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Registered nurses employment and wages by state and metropolitan area

August 19, 2015

In May 2014, there were 2,687,310 employed registered nurses in the United States, more than any other healthcare occupation. Nationwide, registered nurses accounted for nearly 2 of out every 100 employed persons. Some metropolitan areas have a higher concentration of employment in this occupation than other areas. We measure this concentration with the location quotient. A location quotient greater than 1 means the occupation has a higher share of area employment than the national average.

Metropolitan areas with the highest location quotient for registered nurses, May 2014



Hover over a bubble or column to see data.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 

In May 2014, Rochester, Minnesota, had the highest concentration of employed registered nurses — more than 3 times the national average (a location quotient of 3.24). La Crosse-Onalaska, Wisconsin-Minnesota (2.42); Rome, Georgia (2.35); and Cape Girardeau, Missouri-Illinois (2.32) also had high concentrations of registered nurses.

Registered nurses earned an annual median wage of $66,640 in May 2014. They earned the most in California ($96,470), Hawaii ($90,220), Alaska ($85,530), Oregon ($83,650), and Massachusetts ($81,380).

Annual median wages for registered nurses by state, May 2014


$75,690 and higher
 
$65,110 to $75,689
 
$59,890 to $65,109
 
$57,120 to $59,889
 
$57,119 and lower
 
Hover over a state to see data.
Hover over legend items to see states in a category.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. For more information, see the Registered Nurses profile. 

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Registered nurses employment and wages by state and metropolitan area at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/registered-nurses-employment-and-wages-by-state-and-metropolitan-area.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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