Nursing offers many different career paths, from operating rooms and emergency departments to intensive care, outpatient clinics, schools, and advanced practice nursing. But how much do nurses make, and which nursing jobs pay the most? In the United States, registered nurses earn an average annual wage of about $101,420, according to the latest May 2025 wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Actual nurse salaries vary substantially depending on specialty, experience, location, employer, shift schedule, certifications, and education.
Average registered nurse salary: about $101,420 per year
Average RN hourly wage: about $48.76 per hour
2024 median RN salary: $93,600 per year
Highest-paying state for RNs in May 2025: California, with an average salary of $150,280.
These national averages include many different types of registered nurses. Specialized nurses, experienced nurses, nurses working overtime or night shifts, and advanced practice nurses may earn considerably more.
Nurses provide direct patient care, monitor patients’ health, administer medications and treatments, coordinate with physicians and other healthcare professionals, educate patients and families, and respond when a patient’s condition changes. However, the actual job can look completely different depending on the nursing specialty.
A nurse working in an operating room may spend the day assisting with surgeries and maintaining a sterile environment, while an ICU nurse may continuously monitor critically ill patients. An emergency room nurse may have only minutes to assess a patient and determine what care is needed. That variety is one reason nursing can offer so many different career paths within a single profession.
Registered nurses make up one of the largest healthcare professions in the United States.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported approximately 3.38 million registered nurse jobs in May 2025, with an average wage of approximately $101,420 per year. An RN’s salary can vary significantly based on specialization and workplace. Common RN specialties include:
Operating room nurses, often called OR nurses or preoperative nurses, care for patients before, during, and after surgery. Their work may include preparing the operating room, maintaining sterile conditions, assisting the surgical team, monitoring the patient, handling instruments, and making sure safety procedures are followed.
Because operating-room nursing requires specialized clinical knowledge and the ability to work under pressure, experienced OR nurses may command higher salaries than general nursing positions.
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Listen to what an OR nurse does →
An intensive care unit nurse, or ICU nurse, works with patients who are seriously ill or medically unstable. ICU nurses frequently manage sophisticated monitoring equipment, administer complex medications, monitor ventilators, track rapidly changing vital signs, and communicate closely with physicians and families. The job requires strong clinical judgment and an ability to make decisions quickly.
ICU nurses may also receive additional compensation for specialized skills, night shifts, weekends, overtime, or critical-care certifications.
Emergency room nurses work in one of the fastest-paced environments in healthcare. An ER nurse may treat patients experiencing:
Unlike nurses working with scheduled patients, emergency nurses often have very little information when a patient first arrives.They must quickly evaluate symptoms, establish priorities, administer treatment, and respond when a patient’s condition changes.
Listen to what emergency room nurses do →
Travel nurses take temporary nursing assignments at hospitals and healthcare organizations that need additional staff. Assignments commonly last several weeks or months. Compensation may include:
Travel nursing compensation can sometimes exceed permanent staff nursing pay, particularly when hospitals urgently need nurses with specific specialties. However, contracts and compensation vary considerably.
Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who have completed graduate-level nursing education. Depending on state law and their specialty, nurse practitioners may diagnose illnesses, order tests, prescribe medications, and manage patient treatment.
The BLS reported a 2024 median salary of $129,210 for nurse practitioners. Employment for nurse practitioners is also projected to grow 40% between 2024 and 2034, far faster than the average occupation.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, commonly called CRNAs, are among the highest-paid nursing professionals. They administer anesthesia and care for patients before, during, and after surgical and medical procedures.
The BLS reported a median annual salary of $223,210 for nurse anesthetists in 2024.
Becoming a CRNA requires substantially more education and clinical experience than becoming a registered nurse. Prospective nurse anesthetists must also have critical-care nursing experience before entering an accredited nurse anesthesia program.
Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Median salary: approximately $223,210
Nurse Practitioner
Median salary: approximately $129,210
Nurse Midwife
Median salary: approximately $128,790
These figures are based on 2024 BLS median wage data for advanced practice registered nurses. Specialized registered nurses, including ICU, operating room, emergency, cardiac, oncology, and travel nurses, may also earn well above typical RN salaries depending on location, experience, employer, and overtime.
Geography can have a major impact on nurse salaries. According to May 2025 BLS data, average registered nurse wages ranged from approximately $77,000 in lower-paying states to $150,280 in California.Higher salaries are frequently found in states and metropolitan areas with higher living costs and greater competition for experienced healthcare professionals.
A higher salary does not necessarily mean greater purchasing power, so nurses comparing locations should consider housing costs, taxes, transportation, benefits, and overtime opportunities as well.
Critical-care, surgical, emergency, anesthesia, and advanced-practice roles often require additional expertise and may offer greater earning potential.
Experienced nurses generally have access to higher-paying positions, supervisory responsibilities, and specialized roles.
Nurse salaries differ dramatically between states and cities.
Hospitals may offer shift differentials for nights, weekends, holidays, or difficult-to-fill schedules.
Some nurses substantially increase their annual income through overtime.
Specialty certifications may help nurses qualify for more advanced positions or higher compensation.
An associate degree can lead to becoming an RN, but bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral nursing degrees can open additional career paths.
There are several educational paths into registered nursing. Common routes include:
Usually a two-year nursing program.
Typically a four-year college degree.
Designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another subject.
After completing an approved nursing program, aspiring registered nurses must pass the NCLEX-RN licensing examination and meet their state’s nursing licensing requirements. Some hospitals increasingly prefer or require bachelor’s-prepared nurses for particular positions.
For people who want a healthcare career involving direct patient care, nursing offers unusually broad career mobility. A nurse can potentially move from bedside nursing into areas such as:
Registered nurse employment is projected to grow 5% from 2024 through 2034, with approximately 189,100 openings each year on average. Advanced practice nursing is growing even faster. Employment of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners is projected to increase 35% from 2024 through 2034.
Yes. Six-figure earnings are realistic in nursing, although they are not guaranteed.
The latest BLS wage data show that the average U.S. registered nurse already earns slightly more than $100,000 annually, although salaries vary substantially by location. Experienced nurses working in high-paying markets, critical-care specialties, overtime positions, travel contracts, or advanced practice roles may earn considerably more.
How much does a nurse make a year?
Registered nurses earn approximately $101,420 per year on average in the United States, based on May 2025 BLS wage data.
How much do nurses make per hour?
The national average wage for registered nurses was approximately $48.76 per hour in May 2025.
Can nurses make $100,000 a year?
Yes. Many registered nurses earn $100,000 or more, particularly in higher-paying states, specialized hospital roles, overtime positions, and advanced practice nursing.
Which type of nurse makes the most money?
Nurse anesthetists are among the highest-paid nursing professionals. Their median annual wage was $223,210 in May 2024.
Do ICU nurses make more money?
ICU nurses may earn more than general staff nurses because critical-care nursing requires specialized skills. Actual pay depends on the hospital, experience, location, certifications, schedule, and overtime.
Do operating room nurses make good money?
Operating room nurses can earn strong salaries, particularly after gaining perioperative experience. Pay varies by location, employer, experience, call schedules, overtime, and specialty.
Do ER nurses make more than regular nurses?
Emergency nurses may receive additional compensation for experience, certifications, night shifts, weekends, overtime, or working in hospitals where emergency nurses are difficult to recruit.
What state pays nurses the most?
According to May 2025 BLS wage data, California had the highest average registered nurse salary at $150,280 per year.
Do you need a four-year degree to become a nurse?
Not necessarily. An associate degree in nursing can qualify graduates to pursue RN licensure, although many employers prefer nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Salary statistics tell you what nurses can earn. They don’t tell you what spending a 12-hour shift in an operating room, ICU, or emergency department actually feels like.
On How Much Can I Make?, nurses explain the profession in their own words, including what the work is like, how they entered the field, the difficult parts of the job, and what people considering nursing should know.
