Best States for Nurses: Comparing Cost of Living, Salary, and More

Are you thinking of changing careers? If you envision yourself making a positive difference in your community by helping people directly, nursing could be the right choice. As a career, nursing offers incredible benefits, like a robust job growth rate and an enviable salary. There is also a diverse range of nursing specialties, plus plenty of opportunities to pursue career advancement.

Like all professions, the salary, job demand, and other factors will vary based on geographic location, employer, and other variables that are unique to you (such as years of experience and specific credentials). However, if you’re curious about the best states for nurses based on generally applicable guidelines, you’ll want to check out our lists below on topics like the average RN salary by state.

Are you eager to start your nursing career? Xavier University invites you to explore our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. If eligible, this program can allow you to earn your nursing degree in as few as 16 months after completing the prerequisites.

Highest Paying States for Nurses

What’s the best salary for nurses in the U.S.? First, let’s look at the median wage overall. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for RNs in the U.S. as of May 2023 was $86,070. (Median annual salary means that half of all RNs earned more than that amount and half earned less.)

Of course, salary varies considerably and depends on many things, including nursing specialty, place of employment, and years of experience. It also varies based on geographic location.

According to the U.S. BLS, the following are the highest-paying states for nurses based on annual mean wage:

1. California: $137,690
2. Hawaii: $119,710
3. Oregon: $113,440
4. Washington: $111,030
5. Alaska: $109,210

The average wage for RNs in Ohio is $84,430, putting the state in 29th place nationally. When considering the best states for nurses, it’s ideal to look at not only that state’s salary information but all of the factors that impact how those salaries compare to that state’s quality of life.

Best States for Nurses’ Cost of Living

Now, you have a better idea of the breakdown of average nurse pay by state. However, it’s important to remember that the cost of living will also vary by state. In some states that pay the least, the cost of living may be lower, and vice versa.

You can evaluate the cost of living in any given state by referring to the cost of living index. The index is a ranking that evaluates states based on the average costs of utilities, transportation, housing, food, and similar factors. A ranking above 100 means the state’s cost of living is higher than the national average, and any ranking below 100 is more affordable than the average.

Here’s a look at the best states for nurses’ cost of living as of 2024:

1. West Virginia: 83.8
2. Oklahoma: 86.4
3. Kansas: 87.3
4. Alabama: 88.1
5. Mississippi: 88.3
6. Arkansas: 88.5
7. Missouri: 88.5
8. Iowa: 90.1
9. Indiana: 90.3
10. Tennessee: 90.3

What are the most expensive places to live in based on the cost of living index? Here’s a look:

1. Hawaii: 186.2
2. California: 145
3. Washington, DC: 144.6
4. Massachusetts: 144.3
5. Alaska: 125.1
6. New York: 123.1
7. Maryland: 116.2
8. Washington: 115.1
9. Vermont: 114.7
10. Oregon: 114.1

When comparing the cost of living to the average RN salary by state, it’s also essential to remember that salary and cost of living will also vary within a state. Living in a major city is more expensive, but wages also generally are higher in those areas.

Best States for Nurses Based on Job Growth

What are the best places for RNs to work based on job demand in those areas? First, consider that the overall national job growth estimate for RNs is expected to be 6% from 2022 through 2032, according to the BLS. This is faster than average and indicates that employers expect to hire about 177,400 new nurses during this period.

The states that expect to hire the most RNs in the coming years (based on the percentage of job growth) are:

1. Arizona: 39.3%
2. Colorado: 28.6%
3. Nevada: 23.3%
4. New York: 17.0%
5. Washington: 16.2%
6. Alaska: 14.4%
7. Oregon: 12.1%
8. California: 10.8%
9. Hawaii: 8.8%

Best Work Environments for Nurses

Of course, salary and job demand aren’t everything. Even if you’re making an enviable salary in a state with a reasonable cost of living, you might not necessarily enjoy your job if the work environment and company culture aren’t great. While company culture varies from one facility to the next, there is a ranking of states based on work environment.

These rankings were determined by considering factors such as:

• Friendliness toward working moms
• Average number of work hours and commute time
• Ratio of nurses to hospital beds
• Mandatory overtime restrictions

Based on these factors, the best states for RNs in terms of working conditions, in order, are:

1. Washington
2. Massachusetts
3. Alaska
4. Connecticut
5. New Hampshire
6. Maine
7. Minnesota
8. Utah
9. Oregon
10. Rhode Island

The worst states for nurses’ working conditions are, in order:

50. Mississippi
51. Alabama
52. Oklahoma
53. South Carolina
54. Michigan
55. Louisiana
56. New Mexico
57. Georgia
58. Arkansas
59. North Carolina

Ohio is ranked solidly in the middle of the pack in 35th place for work environment.

Top States for Nursing Safety

Safety is another important consideration when deciding where you might want to work as an RN. Some of the best states for nurses in terms of workplace safety include:

• California
• Oregon
• Kansas
• New York
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Vermont

This ranking was determined based on factors such as rates of nurse injuries and illnesses, safe staffing regulations, and the ratio of nurse supply to facility demand. Some states, like Louisiana and Kansas, fell short in nurse staffing legislation and requirements but made the list regardless due to other factors, like the low prevalence of nurse injuries.

States Ranked by Job Satisfaction and Burnout

What about levels of job satisfaction and burnout among registered nurses? The states with the highest levels of job satisfaction and lowest levels of burnout are:

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Kansas
4. Utah
5. Idaho
6. Ohio
7. Missouri
8. Oklahoma
9. Connecticut
10. Alaska

Best States by Healthcare Facilities

RNs generally prefer to work in highly rated hospitals, especially those with Magnet status. These hospitals tend to offer more supportive working conditions, prioritize their nursing staff’s health and wellness, and provide more professional development opportunities. All these factors not only make for a more pleasant place to work but also improve patient outcomes.

The following ranks U.S. states by the number of highly ranked or Magnet hospitals (this list has been adjusted for population density according to the number of these esteemed hospitals per 10,000 nurses):

1. Virginia
2. Montana
3. Indiana
4. Vermont
5. Colorado
6. Illinois
7. Ohio
8. New Jersey
9. Pennsylvania
10. Nebraska

Overall, Texas (62), California (54), and New York (46) have the most Magnet hospitals per state.

Gain a Solid Foundation Wherever You Choose to Go

No matter which nursing specialty you choose or where your career takes you, you can develop the essential skills for success as a nursing professional at Xavier University. Our ABSN program may take place on an accelerated timeline, but our curriculum is thorough and rigorous, and our instructors offer exceptional support to each student to help them succeed.

Here, you can choose from three start dates and three enrollment locations in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Contact our admission counselors today for personalized, one-on-one help navigating the admission process.