What Kind of Salary do Nurses Make Across the US?

Nursing is one of the most in-demand jobs in the US right now, and many people are thinking about moving from their desk job to the nursing profession. If you are considering switching to this industry, which allows you to help people and enjoy improved future job prospects, you need to be aware of the salary that you could make

HealthStubs will help you find out more about the salaries that nurses make all across the US. Moving into a new field armed with knowledge about your future prospects matters. This data will help you to understand what your job experience will look like as a nurse so that you are prepared to change course and enter this rewarding profession.

Do Different Nurses Make Different Salaries?

Yes, there are many kinds of nurse jobs, and the specialized training for certain nursing fields increases the earning potential for these jobs. CRNAs, for example, are often the highest paid nurses, earning an annual average of $263,960 according to nursingeducation.org.

One of the nicest parts about selecting nursing as your field of study and your career, is that you can specialize in any direction that you want to focus on. While this increases your earning potential, it also helps prevent burnout and allows nurses to come to work energized to help patients and make the world a better place.

Nursing in all of its various incarnations allows people to make a difference in the lives of patients all across the US. Being able to earn a comfortable salary is just one of the many perks of choosing this profession.

What Salaries Are Nurses Making Across the US?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses make an average salary of $93,600 per year across the US. There are currently in excess of three million nursing jobs available in the US, which is incredibly positive if you are looking for a job where you will be in high demand at all times.

The nursing profession is growing at double the rate of many other comparable salaried positions, which makes this a very enticing option for those who are trying to keep pace with the rapidly shifting employment reality of most other professions.

Nursing jobs can vary when it comes to income due to specialization, but also due to the location where you seek employment. You will find that business support services jobs and hospital jobs often pay the best for the same jobs in clinics and other medical facilities. Specialty clinics might also pay far more for your skills than a general hospital system will. Choosing the location where you work is just as important as choosing the right area of expertise when it comes to moving into the nursing field.

According to nursingeducation.org, this is the average salary of nurses in various states around the US:

California	$137,690
New York	$106,620
Arizona	$91,430
Pennsylvania	$87,530
Montana	$82,950
South Dakota	$69,030

Always be sure to find out the cost of living in any state that you are thinking of relocating to before you compare the salary of a potential job to the salary that could be earned in another location. Often, the cost of living directly impacts the salaries that are offered by businesses, which means that even if the wages sound low in a place like South Dakota, they are likely commensurate with the cost of living in this state.

Image source

Which States Pay the Highest Wages for Nursing Jobs?

California is often the best bet when it comes to higher-than-average wages for nursing of all kinds. However, the cost of living is quite high in many areas of California, so you will need to make sure that you look at this factor before moving to California to start a nursing career. In some areas, you might be able to live away from the city center to make your salary stretch further, but then you need to consider commuting costs and time as well.

The states with the lowest average pay each year are Alabama, Arkansas, and South Dakota, but as mentioned above, the cost of living is much lower in these areas. As a rule, metropolitan areas will pay more for nursing jobs than rural areas, but the tempo of working life in these places is far different from that in smaller cities.

The cost of living index score can tell you a lot about what to expect when you move to a state and a city, and you might want to compare this information with the salary that you are expected to receive for your nursing job before you accept the position. There are other perks to living in a big city, and you might be drawn to these factors far more than the other possible downsides of living in a large city.

Nurses are needed in nearly every city across the US each year. You should have no trouble finding the right job for your specific needs and goals once you have finished your education and joined the workforce. Many employers also help compensate for the cost of continuing education, which can make it easy to progress in your career without having to get student loans.

Nursing is a Field That is Highly Rewarding and Always in Demand

If you have ever wanted to work in a field where your efforts make a big impact each and every day, nursing is probably the perfect choice for you. There are so many reasons that nursing is a great choice for a career, from demand across every part of the industry to chances for advancement and the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

Whether you specialize or not as you pursue your nursing career, you will be able to make a good living and you will have your choice of which state to live in due to the high demand for people with nursing training. There are few professions that offer this many perks, which might make nursing the perfect profession for you!

Image source