New Graduate Registered Nurse Salary
New grad RN pay is typically much lower than their nurses with even 2 to 3 years of experience on the floors. New grad nurses typically start out in new grad residency programs where they get a raise by the year mark. This pay can sometimes be a few dollars lower per hour than a nurse of two years which can usually be only about $59,000 per year. In the article below we will break the cost down and what the salary could look like a year from graduating.
New Grad RN Salary
New graduate registered nurse pay is typically much lower the very first year until you hit your year mark. Below will be listed general new grad starting salary for a lot of states and you can compare the pay difference to the average nurses salary of each state. The majority of these statistics will be pulled from salary.com since it is a website where new grads can report their income.
California New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $67,763 - $86,353 Hourly: $36.20 - $46.13 | Ohio New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $60,254 - $76,784 Hourly: $32.19 - $41.02 |
Colorado New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $62,068 - $79,096 Hourly: $33.16 - $42.25 | Pennsylvania New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $61,312 - $78,133 Hourly: $32.75 - $41.74 |
Florida New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $58,363 - $74,375 Hourly: $31.18 - $39.73 | Texas New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $60,391 - $76,959 Hourly: $32.26 - $41.11 |
Hawaii New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $64,458 - $82,141 Hourly: $34.43 - $43.88 | Utah New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $58,130 - $74,078 Hourly: $31.07 - $39.57 |
New York New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $72,186 - $91,990 Hourly: $38.56 - $49.14 | Virginia New Grad Pay Range: Yearly: $61,066 - $77,820 Hourly: $32.62 - $41.57 |
The ranges are due to the differences between working in a hospital, outpatient clinic, jail, long-term care, or any other type of facility. Nurse salaries are also different based on years worked with a company or if you are entering a new grad residency program. Typically, new grad residency programs start you off with a low salary but increase your pay significantly by a $3-$5/hour raise as an incentive at the year mark. There are also different factors to take into account for pay. High starting 401k's are great for new grad RNs so they can start their retirement early with a high match. Cheap but high quality medical plans should also be accounted for when looking at nurse pay.
In this article:
Average salary for a RN by state
New Grad Nurse Salary
New grad RN salary by state
Highest paying states for nurses
How Much do Nurses Make?
New grad nurse pay can vary from state to state and years of service. However, it is typical that the West and East coast do pay more for nurses than the Midwest does. The average mean salaries will be compared as well as new grad pay that will be pulled from the average that hospitals are willing to start. The data will be pulled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Below are statistics for all 50 states for non-new grad nurses.
The pay of a registered nurse is affected by specialty, additional education, amount of experience, being able to travel and the ability to wager for better pay. New grad nurse salaries cannot be increased by any of these factors, but putting in your time for a year or so can give you the basic foundation of experience to start building as great nursing resume.
National Average Salary of a Registered Nurse:
The average nursing salary is $42.80 or $89,010 annually for all 50 states in the US. Registered nurse average salary includes nurses of 1 year all the way to nurses of 30+ years of experience. The pay is also very different in rural portions of the country compared to urban areas. Cities have a higher cost of living, and therefore typically pay more money than rural areas. That is why in California the average nurse salary is over 6 figures, but in rural states, the pay average is around 60k per year. This data is not including the salary of nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, or nurse midwives. This also is not including pay for LPNs/LVNs. The data also show no difference in pay from a bachelor's degree versus an associate's degree.
Average Nurse Salary
Alabama Average RN Salary: $32.17 or $66,910 | Montana Average RN Salary: $37.67 or $78,350 |
Alaska Average RN Salary: $49.67 or $103,310 | Nebraska Average RN Salary: $35.34 or $73,510 |
Arizona Average RN Salary: $41.70 or $86,740 | Nevada Average RN Salary: $46.30 or $96,310 |
Arkansas Average RN Salary: $31.98 or $66,530 | New Hampshire Average RN Salary: $40.11 or $83,420 |
California Average RN Salary: $64.10 or $133,340 | New Jersey Average RN Salary: $46.48 or $96,670 |
Colorado Average RN Salary: $41.63 or $86,590 | New Mexico Average RN Salary: $41.15 or $85,580 |
Connecticut Average RN Salary: $45.32 or $94,260 | New York Average RN Salary: $48.14 or $100,130 |
Delaware Average RN Salary: $40.88 or $85,020 | North Carolina Average RN Salary: $37.22 or $77,420 |
Florida Average RN Salary: $38.42 or $79,910 | North Dakota Average RN Salary: $36.06 or $75,000 |
Georgia Average RN Salary: $40.95 or $85,180 | Ohio Average RN Salary: $37.72 or $78,450 |
Hawaii Average RN Salary: $54.43 or $113,220 | Oklahoma Average RN Salary: $36.98 or $76,920 |
Idaho Average RN Salary: $37.79 or $78,610 | Oregon Average RN Salary: $51.26 or $106,610 |
Illinois Average RN Salary: $39.53 or $82,220 | Pennsylvania Average RN Salary: $38.76 or $80,630 |
Indiana Average RN Salary: $36.34 or $75,580 | Rhode Island Average RN Salary: $42.43 or $88,250 |
Iowa Average RN Salary: $33.35 or $69,370 | South Dakota Average RN Salary: $31.01 or $64,500 |
Kansas Average RN Salary: $34.61 or $71,990 | South Carolina Average RN Salary: $35.74 or $74,330 |
Kentucky Average RN Salary: $37.32 or $77,620 | Tennessee Average RN Salary: $34.85 or $72,480 |
Louisiana Average RN Salary: $36.50 or $75,920 | Texas Average RN Salary: $40.54 or $84,320 |
Maine Average RN Salary: $37.22 or $77,410 | Utah Average RN Salary: $36.73 or $76,400 |
Maryland Average RN Salary: $42.20 or $87,990 | Vermont Average RN Salary: $38.46 or $79,990 |
Massachusetts Average RN Salary: $50.07 or $104,150 | Virginia Average RN Salary: $39.36 or $81,860 |
Michigan Average RN Salary: $38.78 or $80,660 | Washington Average RN Salary: $48.88 or $101,670 |
Minnesota Average RN Salary: $42.72 or $88,860 | West Virginia Average RN Salary: $34.73 or $72,230 |
Mississippi Average RN Salary: $32.66 or $67,930 | Wisconsin Average RN Salary: $38.94 or $81,000 |
Missouri Average RN Salary: $34.55 or $71,860 | Wyoming Average RN Salary: $38.95 or $81,010 |
Data Taken From:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Registered Nurses, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm (visited July 31, 2023).
Nurse Yearly Salary by State
Nurse Hourly Pay by State
Top 9 Highest Paying States for Registered Nurses
The highest-paying nursing jobs are usually in metropolitan areas on the west and east coast. The registered nurse's salary is highly affected by the cost of living within the area. This is why the nurse salary in California is substantially higher than the majority of the states. The national average pay for an RN is $89,010 compared to the whopping $133,340 in California. Nursing travel salaries in California are much higher than the core staff, so a travel contract in this state could definitely bring in the money. Expect nursing unions, better 401Ks, larger sign-on bonuses, and more from these hospitals. The best paying states for nurses are:
California at $133,340/year or $64.10/hour
Hawaii at $113,220/year or $54.43/hour
Oregon at $106,610/year or $51.26/hour
Massachusetts at $104,150/year or $50.07/hour
Alaska at $103,310/year or $49.67/hour
Washington at $101,670/year or $48.88/hour
New York at $100,130/year or $48.14/hour
New Jersey at $96,670/year or $46.48/hour
Nevada at $96,310/year or $46.30/hour
Top 9 Lowest Paying States for Registered Nurses
New Grad nurse salaries tend to be lower in states located in the Midwest. The cost of living is substantially lower in rural areas compared to metropolitan areas. A benefit to working in rural areas with a lower pay per hour could be higher sign-on bonuses (which make the rn salary higher in the end). A way to increase your yearly salary could be to take a local travel assignment in the area as travelers make more money than core staff. If you are looking into moving to one of these states, research the cost of living and additional incentives to work such as a great 401k, a lot of PTO, great medical bills, and great access to the life you want to live.
South Dakota at $64,500/year or $31.01/hour
Arkansas at $66,530/year or $31.98/hour
Alabama at $66,910/year or $32.17/hour
Mississippi at $67,930/year or $32.66/hour
Iowa at $69,370/year or $33.35/hour
Missouri at $71,860/year or $34.55/hour
Kansas at $71,990/year or $34.61/hour
West Virginia at $72,230/year or $34.73/hour
Tennesse at $72,480/year or $34.85/hour
How Much Do Nurses Make a Year?
Nurses can make close to their state or national average of a nurse salary which is about $89,010. However, nurses can increase their salary by almost $30,000 per year by picking up one extra shift a week. This is assuming it is only time and a half and the hospital you are working at has no incentive pay. If you work at a hospital or other facility with shift incentives, picking up an extra shift a week could substantially increase your nursing salary. You could see $110,000 to $130,000 in your first year of nursing in a state such as Colorado, where the average pay is about $86,590. If you do not like to work overtime but Desiree a higher nurse salary, I would suggest either travel nursing or going back to school and reaching a higher level of education.
How Much Do Nurses Make a Month?
With the national average salary being about $89,010 that puts the gross monthly income to about $7,417 per month. This number can increase by picking up more shifts which could increase your monthly income to about $8,000 or $9,000 per month depending on the amount of extra overtime shifts you desire to work. If we did the math of picking up one extra shift a week for a year this could be an additional $2500 a month which would equal almost $10,000 a month if your base salary was equal to the national average salary.Commonly Asked Questions About Nursing Pay
How much are shift differentials?
Most nursing shift differentials are either a fixed rate or percentage. Night shift differential pay is around $5/hr and weekends are usually about $2/hr. Some places have a percentage differential instead of a fixed rate which can be about 10-15%.
What are the overtime rates for nurses?
Nurse overtime is usually time and a half. so if you make $30/hr, overtime is $45 an hour.
How much is call pay for a nurse?
Either time and a half or double time for call pay if you get called in. Call pay for staying on call is usually about $2-$5/hr.
How much does a nurse make?
The salary of a nurse is about $89,010 average in the US.
What are the high paying states for nurses?
Hawaii, New York, California, and Oregon.
New grad rn salary california?
New grad rn salary in california is about $67,763 - $86,353 Or $36.20/hr - $46.13/hr
New grad rn salary az?
new grad rn salary in Arizona is about $35/hr
What is a registered nurse starting pay?
Most states pay about $30/hr for a new nurse. The Midwest will pay lower at about $27/hr.
What is the nursing degree salary difference?
There is no difference between the nursing salaries of ADN, BSN, or MSN nurses that work on the floor. BSN vs ADN salary is the same usually.
How much do nurse practitioners make?
The average nurse practitioner salary is about $120,000/year
How much do CRNAs make?
The nurse anesthetist salary is usually over $180,000/year
What is the cost of becoming a nurse?
Nursing education can be anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 depending on if you do a bachelors or associates degree program. There are other factors such as public vs private school and in or out of state status.
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Registered Nurses, at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm (visited July 31, 2023).
