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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

29-1141 Registered Nurses

Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required. Includes Clinical Nurse Specialists. Excludes “Nurse Anesthetists” (29-1151), “Nurse Midwives” (29-1161), and “Nurse Practitioners” (29-1171).

National estimates for Registered Nurses
Industry profile for Registered Nurses
Geographic profile for Registered Nurses

National estimates for Registered Nurses:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Registered Nurses:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
3,047,530 0.2 % $ 39.78 $ 82,750 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Registered Nurses:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 28.58 $ 29.71 $ 37.31 $ 46.91 $ 57.81
Annual Wage (2) $ 59,450 $ 61,790 $ 77,600 $ 97,580 $ 120,250


Industry profile for Registered Nurses:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Registered Nurses are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Registered Nurses, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Registered Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,752,210 31.32 $ 40.88 $ 85,020
Offices of Physicians 199,130 7.39 $ 35.51 $ 73,860
Home Health Care Services 173,790 11.47 $ 37.59 $ 78,190
Outpatient Care Centers 147,720 14.97 $ 44.74 $ 93,070
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 131,320 9.33 $ 34.74 $ 72,260

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Registered Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,752,210 31.32 $ 40.88 $ 85,020
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 65,070 24.09 $ 40.77 $ 84,800
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 41,290 17.26 $ 38.59 $ 80,260
Outpatient Care Centers 147,720 14.97 $ 44.74 $ 93,070
Home Health Care Services 173,790 11.47 $ 37.59 $ 78,190

Top paying industries for Registered Nurses:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 100 0.21 $ 54.15 $ 112,630
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 200 0.06 $ 50.61 $ 105,270
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 750 0.20 $ 48.67 $ 101,240
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 90,350 4.29 $ 46.93 $ 97,600
Office Administrative Services 6,650 1.37 $ 46.46 $ 96,630

Geographic profile for Registered Nurses:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Registered Nurses are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Registered Nurses, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of registered nurses by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Registered Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 324,400 19.63 0.91 $ 59.62 $ 124,000
Texas 217,630 17.80 0.82 $ 38.04 $ 79,120
New York 188,300 21.72 1.00 $ 44.86 $ 93,320
Florida 187,920 21.84 1.01 $ 34.62 $ 72,000
Pennsylvania 149,270 26.73 1.24 $ 36.54 $ 76,000


Map of location quotient of registered nurses by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Registered Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 14,140 33.56 1.55 $ 29.11 $ 60,540
West Virginia 19,800 30.11 1.39 $ 32.52 $ 67,640
North Dakota 11,810 29.89 1.38 $ 34.23 $ 71,200
Delaware 11,760 26.99 1.25 $ 37.39 $ 77,760
Pennsylvania 149,270 26.73 1.24 $ 36.54 $ 76,000


Map of annual mean wages of registered nurses by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Registered Nurses:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 324,400 19.63 0.91 $ 59.62 $ 124,000
Hawaii 11,110 20.26 0.94 $ 51.22 $ 106,530
Oregon 37,780 20.70 0.96 $ 47.42 $ 98,630
District of Columbia 11,540 17.43 0.81 $ 47.38 $ 98,540
Alaska 6,060 20.48 0.95 $ 46.74 $ 97,230



Map of employment of registered nurses by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Registered Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 180,540 20.80 0.96 $ 47.34 $ 98,460
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 113,890 19.91 0.92 $ 55.82 $ 116,110
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 96,750 22.86 1.06 $ 39.09 $ 81,300
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 73,510 27.69 1.28 $ 39.35 $ 81,860
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 66,120 25.58 1.18 $ 48.05 $ 99,950
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 62,840 17.51 0.81 $ 39.55 $ 82,260
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 54,540 18.83 0.87 $ 40.33 $ 83,890
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 53,110 21.66 1.00 $ 35.69 $ 74,220
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 43,810 24.32 1.12 $ 37.11 $ 77,180
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 43,560 14.86 0.69 $ 42.82 $ 89,060


Map of location quotient of registered nurses by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Registered Nurses:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rochester, MN 9,190 79.27 3.66 $ 41.57 $ 86,470
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA 2,600 65.79 3.04 $ 34.47 $ 71,700
Morgantown, WV 3,400 54.55 2.52 $ 32.47 $ 67,540
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 15,230 48.76 2.25 $ 35.10 $ 73,000
Ann Arbor, MI 9,600 47.64 2.20 $ 40.79 $ 84,830
Iowa City, IA 4,120 47.15 2.18 $ 34.16 $ 71,050
Sioux Falls, SD 7,310 46.99 2.17 $ 28.35 $ 58,970
Gainesville, FL 6,010 45.19 2.09 $ 35.57 $ 73,980
Greenville, NC 3,310 43.98 2.03 $ 33.96 $ 70,630
Bismarck, ND 2,810 40.40 1.87 $ 34.01 $ 70,740