How Much Do Nurses Make In Each State in The USA?

By ShiftMed Team//Nursing Profession
Nurses in the hospital working together

Nursing may be a profession taken for granted in the U.S. (just like teachers), but the numbers speak differently to their value. As a career, there’s a lot of flexibility, stability, and earning potential working as a nurse. 

Nurses make up the country's largest group of healthcare professionals — more than clinical practitioners, technologists, and even administrators. Even so, it’s not enough. The U.S. currently has an increasing shortage of nurses that is expected to grow through 2030.

It’s an opportunistic time to work as a nurse, though consider that nurse salaries can vary significantly depending on what state you’re practicing in and what position you’re working. The data shows which states can be most lucrative to work in as a nurse and which are not.

We have analyzed the following key Nursing Positions and will add to this list over time with the most up-to-date information available. 

The data below is the average of all median salaries for key Nursing positions to get an idea of salaries across all states. 

We have conducted a detailed analysis for each of the nursing positions below, so please click through for more information.

Median Nursing Salary by State

Across the country, it’s estimated that 1.1 million nurses are already needed in 2022 to fill open nursing positions. That number will continue to grow according to job prospect data from the BLS.

For nurses, that means there are plenty of opportunities across the country for available work, giving flexibility to where you want to live. Consider the following data of the highest and lowest paying states for nursing salaries.

A note about our data. We use the median of the data gathered from The BLS at data.bls.gov and other salary data sources such as Salary.com, Indeed.com and Zippia.com. We believe that this is the best average to follow, rather than the mean or mode. The mean will find the average of all salaries in each state; the mode will favor the most frequently reported salaries. However, the median will find the middle. All data in this report will favor the middle salary from all ranges, which means 50% will fall below and 50% will be above the salary data reported below. On another note, we have removed data from Puerto Rico, Guam, and The Virgin Islands from the data we have sourced as we have focused on the 50 US States plus The District Of Colombia.

Registerd Nurse Median Salary

Comparison of salaries against the USA cost of living index.

We have also compared the data against the USA cost of living index on worldpopulationreview.com 

State

costIndex

groceryCost

housingCost

utilitiesCost

transportationCost

miscCost

Hawaii

193.3

152.9

315

164.2

133.7

126.7

New York

148.2

118.4

230.1

99.8

108.7

114.8

California

142.2

113.7

201.9

124.3

131.7

111.3

Massachusetts

135

119.3

177.6

111.1

111.3

116.1

Oregon

130.1

107.8

172.6

90.2

125.9

118.5

Alaska

127.1

134.5

126.9

154.8

109.9

113.7

Maryland

124

110.4

165.9

105.1

107.6

108

Connecticut

121.6

106.4

134.6

132.4

111.1

114.1

Rhode Island

117.2

107.7

121.7

127.6

107.6

118.7

Vermont

117

109.2

136.2

119

114.2

104.1

New Jersey

115.2

107.3

136.6

104.6

105.5

106.6

Maine

115

102.2

136.6

102.3

104.6

108.4

Washington

111.6

108.4

119

90.8

117.4

110.4

New Hampshire

109.9

103.6

108.1

113.6

97.2

110.8

Delaware

107.9

114

103.1

96.5

113

113.7

Nevada

106.3

107

117.9

88.4

119.7

99.3

Colorado

105.3

98.1

116.4

88.4

105.6

107.4

Arizona

103.2

101.5

107.7

104.8

98.8

99.7

Pennsylvania

102.5

107.8

98

109.7

105.6

102.9

Idaho

102.1

93.8

110.4

82.3

111.7

100.9

Virginia

101.8

95.2

111.5

96.7

90.4

100.2

South Dakota

101

102.1

112.8

91.8

89.7

91.1

Montana

100.7

103.4

106.3

88

94.7

98.6

Florida

100.3

105.6

99

105.3

98.8

98.4

Minnesota

100

103.9

90.2

96.5

99.4

108.8

Utah

99

97.3

98.4

90.9

109.9

99.5

North Dakota

98.2

101

95.4

95.2

104.2

96.3

Wisconsin

96.4

99.5

88.4

99.4

99.5

98.9

North Carolina

95.7

97.6

88.6

97.7

92.8

99.2

Illinois

94.3

98.4

86.6

96.5

105.8

96.7

Wyoming

94.3

102.7

81.3

85.2

99.9

105.5

Nebraska

93.7

98.6

86.6

89.3

100.2

96.8

South Carolina

93.6

99.5

79.6

105.2

95.2

99.4

Kentucky

93.1

92.1

79.9

104.7

103

103.7

Louisiana

93

96.8

86

87

96.5

98.4

Texas

92.1

90.8

83.8

103.2

94.1

97

Michigan

91.3

90.1

80.7

99.7

103.2

96.4

Ohio

91.3

99.2

76.5

92

98.6

98.7

New Mexico

91

95.5

84.3

89.6

98.1

91.9

Arkansas

90.9

93.1

79.1

92.3

92.3

97.4

Indiana

90.6

92.7

78.3

99

98.3

95.2

West Virginia

90.5

96.5

78.6

89.4

92.2

102.9

Iowa

89.9

98.4

76

94.9

97.7

93.7

Missouri

89.8

95

80.3

95.4

92.4

95.8

Tennessee

89

94.7

79.3

92.5

88.8

92.9

Georgia

88.8

95.9

74.4

90.5

92.6

96.6

Alabama

87.9

98.2

70.1

100.7

92.7

94.1

Oklahoma

87.9

94.5

74.7

95.1

94.8

93.5

Kansas

86.5

91.7

72.6

100.2

97.3

90.3

Mississippi

83.3

92.2

66.3

90.4

86.7

91.4

High salaries will generally fall in line with the highest cost of living, we have included this information for each state in addition to salary information. 

Top Five Highest Paying States for Nurses

According to data on the median salary for nurses in each state, these are the top five highest-paying states in the country for nurses:

Rank

State

Median Annual Salary

1

California

$84,997

2

Washington

$80,067

3

Oregon

$79,598

4

Alaska

$77,079

5

Connecticut

$76,783

Some interesting notes about the highest paying states for nurses:

  • California not only has the highest earning potential for nurses, but it’s also the state expected to have the highest demand for certain nursing professions by 2030.

  • New York, on the other hand, is expected to be in the bottom five states in terms of nursing demand by 2030.

Five Lowest Paying States for Nurses

According to data on the median salary for nurses in each state, the following five states are the lowest-paying states in the country:

Rank

State

Median Annual Salary

47

South Carolina

$58,357

48

Louisiana

$58,290

49

Tennessee

$57,799

50

Virginia

$57,044

51*

Alabama

$56,489

* List includes the District of Columbia, bringing the total number of entries to 51

Nursing Salaries by State: Highest to Lowest

Nursing salaries can vary greatly depending on what state you’re in, considering that the highest-paying state for nurses in the country has a median average salary that’s over $30,000 more per year than the lowest-paying state.

The list below ranks each state by its median average salary (annual) from highest to lowest. That salary data is a median average of the median incomes of RNs, NPs, CNAs, HHAs, and LPN/LVNs.

For each state, the median average salary of each of those positions is also listed, along with a note if it lands in the top ten highest paying in the country or bottom ten lowest paying.

States in Descending Order of Median Salaries.

1st California

$84,997.78 is the California statewide average median salary of nurses, the country's highest salary. However California is the third highest state in the USA in the cost of living index.

3rd place in the USA Cost of living index: 142.2 

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in California.

  • Registered Nurse: $124,000 (highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $129,477 (highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $37,450 (sixth highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $29,680

  • LPN/LVN: $61,600 (second highest)

2nd Washington

$80,067 is the Washington statewide average median salary of nurses, which makes it the second-highest paying state for nurses in the country. 

13th place in the USA Cost of living index: 111.6

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Washington.

  • Registered Nurse: $96,980 (fifth highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $110,960 (fourth highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $37,140 (seventh highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $36,300 (joint highest with Massachusetts)

  • LPN/LVN: $61,160 (third highest)

3rd Oregon

$79,598 is the Oregon statewide average median salary of nurses, which is the third-highest paying state in the country.

5th place in the USA Cost of living index: 130.1

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Oregon.

  • Registered Nurse: $99,410 (third highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $111,127 (third highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $37,460 (fourth highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $30,060 (seventh highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $60,240 (fourth highest)

4th Alaska

$77,079 is the Alaska statewide average median salary of nurses, which is fourth highest on the list. It is also the second non-contiguous state (along with Hawaii) to offer the top-10 highest nursing salaries in the country. 

6th place in the USA Cost of living index: 127.1

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Alaska.

  • Registered Nurse: $99,110 (fourth highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $125,342 (second highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $41,040 (highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $36,060 (third highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $61,680 (highest)

5th Connecticut

$76,783 is the Connecticut statewide average median salary of nurses. 

8th place in the USA Cost of living index: 121.6

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Connecticut.

  • Registered Nurse: $83,860 (tenth highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $105,897 (tenth highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,770 (tenth highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $29,740 (tenth highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $60,120 (seventh highest)

6th Massachusetts

$75,788 is the Massachusetts statewide average median salary of nurses.

4th place in the USA Cost of living index: 135

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Massachusetts.

  • Registered Nurse: $94,960 (eighth highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $108,982 (sixth highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $37,370 (sixth highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $36,300 (highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $60,190 (sixth highest)

7th New York

$75,587 is the New York statewide average median salary of nurses.

2nd place in the USA Cost of living index: 148.2

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in New York.

  • Registered Nurse: $96,170 (sixth highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $105,390

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $38,130 (second highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $30,300 (sixth highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $50,410

8th New Jersey

$75,395 is the New Jersey statewide average median salary of nurses.

11th place in the USA Cost of living index: 115.2

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in New Jersey.

  • Registered Nurse: $94,690 (ninth highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $107,314 (eighth highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,730

  • Home Health Aide: $29,500

  • LPN/LVN: $60,070 (eighth highest)

9th District of Columbia

$72,408 is the District of Columbia average median salary of nurses.

No data on the Cost of living index: 

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in the District of Columbia.

  • Registered Nurse: $95,220 (seventh highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $99,178

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $37,500 (third highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $31,280 (fourth highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $59,810 (tenth highest)

10th Rhode Island

$72,072 is the Rhode Island statewide average median salary of nurses.

9th place in the USA Cost of living index: 117.2

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Rhode Island.

  • Registered Nurse: $78,900

  • Nurse Practitioner: $101,766

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $37,110 (eighth highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $29,300

  • LPN/LVN: $60,240

11th New Hampshire

$70,314 is the New Hampshire statewide average median salary of nurses. 

14th place in the USA Cost of living index: 109.9

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in New Hampshire.

  • Registered Nurse: $77,230

  • Nurse Practitioner: $99,317

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,770

  • Home Health Aide: $29,370

  • LPN/LVN: $59,380

12th North Dakota

$69,891 is the North Dakota statewide average median salary of nurses. 

27th place in the USA Cost of living index: 98.2

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in North Dakota.

  • Registered Nurse: $73,250

  • Nurse Practitioner: $93,577

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,770

  • Home Health Aide: $30,410 (fifth highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $47,320

13th Minnesota

$69,718 is the Minnesota statewide average median salary of nurses. 

25th place in the USA Cost of living index: 100

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Minnesota.

  • Registered Nurse: $79,100

  • Nurse Practitioner: $97,853

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,770

  • Home Health Aide: $29,320

  • LPN/LVN: $47,970

14th Nevada

$69,611 is the Nevada statewide average median salary of nurses. 

16th place in the USA Cost of living index: 106.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Nevada.

  • Registered Nurse: $79,360

  • Nurse Practitioner: $108,551 (seventh highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,580

  • Home Health Aide: $23,460

  • LPN/LVN: $59,850 (ninth highest)

15th Maryland

$69,379 is the Maryland statewide average median salary of nurses. 

7th place in the USA Cost of living index: 124

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Maryland.

  • Registered Nurse: $78,350

  • Nurse Practitioner: $96,154

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $31,570

  • Home Health Aide: $29,290

  • LPN/LVN: $58,760

16th Michigan

$69,267 is the Michigan statewide average median salary of nurses in. 

37th place in the USA Cost of living index: 91.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Michigan.

  • Registered Nurse: $76,710

  • Nurse Practitioner: $96,385

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $35,580

  • Home Health Aide: $28,150

  • LPN/LVN: $56,310

17th Hawaii

$68,994 is the Hawaii statewide average median salary of nurses.

1st place in the USA Cost of living index: 193.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Hawaii.

  • Registered Nurse: $111,070 (second highest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $98,282

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,990 (ninth highest)

  • Home Health Aide: $29,470

  • LPN/LVN: $51,790

18th Pennsylvania

$68,947 is the Pennsylvania statewide average median salary of nurses. 

19th place in the USA Cost of living index: 102.5

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Pennsylvania.

  • Registered Nurse: $76,940

  • Nurse Practitioner: $88,221

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $35,780

  • Home Health Aide: $28,390

  • LPN/LVN: $48,220

19th Vermont

$68,873 is the Vermont statewide average median salary of nurses. 

10th place in the USA Cost of living index: 117

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Vermont.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,380

  • Nurse Practitioner: $104,520

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,590

  • Home Health Aide: $30,040 (eighth highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $58,810

20th Maine

$67,826 is the Maine statewide average median salary of nurses. 

12th place in the USA Cost of living index: 115

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Maine.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,040

  • Nurse Practitioner: $99,434

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,040

  • Home Health Aide: $29,700

  • LPN/LVN: $47,900

21st Arizona

$67,388 is the Arizona statewide average median salary of nurses. 

18th place in the USA Cost of living index: 103.2

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Arizona.

Registered Nurse: $78,260

  • Nurse Practitioner: $107,054 (ninth highest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,090

  • Home Health Aide: $29,000

  • LPN/LVN: $59,490

22nd Wisconsin

$67,343 is the Wisconsin statewide average median salary of nurses. 

28th place in the USA Cost of living index: 96.4

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Wisconsin.

  • Registered Nurse: $76,560

  • Nurse Practitioner: $96,178

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $34,760

  • Home Health Aide: $28,400

  • LPN/LVN: $47,750

23rd Delaware

$67,080 is the Delaware statewide average median salary of nurses. 

15th place in the USA Cost of living index: 107.9

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Delaware.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,380

  • Nurse Practitioner: $99,196

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $34,970

  • Home Health Aide: $24,420

  • LPN/LVN: $55,290

24th Colorado

$66,904 is the Colorado statewide average median salary of nurses. 

17th place in the USA Cost of living index: 105.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Colorado.

  • Registered Nurse: $78,070

  • Nurse Practitioner: $92,853

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $36,590

  • Home Health Aide: $29,910 (ninth highest)

  • LPN/LVN: $58,810

25th Illinois

$66,509 is the Illinois statewide average median salary of nurses. 

30th place in the USA Cost of living index: 94.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Illinois.

  • Registered Nurse: $77,580

  • Nurse Practitioner: $91,700

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $33,090

  • Home Health Aide: $29,340

  • LPN/LVN: $52,700

26th Utah

$66,147 is the Utah statewide average median salary of nurses. 

26th place in the USA Cost of living index: 99

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Utah.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,000

  • Nurse Practitioner: $92,655

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,690

  • Home Health Aide: $29,110

  • LPN/LVN: $47,940

27th New Mexico

$65,823 is the New Mexico statewide average median salary of nurses. 

39th place in the USA Cost of living index: 91

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in New Mexico.

  • Registered Nurse: $78,340

  • Nurse Practitioner: $109,385

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,600

  • Home Health Aide: $22,970

  • LPN/LVN: $57,490

28th Texas

$64,157 is the Texas statewide average median salary of nurses. 

36th place in the USA Cost of living index: 92.1

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Texas.

  • Registered Nurse: $77,320

  • Nurse Practitioner: $98,902

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,420

  • Home Health Aide: $22,500 (fifth lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $48,520

29th Ohio

$64,145 is the Ohio statewide average median salary of nurses. 

38th place in the USA Cost of living index: 91.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Ohio.

  • Registered Nurse: $74,080

  • Nurse Practitioner: $87,224

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,840

  • Home Health Aide: $24,000

  • LPN/LVN: $47,270

30th Wyoming

$62,866 is the Wyoming statewide average median salary of nurses. 

31st place in the USA Cost of living index: 94.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Wyoming.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,000

  • Nurse Practitioner: $87,714

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $30,410

  • Home Health Aide: $29,250

  • LPN/LVN: $48,030

31st Idaho

$62,811 is the Idaho statewide average median salary of nurses. 

20th place in the USA Cost of living index: 102.1

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Idaho.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,560

  • Nurse Practitioner: $94,410

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,450

  • Home Health Aide: $23,910

  • LPN/LVN: $47,450

32nd Iowa

$62,782 is the Iowa statewide average median salary of nurses. 

43rd place in the USA Cost of living index: 89.9

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Iowa.

  • Registered Nurse: $61,790 (sixth lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $84,827 (tenth lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,990

  • Home Health Aide: $28,900

  • LPN/LVN: $47,000

33rd North Carolina

$62,712 is the North Carolina statewide average median salary of nurses. 

29th place in the USA Cost of living index: 95.7

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in North Carolina.

  • Registered Nurse: $72,220

  • Nurse Practitioner: $87,085

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,230

  • Home Health Aide: $23,150

  • LPN/LVN: $47,340

34th Indiana

$62,347 is the Indiana statewide average median salary of nurses. 

41st place in the USA Cost of living index: 90.6

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Indiana.

  • Registered Nurse: $62,400

  • Nurse Practitioner: $88,861

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,690

  • Home Health Aide: $24,070

  • LPN/LVN: $48,070

35th Montana

$62,307 is the Montana statewide average median salary of nurses. 

23rd place in the USA Cost of living index: 100.7

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Montana.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,000

  • Nurse Practitioner: $94,018

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,690

  • Home Health Aide: $28,760

  • LPN/LVN: $47,000

36th Kentucky

$61,510 is the Kentucky statewide average median salary of nurses. 

34th place in the USA Cost of living index: 93.1

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Kentucky.

  • Registered Nurse: $62,480

  • Nurse Practitioner: $81,578

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,060

  • Home Health Aide: $27,690

  • LPN/LVN: $46,950

37th Georgia

$61,485 is the Georgia statewide average median salary of nurses.

46th place in the USA Cost of living index: 88.8

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Georgia.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,040

  • Nurse Practitioner: $84,661 (ninth lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,560 (fifth lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $23,340

  • LPN/LVN: $46,910

38th Oklahoma

$61,017 is the Oklahoma statewide average median salary of nurses.

48th place in the USA Cost of living index: 87.9

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Oklahoma.

  • Registered Nurse: $62,170 (eighth lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $88,686

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,820 (seventh lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $22,350 (fourth lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $46,910

39th Mississippi

$60,965 is the Mississippi statewide average median salary of nurses.

50th place in the USA Cost of living index: 83.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Mississippi.

  • Registered Nurse: $60,790 (third lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $92,988

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $23,780 (lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $22,350 (fourth lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $38,610 (third lowest)

40th West Virginia

$60,444 is the West Virginia statewide average median salary of nurses.

42nd place in the USA Cost of living index: 90.5

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in West Virginia.

  • Registered Nurse: $62,390 (ninth lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $80,704 (third lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,910 (ninth lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $22,280 (third lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $37,790 (lowest)

41st Missouri

$60,282 is the Missouri statewide average median salary of nurses.

44th place in the USA Cost of living index: 89.8

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Missouri.

  • Registered Nurse: $61,920 (seventh lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $82,627 (seventh lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,680 (sixth lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $23,110 (tenth lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $46,520 (ninth lowest)

42nd Kansas

$59,949 is the Kansas statewide average median salary of nurses, which is the tenth lowest rate in the country. 

49th place in the USA Cost of living index: 86.5

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Kansas.

  • Registered Nurse: $61,790 (fifth lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $83,303 (seventh lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,060

  • Home Health Aide: $23,210

  • LPN/LVN: $46,660 (tenth lowest)

43rd South Dakota

$59,889 is the South Dakota statewide average median salary of nurses, which makes it the ninth-lowest median salary in the nation. 

22nd place in the USA Cost of living index: 101

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in South Dakota.

  • Registered Nurse: $60,550 (lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $85,706

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,970 (tenth lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $28,950

  • LPN/LVN: $38,480 (second lowest)

44th Nebraska

$59,798 is the Nebraska statewide average median salary of nurses, making it the eighth-lowest paying state in the country. 

32nd place in the USA Cost of living index: 93.7

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Nebraska.

  • Registered Nurse: $64,000

  • Nurse Practitioner: $82,423 (sixth lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,960

  • Home Health Aide: $28,840

  • LPN/LVN: $47,140

45th Florida

$59,654 is the Florida statewide average median salary of nurses, making it the seventh-lowest paying state in the country. 

24th place in the USA Cost of living index: 100.3

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Florida.

  • Registered Nurse: $75,000

  • Nurse Practitioner: $87,641

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,070

  • Home Health Aide: $23,910

  • LPN/LVN: $47,000

46th Arkansas

$58,544 is the Arkansas statewide average median salary of nurses, making it the sixth lowest-paying state for nurses. 

40th place in the USA Cost of living index: 90.9

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Arkansas.

  • Registered Nurse: $61,530 (fourth lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $84,830

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,420 (fourth lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $23,540

  • LPN/LVN: $435,180 (fifth lowest)

47th South Carolina

$58,357 is the South Carolina statewide average median salary of nurses, which is the fifth-lowest median salary in the nation. 

33rd place in the USA Cost of living index: 93.6

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in South Carolina.

  • Registered Nurse: $72,650

  • Nurse Practitioner: $80,136 (second lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $28,900 (eighth lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $22,900 (seventh lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $46,820

48th Louisiana

$58,291 is the Louisiana statewide average median salary of nurses, making it the fourth lowest-paying state in the country. 

35th place in the USA Cost of living index: 193

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Louisiana.

  • Registered Nurse: $64,450

  • Nurse Practitioner: $86,963

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $24,220 (second lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $218,210 (lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $46,160 (seventh lowest)

49th Tennessee

$57,799 is the Tennessee statewide average median salary of nurses, making it the third-lowest paying state in the country. 

45th place in the USA Cost of living index: 89

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Tennessee.

  • Registered Nurse: $62,390 (tenth lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $81,801 (fifth lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,130

  • Home Health Aide: $23,370

  • LPN/LVN: $45,970 (sixth lowest)

50th Virginia

$57,044 is the Virginia statewide average median salary of nurses, making it the second-lowest paying state in the country. 

21st place in the USA Cost of living index: 101.8

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Virginia.

  • Registered Nurse: $76,900

  • Nurse Practitioner: $88,016

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $29,690

  • Home Health Aide: $23,010 (ninth lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $47,210

51st Alabama

$56,489 is the Alabama statewide average median salary of nurses, which is the lowest in the United States. 

47th place in the USA Cost of living index: 87.9

The following are the median salaries for specific nursing positions in Alabama.

  • Registered Nurse: $60,510 ( lowest)

  • Nurse Practitioner: $79,818 (lowest)

  • Certified Nursing Assistant: $24,300 (third lowest)

  • Home Health Aide: $21,920 (second lowest)

  • LPN/LVN: $40,120 (fourth lowest)

Comparison of the median average salary and The cost of living index by State 

Please note that this is a snapshot of data based on the nursing positions we have chosen as listed above from the most reliable and most up to date data sources we can find.

Position

State

costIndex

Position

State

Median Avg Nursing Salary

1

Hawaii

193.3

1

California

$84,997.78

2

New York

148.2

2

Washington

$80,067.11

3

California

142.2

3

Oregon

$79,598.00

4

Massachusetts

135

4

Alaska

$77,079.00

5

Oregon

130.1

5

Connecticut

$76,783.89

6

Alaska

127.1

6

Massachusetts

$75,788.44

7

Maryland

124

7

New York

$75,587.89

8

Connecticut

121.6

8

New Jersey

$75,395.67

9

Rhode Island

117.2

9

District of Columbia

$72,408.78

10

Vermont

117

10

Rhode Island

$72,072.78

11

New Jersey

115.2

11

New Hampshire

$70,314.33

12

Maine

115

12

North Dakota

$69,891.22

13

Washington

111.6

13

Minnesota

$69,718.67

14

New Hampshire

109.9

14

Nevada

$69,611.00

15

Delaware

107.9

15

Maryland

$69,379.89

16

Nevada

106.3

16

Michigan

$69,267.89

17

Colorado

105.3

17

Hawaii

$68,994.22

18

Arizona

103.2

18

Pennsylvania

$68,947.00

19

Pennsylvania

102.5

19

Vermont

$68,873.00

20

Idaho

102.1

20

Maine

$67,826.33

21

Virginia

101.8

21

Arizona

$67,388.56

22

South Dakota

101

22

Wisconsin

$67,343.78

23

Montana

100.7

23

Delaware

$67,080.67

24

Florida

100.3

24

Colorado

$66,904.67

25

Minnesota

100

25

Illinois

$66,509.56

26

Utah

99

26

Utah

$66,147.78

27

North Dakota

98.2

27

New Mexico

$65,823.22

28

Wisconsin

96.4

28

Texas

$64,157.00

29

North Carolina

95.7

29

Ohio

$64,145.00

30

Illinois

94.3

30

Wyoming

$62,866.33

31

Wyoming

94.3

31

Idaho

$62,811.56

32

Nebraska

93.7

32

Iowa

$62,781.56

33

South Carolina

93.6

33

North Carolina

$62,711.56

34

Kentucky

93.1

34

Indiana

$62,346.56

35

Louisiana

93

35

Montana

$62,307.22

36

Texas

92.1

36

Kentucky

$61,509.67

37

Michigan

91.3

37

Georgia

$61,484.67

38

Ohio

91.3

38

Oklahoma

$61,016.78

39

New Mexico

91

39

Mississippi

$60,965.22

40

Arkansas

90.9

40

West Virginia

$60,443.89

41

Indiana

90.6

41

Missouri

$60,281.67

42

West Virginia

90.5

42

Kansas

$59,949.00

43

Iowa

89.9

43

South Dakota

$59,887.56

44

Missouri

89.8

44

Nebraska

$59,798.11

45

Tennessee

89

45

Florida

$59,653.67

46

Georgia

88.8

46

Arkansas

$58,544.11

47

Alabama

87.9

47

South Carolina

$58,357.33

48

Oklahoma

87.9

48

Louisiana

$58,290.56

49

Kansas

86.5

49

Tennessee

$57,799.00

50

Mississippi

83.3

50

Virginia

$57,044.25

51

Alabama

$56,489.00