How Much Do Registered Nurses Make?

Posted by Peter

Most registered nurses (RNs) earn between $47,700 and $69,800 annually, with the highest-paid nurses earning a national average of over $83,400.

Mean Annual Registered Nurse Salaries by Industry, 2007:

Industry

Salary
Employment services
$67,570
General medical and surgical hospitals
$63,820
Home health care services
$59,140
Offices of physicians
$61,740
Nursing care facilities
$56,410

(Figures courtesy of the US Labor Bureau)

Nursing is one of the most popular professions in the United States, and one of the most in-demand, with over 2.5 million positions occupied.

Around 60% of registered nurses are employed in hospitals, with the remainder working in physicians' offices, nursing homes, outpatient care centers and other health care facilities. The number of nursing positions is expected to grow rapidly, increasing by over 20% by the year 2016, due to technological advances, an increased focus on preventive care and the growth and aging of the population.

Click to see a registered nurse job description, or see other nurse salaries.

 

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Comments

  1. Posted by levi on 1/7/09

    yes.. i am a 22 year old male who is thinkin about goin into the medical field do you think this would be a smart move?

  2. Posted by amanda on 27/7/09

    hi i am a 22 year old female who just grad with my a.a. in gen studies idk what to get my ba in, i was going to go for psychology but times are tough and working in medical settings, are where you are possibly always going to have a job

  3. Posted by martin on 17/8/09

    I highly recommend getting an RN degree.I doubled my income doing so.I had a general studies degree and it was useless to make me any money. I couldn’t make more than 10-12 bucks an hr but as a nurse I never made less than $22 an hr and currently make about $27 with additional. I do have to fight physically with teenagers in a mental hospital but no one said it was easy being a nurse benefits

  4. Posted by dontoria on 26/8/09

    i am 15 years old and i want to be a nurse do you thank this should be good for my career.

  5. Posted by Amy on 12/10/09

    i am 16, trying to figure out what i want to do as a career and i think i would like being a RN. But i dont really know all about Rn’s and what they can do or if they have different options. What college courses are needed to become a RN? How much does a RN make an hour?

  6. Posted by kimberly gloria on 4/11/09

    Im thinking about being an rn when I grow up

  7. Posted by danielle griffin on 5/12/09

    i am a very independent teen.and i hope to be graduating in 2013.i come from a family of education and over coming adversity.i reaaly put my interest in nursing because,i see friend and people around me with no insurance or not enough money to covered there health bills. i would like to achieve in this field and branch off later in life and help others that is less fortunate. my main focus is to help children of america.why?because they are the ones who dont know why they are suffering with various sickness and disease.and parent are mostly the reason and not responsible enough to fing a way.and with that being said.i would like to know more and be educated on what i would need to do to pursue such dream.15yrs.

  8. Posted by Mariah Harris on 8/12/09

    im a 18 yr old female who is interested in becoming an obgyn. my question is will being a RN help me persue my dream into becoming an OBGYN

  9. Posted by Ebonie on 24/1/10

    Hello im was wanting to go to college to become a Rn but many people tell me that all i have to do is get my assocats degree and take a test by the state and thats it i was wondering is that really all or is there more to it

  10. Posted by natasha on 7/2/10

    hey i am 16 and i want to be an RN nurse but my bio and chemistry grades are like high sixties to mid 70s should i still stick to nursing

  11. Posted by Chris on 8/2/10

    RN salaries can also vary through a variety of other factors such as your experience, your education and the state in which you work. Take a look at the article below as it provides more detail into how these factors can affect salary levels:

    http://careernumbers.com/nurses/nurses-resources/how-much-do-nurses-make

    Ebonie – As far as considering a college for an RN degree, interestingly enough a few online universities (including University of Phoenix.) have shown great performance in terms salary averages of their RN alumni.

  12. Posted by BowRN on 3/3/10

    I am RN and I have RN licenses in both California and Ohio. I’ve been trying to get a job for 3 months. 100 jobs applied, 3 interviews, 0 offer.

    I have BSN degree and 2 years experience from foreign country. I am bilingual and have BLS certification.

    It is hard to get an RN job if you don’t have a connection.

  13. Posted by rosy on 16/3/10

    im a high shool sudent. and im planning to work in the medical field, but i have a doubt about being a RN cause i want to be able to find a job right after i graduate. And life seems to complicate in many ways, such as in the job outlook and family.

  14. Posted by Kim on 17/3/10

    I am planning on starting the nursing program for an Associates Degree to be an RN I wabt to work in Labor and Delivery

  15. Posted by steph on 19/4/10

    Good Luck all you new grads and soon to be grads, California is one tough cookie for a new grad right now. From experience, all i can say is try to get your foot in the door at a hospital as soon as you can so that you’re chances of being hired will increase.