Registered Nurse Salary in the United States

The national median salary for Registered Nurse is $97,550 per year. Most full-time Registered Nurses earn between $80,330 and $112,350.

In your location the median is $97,550. Use your local median — not the national one — when you set a target.

A strong ask is $80,330 to $123,585 for a new offer, and roughly 4–7% above the local median when negotiating a raise as an existing employee.

Anchor high enough that your walk-away number still lands inside the employer's range — but stay defensible with market data from this page.

Bring these Registered Nurse-specific points to the table:

•License or board certification (e.g., state license, BLS/ACLS)

•Specialty or modality — scarce skills command more

•Shift differential (nights, weekends, on-call)

•Patient load and case complexity you already handle

Lead with the two or three where you have the strongest, most recent evidence.

For Registered Nurse, money talks in measurable outcomes. Prepare three numbers before the conversation:

•What you delivered in the last 12 months (volume, throughput, error reduction)

•What it was worth to the employer (saved hours, avoided cost, faster turnaround)

•The gap between your current pay and this page's median for Registered Nurse

"Based on the median for Registered Nurse in this market ($97,550), and my experience with [top skill], I'm targeting $114,597. Is there flexibility in the base to get closer to that?"

If the base is fixed, shift the conversation to the levers above: for a healthcare role, ask about shift differential, certification pay, or the sign-on structure.

"I've been at [result] for the past year. Market data for Registered Nurse shows the median at $97,550, and I'd like to bring my base to $102,428 to reflect that. What can we do?"

Schedule the conversation around a performance review or after a completed project, and give your manager the market data a week in advance.

When base salary is capped, these often still have room:

•Sign-on bonus, relocation, or tuition reimbursement (common in healthcare)

•Extra paid time off or a compressed/remote schedule

•Professional development — certifications that raise your Registered Nurse market rate next year

Get everything in writing, including how often pay is reviewed.

Giving a number before hearing the employer's offer or range.

Anchoring to the national median when your local median is different.

Arguing from personal need ('I need this to cover rent') instead of market data.

Not using the leverage points above because they weren't prepared.

Forgetting that the first offer is a starting point — there is usually room, especially in specialty or shift roles.