Salary by City for Registered Nurse (RN) Jobs

Salary for Nurses by City

Unlike some other professions, such as farming or oceanography, which can only be practiced in specific locales, a registered nurse's services are needed all over the world. Obviously hospitals and doctor's offices employ nursing staff, but nurses are also needed by such diverse employers as insurance companies, school districts, and sports teams (view Average Salary of Registered Nurses by Employer Type for an in-depth look at the salary for nurses in a variety of industries). This means that a nurse can live in pretty much any city he or she wants to find work. However, not all cities offer equal salary for nurses. The Salary for Registered Nurses by City chart above shows that New York currently offers one of the highest average salaries for registered nurses. Those considering a move to the Big Apple should be sure to take cost of living into consideration; high salary for registered nurses may not go as far in New York than the equivalent nurse's salary in another town. Take a look at the PayScale Cost of Living Calculator to see how the Salary for Nurses and Cost of Living compare in your current city and New York or other U.S. cities. Of course, a nurse's salary will be shaped by location, but there are a number of other factors that also influence the salary for nurses. Let's take a closer look.

Salary for Registered Nurses

The salary for nurses, particularly when just starting out, is often determined in part by nursing degree and school choice. Viewing Salary for Registered Nurses by School Name sheds some light on the subject. We can see that the average salary for registered nurses with degrees from New York University is higher than the nurse's salary listed for many other schools. Looks like New York is a good place to be for high nurses salary! In contrast to school name, measuring the Salary for Nurses by Degree or Major Subject shows that degree has only a small effect on the salary for nurses. With a hands-on job like nursing, experience is the best teacher - and an important factor in determining a nurse's salary. There are only so many things you can learn from books, and any experienced nurse will tell you that schooling can only go so far to prepare you for the realities of patient care. Experienced nurses have not only treated more conditions, they have also learned how to spot problems that patients may not bring to their attention on their own. Because experience is such a huge contributing factor to a nurse's education, it stands to reason that the salary for nurses increases with more time spent on the job. The Average Salary of Registered Nurses by Experience chart shows that the salary for nurses does indeed increase with each year of experience.

Average Nurse's Salary

Concerned that you're not making the salary you should? The doctor is in! Step into Dr. Salary's office for real-world, practical advice on getting the salary you deserve. While conducting your salary research, you may have asked the question, "What is the average salary of registered nurses?" Little did you know that asking "What is the median salary for registered nurses?" will get you higher-quality, more precise results. Find out why in the Ask Dr. Salary article on Median vs. Mean in Salary Research.