The median salary for nurses nationwide is $81,220, nearly $35,000 more than the median wage across all occupations in the U.S., according to a ranking from Vivian Health.
Geography plays a big role in how much a nurse can earn compared with other occupations. Nurses in Santa Cruz, Calif., earn an average of $175,350, which is $128,000 more than the median wage in the metropolitan area.
While California has the highest nurse wage of any state, Mississippi has the lowest, with nurses in its highest-paying city earning just under $60,000, or $27,510 more than the metro's median wage.
Vivian Health used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the metro area in each state that paid nurses the highest wages compared with other occupations. Rankings of metro areas were based on the dollar difference between a registered nurse's median annual salary and the median salary of all occupations in the area.
The metropolitan area in every state where nurses earn the most compared with other occupations and their average salaries:
Alabama — Daphne: $64,700
Alaska — Fairbanks: $107,880
Arizona — Yuma: $82,290
Arkansas — Little Rock: $71,460
California — Santa Cruz: $175,350
Colorado — Pueblo: $82,780
Connecticut — Danbury: $105,370
Delaware — Dover: $78,320
Florida — Sebastian: $79,190
Georgia — Rome: $81,320
Hawaii — Urban Honolulu: $127,020
Idaho — Coeur d'Alene: $83,730
Illinois — Kankakee: $80,470
Indiana — Michigan City: $72,720
Iowa — Sioux City: $62,860
Kansas — Lawrence: $67,150
Kentucky — Owensboro: $78,040
Louisiana — Shreveport: $77,790
Maine — Bangor: $83,750
Maryland — Salisbury: $79,210
Massachusetts — Leominster: $96,410
Michigan — Flint: $86,210
Minnesota — St. Cloud: $85,730
Mississippi — Hattiesburg: $59,910
Missouri — St. Louis: $77,390
Montana — Missoula: $76,550
Nebraska — Grand Island: $74,290
Nevada — Las Vegas: $95,770
New Hampshire — Manchester: $80,560
New Jersey — Ocean City: $85,490
New Mexico — Las Cruces: $78,270
New York — New York City: $103,540
North Carolina — Fayetteville: $82,390
North Dakota — Fargo: $75,710
Ohio — Canton: $74,950
Oklahoma — Lawton: $77,070
Oregon — Bend: $108,310
Pennsylvania — Chambersburg: $84,090
Rhode Island — Providence: $84,770
South Carolina — Spartanburg: $81,520
South Dakota — Rapid City: $62,920
Tennessee — Cleveland: $76,620
Texas — Wichita Falls: $79,800
Utah — Provo: $75,090
Vermont — Burlington: $77,230
Virginia — Winchester: $81,940
Washington — Spokane: $100,280
West Virginia — Huntington: $77,240
Wisconsin — Racine: $77,960
Wyoming — Cheyenne: $81,680