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The national median salary for Registered Nurses is $97,552 per year ($46.90/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,330 and $112,362 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $137,467 per year. There are approximately 3,379,720 registered nurses employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.9%
Faster than average
Annual openings
189K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
3.4M
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
9% from new growth91% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
1.9M
$100,210
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
232K
$85,000
Home Health Care Services
NAICS 621600
198K
$84,930
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
173K
$99,350
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
NAICS 623100
142K
$85,510
Wage range across top 5 industries: $84,930 to $100,210 (18% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$33.14
$68,931
P25
$38.62
$80,330
P50MEDIAN
$46.90
$97,552
P75
$54.02
$112,362
P90
$66.09
$137,467
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.8%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rose to 1.47M (+89K) in April with rate at 5.8%. The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average registered nurses salary?
The national median salary for Registered Nurses is $97,552 per year ($46.90/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,330 and $112,362 annually.
How much do top-earning registered nurses make?
The 90th percentile salary for Registered Nurses is $137,467 per year ($66.09/hr). The 75th percentile is $112,362 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for registered nurses?
Entry-level Registered Nurses (10th percentile) earn approximately $68,931 per year ($33.14/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,330 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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