The average Registered Nurse salary varies significantly from city to city. San Jose, CA and the surrounding area has average RN salaries of $155,230. This makes San Jose the highest-paying city for nurses as of May 2021 (according to the BLS). In the United States, the average salary for RNs is $82,750. Additionally, the median (50th percentile) is $77,600.
Over $100,000 lower than the San Jose’s average nurse salary is Decatur, AL, at $54,410. With such a wide possible salary range, it may pay off for nurses to consider moving to a higher-paying area of the country.
On the other hand, it may not. Considering the cost of living between cities means that the same dollar you earn in one area may not go as far as in another.
Read on to learn more about which cities pay their nurses the most, both in absolute terms and after factoring in cost of living.
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Highest-paying cities for Registered Nurses
California is the highest-paying state for nurses. So, it’s no surprise that this is where the cities nurses earn the most on average are located there. After San Jose is San Francisco, just to the north, where Registered Nurses earn an average of $151,640. Vallejo, Santa Rosa, and Napa – all California regions, round out the top 5 metro areas by average nursing salary. Not until 20th on the list do you find a non-California city, Honolulu, where Registered Nurses earn $107,680.
Top 10 highest-paying cities for Registered Nurses
| Rank | City / Metro Area | Average RN Salary | Personalized Estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $155,230 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $151,640 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 3 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | $146,360 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 4 | Santa Rosa, CA | $141,440 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 5 | Napa, CA | $139,680 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 6 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $139,590 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 7 | Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA | $135,490 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 8 | Salinas, CA | $130,520 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 9 | Modesto, CA | $127,730 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 10 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $124,790 | Get Custom Estimate |
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San Francisco, CA | $126k-$190k/year
Of course, not every nurse can or wants to live in California. Looking beyond the Golden State, coastal regions dominate the nurse salary rankings. Cities like Honolulu, maintain an average RN salary of $107,680. Boston averages at $99,950, and Portland salaries are about $101,710. These cities are a few among the top non-California regions for nurse wages.
Top 10 highest-paying cities outside California for Registered Nurses
| Rank | City / Metro Area | Average RN Salary | Personalized Estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $107,680 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 2 | Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI | $107,600 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 3 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $101,710 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 4 | Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH | $99,950 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $99,310 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 6 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $98,460 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 7 | Eugene, OR | $97,330 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 8 | Anchorage, AK | $96,160 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 9 | Medford, OR | $95,020 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 10 | Albany, OR | $94,820 | Get Custom Estimate |
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Highest-paying cities for RNs, adjusted for cost of living
The cost of living index is a measure of the relative purchasing power of a dollar for things like groceries, housing, and transportation. Regions where these essential goods are more costly than the U.S. average have a higher cost of living index. As of 2021, the San Francisco Bay Area tops the list at 117.4, while Florence–Muscle Shoals, AL comes in lowest, at 82.4.
Adjusting each city’s average RN salary by its cost of living index gives us a potentially more accurate means of comparing where nurses get paid the most.
Some of the same California regions included among the top-paying areas for nurses overall also top the list after adjusting for cost of living.
Though California overall is quite expensive, these areas offer a relatively lower cost of living compared with the larger cities like Los Angeles and San Diego. Meanwhile, nurses can still earn a highly competitive salary in these smaller cities, therefore their earnings will go much further.
Top 5 highest-paying cities for Registered Nurses, adjusted for cost of living
| Rank | City / Metro Area | Avg RN Salary (COL Adjusted) | Personalized Estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $138,475 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 2 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | $135,018 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 3 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $129,854 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $129,165 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 5 | Santa Rosa, CA | $128,816 | Get Custom Estimate |
Outside of California, coastal regions in the Pacific Northwest come out on top, including Eugene, Portland, and Medford in Oregon. Rounding out the top five are Honolulu and Kahului in Hawaii. .
Regions like these may be particularly attractive to nurses since their salary can go much further for things like housing and food costs.
Top 5 highest-paying non-California cities for Registered Nurses, adjusted for cost of living
| Rank | City / Metro Area | Avg RN Salary (COL Adjusted) | Personalized Estimates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI | $98,716 | |
| 2 | Eugene, OR | $97,427 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 3 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $96,225 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 4 | Medford, OR | $95,402 | Get Custom Estimate |
| 5 | Honolulu, HI | $94,622 | Get Custom Estimate |
Questions from the Incredible Health Nurse Community
- What is the most effective way to negotiate for higher pay? My peers in the same area are making almost $4/hr more than I am.
- How much should a RN with 22yrs combined specialty get paid in NC when applying straight to a facility, not travel?
