Nurse pay in the United States is high by national standards but flat in 2026. The median registered nurse (RN) earned $97,550 a year in May 2025, and a Medscape survey found RN compensation held at $99,000, the first stall in five years. This article covers the numbers by license, the reasons pay stopped rising, and the factors that move an individual paycheck.
TL;DR
- RN median pay: $97,550 per year ($46.90 per hour), May 2025, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- Medscape reports RN total compensation flat at $99,000 and LPN compensation flat at $62,000 in 2026.
- Advanced practice nurses have the highest median: $134,920.
- BLS figures exclude overtime, shift differentials and on-call pay, so real earnings can run higher.
- Location, setting, shift and benefits move pay more than the national median does.
Table of Contents
- The 2026 numbers by license
- Why 2026 is a flat year
- What BLS figures leave out
- What moves an individual nurse's pay
- Is the demand still there?
- How nurse pay compares with other roles
- Pay is not the only reason nurses leave
- A checklist before you negotiate or move
- Our perspective
- Find roles and hire nurses on ConnectedMedics
- FAQ
- Sources
The 2026 numbers by license
Two kinds of figures circulate. BLS publishes wages from its employer survey. Medscape publishes self-reported total compensation. They differ in method, so they do not match.
| Role | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse, median | $97,550 per year, $46.90 per hour | BLS |
| Registered nurse, mean | $101,420 per year | BLS data via Sigma Nursing |
| RN, lowest 10 percent | Under $68,940 | BLS |
| RN, highest 10 percent | Over $137,470 | BLS |
| LPN/LVN, median | $64,400 per year, $30.96 per hour | BLS |
| Nurse anesthetists, midwives, nurse practitioners, median | $134,920 per year, $64.87 per hour | BLS |
| RN total compensation, Medscape 2026 | $99,000 | Becker's ASC |
| LPN total compensation, Medscape 2026 | $62,000 | Becker's ASC |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile for RNs is nearly $70,000. That spread is the real story. A national median says little about what one nurse in one hospital will be offered.
Why 2026 is a flat year
For five years RN pay rose. In 2026, Medscape's RN/LPN compensation report showed no measurable growth. About 8 in 10 RNs and LPNs reported static pay or raises of 10% or less.
The same coverage notes that physician compensation rose by roughly 3% in the same period. Nursing is the outlier among clinical roles. Our own reporting on the physician side is in U.S. physician compensation trends, including signing bonus movement.
The flat headline hides targeted raises. A December 2025 SullivanCotter nursing compensation survey describes hospitals and health systems making targeted investments in base pay and weighing geographic pay differences. Employers are raising pay where they struggle to hire, not across the board.
Real gains versus nominal gains
A pay bump is not always a gain. A 2026 State of Nursing Survey summary in the search results reports that 55% of nurses received a pay increase this year, while prices rose far faster over a decade than pay did in real terms. Treat a raise as meaningful only when it beats local cost increases, especially rent.
What BLS figures leave out
Official BLS wage statistics reflect straight-time gross pay only. They exclude:
- Overtime
- Shift differentials
- Weekend premiums
- On-call pay
For many bedside nurses, those extras are a large part of take-home pay. Two nurses with the same base rate can earn very different annual totals depending on how many nights, weekends and extra shifts they work.
This matters when you compare offers. Ask for the base rate and the differential schedule separately. Then compare the total on a realistic schedule, not the posted hourly figure alone.
What moves an individual nurse's pay
Location and setting
Pay varies sharply by state, and the BLS state tables are the place to check a specific market. California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington sit at the top of the range. The lower end is concentrated in several Southern states. Raw state wages are not adjusted for living costs, so a high-paying state does not automatically mean more spending power.
Setting matters too. Hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, home health and long-term care each pay differently. Rural areas deserve a look: analysts note that rural areas face significantly higher projected nurse shortages than metropolitan areas, which can give nurses willing to relocate negotiating leverage.
Education and license level
The RN entry requirement is typically a bachelor's degree per BLS. LPN/LVN roles require a postsecondary nondegree award. Median pay for LPNs is $64,400 against $97,550 for RNs. Advanced practice roles, which generally require a master's degree, reach $134,920.
An RN considering that step can read why nurses pursue advanced practice roles. For a specific example of a specialty expanding in scope, see the neonatal nurse practitioner role.
Benefits count as pay
Experts emphasize that salary should not be viewed in isolation. Compensation packages increasingly include health insurance, tuition reimbursement and flexible scheduling to offset stagnant base pay. If base pay is flat, these are the lines worth negotiating.
Is the demand still there?
Yes. BLS projects healthcare occupations will grow much faster than average from 2025 to 2035, with about 1.9 million openings per year across the group.
Read that number with care. Openings include replacement needs such as retirements and career changes, not only new jobs. A nurse who moves between hospitals does not create a net new opening. Demand is real, but it does not translate into automatic pay growth.
For the wider picture, see our look at global healthcare jobs and the vacancy shortfall and how to track healthcare workforce trends.
How nurse pay compares with other roles
Nurses are not the only clinical staff whose pay has been studied closely. Support and assistant roles follow their own pay structures. In Austria, for example, medical practice assistant pay follows a collective agreement table, which is laid out in a guide to medical assistant pay in Austria. The comparison shows how much fixed pay scales differ from the US, where wages are set employer by employer and negotiated.
Within the US, the ladder is simple. LPN median pay is $64,400. RN median pay is $97,550. Advanced practice is $134,920. Physicians sit above that, and their compensation is rising while nursing pay has stalled.
Pay is not the only reason nurses leave
Nurses frequently report that salary is only one part of retention. Feeling undervalued, excessive workload and emotional exhaustion are primary drivers of turnover, often outweighing base pay in decisions to leave.
That changes how to read a job offer. A higher hourly rate at a unit with unsafe staffing may cost more than it pays. Ask about nurse-to-patient ratios, turnover on the unit, and how scheduling works before accepting.
A checklist before you negotiate or move
- Find the BLS median and percentile range for your state and your license.
- Ask the employer for base rate, shift differentials, overtime rules and on-call pay in writing.
- Price the benefits: insurance premiums, tuition reimbursement, retirement match, paid time off.
- Compare the cost of living in the new area, not only the wage.
- Ask about unit staffing and turnover.
- Check whether a certification or advanced degree changes the pay band.
Our perspective
We built ConnectedMedics around a simple observation: generic networks and job boards do not show nurses what matters. A posted rate without the shift structure, specialty or location context is hard to use.
In 2026 that gap matters more. When base pay is flat, the differences between employers show up in the details: differentials, scheduling, tuition support and specialty. A nurse comparing roles needs those details beside verified employer information.
We also see pay as one signal among several. The data points to workload and feeling valued as major reasons nurses leave. Our view is that a nurse should compare roles on total pay, schedule and support together, and should use specialty peers to check what is realistic. For more on pay across professions, see our healthcare salary trends overview and the healthcare jobs and careers growth guide.
— David
Find roles and hire nurses on ConnectedMedics
ConnectedMedics is a healthcare-only network with verified profiles, a jobs board with specialty filters and peer discussion. Nurses can browse vacancies and join specialty communities from the ConnectedMedics homepage.
Employers can post jobs and reach verified clinicians through the employer plans. The Growth plan costs 99 GBP per month. Free and Enterprise plans are also listed. Nurse leaders working on vacancies can read the nurse recruitment playbook, and teams planning spend can see the recruiting budget benchmarks.
FAQ
What is the average nurse salary in 2026?
BLS reports a median of $97,550 per year for RNs and a mean of $101,420, based on May 2025 data. Medscape's 2026 survey puts total RN compensation at $99,000. LPNs have a BLS median of $64,400.
Are nurse salaries going up in 2026?
Not much on average. Medscape found RN and LPN compensation had no measurable growth in 2026, the first time in five years. Some employers still raise pay in targeted roles and regions.
Which nurses earn the most?
Advanced practice nurses. Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners had a BLS median of $134,920 in May 2025. These roles generally require a master's degree.
Is nursing a good career in 2026?
Demand is strong, with healthcare occupations projected to grow much faster than average through 2035. Pay is solid but flat this year, and burnout and workload affect retention. Weigh pay against the work setting before deciding.
Sources
- Registered Nurses, Occupational Outlook Handbook (BLS)
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (BLS)
- Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners (BLS)
- Healthcare Occupations (BLS)
- RN pay growth stalls for the first time in 5 years (Becker's ASC)
- Registered Nurse Salary: How Pay Varies by Setting, State, and Role (Sigma Nursing)
- 2025-2026 Trends Survey (American Nurse)
- 2025 Nursing Compensation Data (SullivanCotter)
- Ordinationsassistentin Gehalt 2026 (MediClass)