Best States for RN Salary
50 states ranked by highest-paying states for RN licensing, updated for 2026.
#1
California
$133K
California ranks #1 for highest-paying states among all states for RN licensing.
View California RN requirements →Full Rankings
| # | State | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | $133K |
| 2 | Hawaii (HI) | $113K |
| 3 | Washington (WA) | $107K |
| 4 | Oregon (OR) | $107K |
| 5 | Massachusetts (MA) | $105K |
| 6 | Alaska (AK) | $103K |
| 7 | New York (NY) | $101K |
| 8 | New Jersey (NJ) | $97K |
| 9 | Nevada (NV) | $96K |
| 10 | Connecticut (CT) | $95K |
| 11 | Minnesota (MN) | $90K |
| 12 | Rhode Island (RI) | $90K |
| 13 | Maryland (MD) | $88K |
| 14 | Arizona (AZ) | $88K |
| 15 | Colorado (CO) | $87K |
| 16 | Texas (TX) | $86K |
| 17 | New Hampshire (NH) | $83K |
| 18 | Virginia (VA) | $83K |
| 19 | New Mexico (NM) | $82K |
| 20 | Illinois (IL) | $82K |
| 21 | Delaware (DE) | $82K |
| 22 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $81K |
| 23 | Wisconsin (WI) | $79K |
| 24 | Michigan (MI) | $79K |
| 25 | Vermont (VT) | $79K |
| 26 | Georgia (GA) | $79K |
| 27 | Florida (FL) | $78K |
| 28 | Maine (ME) | $77K |
| 29 | Montana (MT) | $77K |
| 30 | Utah (UT) | $76K |
| 31 | Idaho (ID) | $76K |
| 32 | North Carolina (NC) | $76K |
| 33 | Ohio (OH) | $75K |
| 34 | South Carolina (SC) | $74K |
| 35 | Wyoming (WY) | $73K |
| 36 | North Dakota (ND) | $72K |
| 37 | Indiana (IN) | $72K |
| 38 | Missouri (MO) | $71K |
| 39 | Nebraska (NE) | $71K |
| 40 | Oklahoma (OK) | $70K |
| 41 | Tennessee (TN) | $70K |
| 42 | Kentucky (KY) | $70K |
| 43 | Kansas (KS) | $70K |
| 44 | Louisiana (LA) | $70K |
| 45 | West Virginia (WV) | $68K |
| 46 | Arkansas (AR) | $67K |
| 47 | Iowa (IA) | $67K |
| 48 | South Dakota (SD) | $65K |
| 49 | Mississippi (MS) | $64K |
| 50 | Alabama (AL) | $64K |
Methodology
Rankings are based on official state licensing data collected from state nursing boards. Salary data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data is verified regularly and updated for 2026.
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