Healthcare · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Registered Nurse (2024)

The median Registered Nurse salary is $208,940 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, San Jose, CA offers the best purchasing power at $106,711 adjusted.

$108,121

National Median

$208,940

Highest City

$81,170

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$208,940	$126,150 – $226,240	195.8	$106,711	21,460
2	San Francisco, CA	$188,020	$120,210 – $221,890	179.6	$104,688	40,750
3	Los Angeles, CA	$133,440	$99,530 – $172,740	166	$80,386	107,340
4	San Diego, CA	$133,090	$103,160 – $174,820	160.2	$83,077	27,660
5	Portland, OR	$127,980	$99,710 – $146,720	130.1	$98,370	24,930
6	Seattle, WA	$118,570	$89,700 – $157,380	149.4	$79,364	37,250
7	New York, NY	$113,490	$83,900 – $154,440	187.2	$60,625	195,470
8	Boston, MA	$102,440	$77,910 – $177,130	152.1	$67,350	66,440
9	Minneapolis, MN	$102,240	$78,120 – $128,690	106.2	$96,271	40,510
10	Washington, DC	$101,800	$79,460 – $129,320	152.8	$66,623	43,640
11	Philadelphia, PA	$99,210	$77,440 – $122,500	118.4	$83,792	74,840
12	Dallas, TX	$98,740	$67,400 – $122,800	104.1	$94,851	72,640
13	Denver, CO	$98,500	$77,210 – $124,200	112.8	$87,323	29,570
14	Phoenix, AZ	$98,160	$71,200 – $124,130	100.7	$97,478	46,330
15	Houston, TX	$97,810	$69,360 – $125,320	96.5	$101,358	65,300
16	Chicago, IL	$96,480	$72,070 – $118,080	107.3	$89,916	100,620
17	Atlanta, GA	$96,370	$69,100 – $129,340	99.2	$97,147	54,370
18	Austin, TX	$94,900	$64,210 – $122,820	103	$92,136	18,420
19	Detroit, MI	$88,980	$72,470 – $111,200	95.1	$93,565	44,280
20	Miami, FL	$85,610	$68,040 – $127,240	123.1	$69,545	59,880
21	Raleigh, NC	$84,870	$67,460 – $107,800	99.8	$85,040	12,820
22	Charlotte, NC	$84,780	$67,140 – $107,280	96.7	$87,673	25,440
23	Tampa, FL	$84,290	$67,960 – $114,960	99.6	$84,629	35,050
24	Salt Lake City, UT	$83,140	$70,680 – $114,340	101.4	$81,992	13,680
25	Nashville, TN	$81,170	$64,360 – $108,530	100.3	$80,927	24,460

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Registered Nurse paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	San Jose, CA	$106,711	$208,940	195.8
2	San Francisco, CA	$104,688	$188,020	179.6
3	Houston, TX	$101,358	$97,810	96.5
4	Portland, OR	$98,370	$127,980	130.1
5	Phoenix, AZ	$97,478	$98,160	100.7
6	Atlanta, GA	$97,147	$96,370	99.2
7	Minneapolis, MN	$96,271	$102,240	106.2
8	Dallas, TX	$94,851	$98,740	104.1
9	Detroit, MI	$93,565	$88,980	95.1
10	Austin, TX	$92,136	$94,900	103
11	Chicago, IL	$89,916	$96,480	107.3
12	Charlotte, NC	$87,673	$84,780	96.7
13	Denver, CO	$87,323	$98,500	112.8
14	Raleigh, NC	$85,040	$84,870	99.8
15	Tampa, FL	$84,629	$84,290	99.6
16	Philadelphia, PA	$83,792	$99,210	118.4
17	San Diego, CA	$83,077	$133,090	160.2
18	Salt Lake City, UT	$81,992	$83,140	101.4
19	Nashville, TN	$80,927	$81,170	100.3
20	Los Angeles, CA	$80,386	$133,440	166
21	Seattle, WA	$79,364	$118,570	149.4
22	Miami, FL	$69,545	$85,610	123.1
23	Boston, MA	$67,350	$102,440	152.1
24	Washington, DC	$66,623	$101,800	152.8
25	New York, NY	$60,625	$113,490	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Registered Nurse salary at $208,940. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, San Jose, CA offers the most purchasing power at $106,711 adjusted.

The national median Registered Nurse salary is $108,121 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $81,170 to $208,940 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.