What Is the Average Starting Salary for an RN?
Registered nurses, or RNs, represent the largest occupation in health care with 2.6 million jobs. Job opportunities are expected to grow by 22 percent throughout 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many employers offer benefits such as flexible work schedules, educational compensation, child care and sign-on bonuses.
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Starting Salary
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The average starting salary for a registered nurse is $35,500, according to the Princeton Review, as of 2010. Entry-level nurses usually are from a two-year associate's degree program or have a Bachelor of Science in nursing, which takes about four years to finish.
National Salary
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Median annual wages for nurses range from approximately $44,000 to $94,000, as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest 10 percent of employees earn less than $44,000 and the top 10 percent make more than $94,000. Entry-level nurses usually are on the lower end of the scale.
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High Employment
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Entry-level employees may want to apply for a position in an industry that already has a high number of nurses. Approximately 60 percent of registered nurses work in hospitals, according to the BLS. General medical and surgical hospitals employ the highest number of registered nurses and offer an annual mean wage of $68,000, as of May 2009. Other industries that employ a significant number of registered nurses are the offices of physicians industry, $67,000; the home health care services industry, $63,000; nursing care facilities, $59,000; and outpatient care centers $66,000.
Top-Paying Industries
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Registered nurses receive the highest pay from the medical equipment and supplies manufacturing industry with an annual mean wage of $78,000, according to the BLS, as of May 2009. Other industries that offer high pay include the federal executive branch, $77,830; the newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers industry, $75,000; and business, professional, labor, political and similar organizations, $75,000.
Top-Paying States
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Registered nurses receive the highest pay in California with an annual mean wage of $85,000, according to the BLS, as of May 2009. Other states that generally pay more include Massachusetts, $82,000; Hawaii, $80,000; Maryland, $76,000; and New Jersey, $75,000.
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