Registered Nurses in the state of Texas earn an average salary of $74,540 per year (or $35.84 per hour) as of May 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 80% of Texas RNs earn between $53,560 and $99,880.
On average, RNs in Texas earn about 4% less than the national average salary for nurses, at $77,460 (or $37.24 per hour).
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Among other factors, the cost of living in a given region can impact what nurses tend to earn working in those areas. With a Cost of Living Index of 92.3 in Q3 2020, Texas nurses face prices for things like food, housing, and transportation that are slightly lower when compared to other states. So, it’s understandable that their earnings would also be a bit lower than the national average..
| State | Avg. RN Salary | Avg. RN Salary (adjusted for COL) |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $74,540 | $80,758 |
| Nationwide | $77,460 | - |
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RN salary across Texas cities
Texas nursing salaries vary quite a bit across the state, but the highest-paying regions for RNs are unsurprisingly clustered in large metropolitan areas. At the top is Houston, with an average RN salary of $81,350, followed by Dallas / Fort Worth ($76,740 average RN salary). While all other Texas regions fall below the statewide average for RN salary (such as San Antonio, at $72,410), the top two metros make up for it with large numbers of nurses employed, at 54,780 and 60,620 respectively.
| TX Metro Area | Avg. RN Salary |
|---|---|
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $81,350 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $76,740 |
| El Paso, TX | $74,380 |
| Laredo, TX | $73,750 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $73,320 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $72,780 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $72,410 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $72,170 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $71,460 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | $70,980 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $70,230 |
| Lubbock, TX | $70,090 |
| Midland, TX | $68,040 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $67,830 |
| Amarillo, TX | $67,560 |
| Victoria, TX | $67,420 |
| Big Thicket Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $67,330 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | $67,130 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $67,000 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | $66,800 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $66,770 |
| Odessa, TX | $66,640 |
| Waco, TX | $66,590 |
| Abilene, TX | $66,140 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $65,600 |
| West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $64,720 |
| Tyler, TX | $62,400 |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $61,880 |
| Longview, TX | $61,770 |
| San Angelo, TX | $61,760 |
RN salary vs similar healthcare professions in Texas
At $74,540 average annual salary, Registered Nurses in Texas tend to earn slightly less than some other types of healthcare workers in the state. Across all these professions, “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations” workers in Texas earn an average salary of $78,470, according to the BLS.
Here’s how a sample of these other types of healthcare professions compare to RN salaries in Texas:
| Profession | # Employed in TX | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 218,090 | $74,540 |
| LPNs / LVNs | 70,290 | $47,370 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 38,550 | $35,620 |
| Dental Hygienists | 14,310 | $76,490 |
| Physical Therapists | 15,400 | $89,630 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 13,620 | $115,440 |
Job outlook for Registered Nurses in Texas
There are over 210,000 Registered Nurses in the state of Texas. Yet, these jobs are still projected to increase by at least 16% from 2018 to 2028 – an increase of more than 36,000 new RNs in the state in the coming years.
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