th percentile of US earners — $33,060 above the median.
Verified 12 August 2026
Registered nurse pay and take-home
| Salary | Take-home, no-tax state | Take-home, California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry / lower | $66,000 | $55,211 | $52,471 |
| Median | $86,070 | $69,380 | $64,833 |
| Experienced | $106,000 | $83,401 | $77,001 |
How registered nurses compare
The US median individual income is $53,010. At $86,070, the typical registered nurse earns $33,060 more — around the 76th percentile of all earners. Pay is far higher in California and the Northeast; travel nursing can pay well above the median.
Location matters as much as the number. The same salary stretches far further in Texas than California. See what you'd keep in your city →