Registered Nurse (RN) Salary Report 2023

RN Salary Report 2023

We’re back with another Registered Nurse Salary Report blog for 2023! Medscape recently released their 2023 RN salary report outlining the results of their online surveys. The RN methodology report was a 7 – 9-minute online survey with a screening requirement of being a U.S. practicing RN. The sample size from the RN survey was 3,076 RNs. Check out some of the salary results below!

Registered Nurse Compensation:

Below is the breakdown by specialty from Medscape’s results including both gross income and income after taxes.

• • Base: $85,000
  • Total Compensation: $89,000

With these results, we can conclude that the average salary (before taxes) for Registered Nurses is around $89,000 and after taxes is an average of $85,000. Since our last post regarding the RN Salary Report in 2015, the average salary of RNs have raised by $10,000.

Pay Differences Between Male and Female Registered Nurses:

• RN Females vs Males
  • Female: $88,000
  • Male: $99,000

Unfortunately, even in 2023, there is still a gender pay gap in nursing careers. Males generally will get paid more for the same position and responsibilities, even if the education levels and skills are the same. According to Medscape’s results, male RNs make $11,000 more than female RNs. To this day females still dominate the healthcare industry, although males now make up about 12% of the industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of men in nursing has grown by 59% over the last decade.

Which Regions do RNs Make the Most?

• RN Salary by region
  • Pacific: $110,000
  • New England: $95,000
  • Mid-Atlantic: $93,000
  • Mountain: $89,000
  • East North Central: $85,000
  • West South Central: $85,000
  • South Atlantic: $80,000
  • West North Central: $79,000
  • East South Central: $77,000

As you can see, the Pacific region has the highest paying salaries. East South Central ranks the lowest paying regions for RNs. The difference in pay from the pacific region as an RN to the East South Central region is a whopping $33,000.

Registered Nurse Salary by Community Type:

• RN Salary by community type
  • Urban: $93,000
  • Suburban: $91,000
  • Rural: $77,000

According to these results, the best community to work in is in an Urban community. Working in a rural community as an RN, you will see a lower salary rate. As an RN, you can see a $16,000 increase in salary from working in a rural community to working in an Urban community.

Which Work Setting Do RNs Make the Most?

• RN Salary per setting
  • Hospital-inpatient care: $93,000
  • Hospital-based outpatient setting or clinic: $86,000
  • Public/community health settings: $76,000
  • Non-hospital-based medical office/urgent care clinic: $81,000
  • School/college health services: $68,000

The work setting that pays the most as an RN is a hospital-inpatient care setting. As an RN, you can increase your salary by $25,000 if you change your work setting from a school or college health service to a hospital-inpatient care setting. Depending on the setting you are working in as a Registered Nurse, the salary can range from $68,000 a year to $93,000 a year.

Registered Nurse Compensation by Degree:

• Masters Degree: $100,000
• Bachelor’s Degree: $88,000
• Associate degree: $82,000

When it comes to RNs compensation, those with a masters degree will make the highest salary and those with an associates degree will make the lowest salary. The difference in salaries between having an associates degree or a masters degree is around $18,000. Just like many other industries and professions, the more schooling you receive, the higher your salary will be.

Do RNs Make More in a Non-Union or Union Setting?

• RN Union vs non-union earnings
  • Union: $97,000
  • Non-union: $87,000

As you can see, being in a union you can expect to make more money. RNs that work for a union can see $10,000 more than working in a non-union setting. Nurse unions are organizations of workers that is formed to protect and advocate for its members’ best interests. Unions advocate and protect their rights through collective negotiations and action. As a union, this gives nurses the legal right to fight for and ensure safe working conditions, adequate wages and benefits.

Registered Nurse Income By Years of Practice:

• Less than 5 years: $74,000
• 6 – 10 years: $80,000
• 11 – 20 years: $90,000
• 21 years+ : $93,000

Across the board the more practice you have under your belt, the more you will get compensated. As you can see, an RN with more than 21 years of experience can receive around $93,000 per year. That is almost $20,000 more annually than RNs with less than 5 years of experience. This is typical in every profession, the more experience you have, the more valuable you can be to the team.

If you’re looking for a Registered Nurse job in New York or New Jersey, take a look at our current hot job openings! We are always posting new opportunities in numerous settings and locations in the tri-state area. You can apply online or give us a call!