What is the Salary of a Nurse?

Both aspiring and career nurses often want to know, "How can I increase my salary as a nurse?" While there's no question that hands-on experience is vital in a career like nursing, salaries also get a boost from education. Earning an RN degree, completing continuing education for nurses, or obtaining Nursing Certifications are all career steps that have an impact on nursing salaries. In this day and age, it's even possible to earn a RN Degree Online. With many education options available, nurses can choose which RN degrees or nursing certifications will work best for their career and salary goals.

Answering the broader question, "what is the salary of a nurse," requires that we look at a number of factors that affect nursing salaries. As in most professions, the salary for nurses can vary greatly depending on a nurse's location, qualifications, work setting and other factors. A nursing salary in Seattle will probably be different than nursing salaries in Florida. And the salary of a registered nurse with 20 years of experience will definitely be higher than an entry-level nursing salary. By researching PayScale's salary data, you'll not only get an idea of the typical salary for nurses, but you'll also get answers to your nursing salary questions based on your specific criteria.

Registered Nurse Salaries

What is the salary of a nurse in Chicago or Los Angeles? We can find out by looking at the chart on Registered Nurse Salaries by City. Los Angeles happens to have the highest median registered nurse salary while Chicago is in the middle range for nursing salaries. Looking at the Registered Nurse Salary by State chart, we can see that California is way ahead of the pack, with New York falling in second place for high nursing salaries. Of course, the salary for nurses might be higher in California, but the cost of living in cities like Los Angeles is also fairly high. To get an idea of how cost of living could impact a nurse's salary, we can use PayScale's cost of living calculator to find both the Cost of Living and Median Salary for Nurses in Los Angeles and other cities. A Cost of Living Comparison between Chicago and Los Angeles reveals that the cost of housing in Chicago is about 50 percent lower than in Los Angeles. That's definitely something to consider when comparing the salary of a registered nurse by location. No matter where a nurse chooses to live and work, experience will have a big impact on salary. For nurses, on-the-job experience can be very important; it's no surprise that measuring a Registered Nurse Salary by Years Experience shows a steady increase in the salary of a registered nurse over time.

Nursing Salary Story

Researching data on the salary for nurses only provides part of the picture when it comes to nursing careers. To expand your nursing salary research, get an insider's look at what it's really like to be a registered nurse by reading the Salary Stories post, "Nursing Careers: Become a Registered Nurse" over in the PayScale blogs section.

Nursing Salary Links

ER Registered Nurse Salaries
OR Registered Nurse Salaries
Salary for Nurses in Canada
Salary for Nurses in the UK