LPN to RN Bridge

In the United States, registered nurses are in high demand in almost every location. Because of this nursing shortage, with just an associate’s degree, you can make a fairly high salary.

National Average Salary for Registered Nurses

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a registered nurse as of May 2009 was $66,530 annually, or $31.99 per hour. The top 75 percent of nurses made an average of $77,970 annually, while the top 90 percent averaged over $90,000 every year. Even the bottom 25 percent of registered nurses earned an average salary of $43,970 – not too shabby considering that registered nurses only need an associate’s degree to start working!

Registered Nurse Salary By Location

As is true with all industries, nursing in some locations pays better than nurses in other locations. The main factor here is need – the great the need for nurses, the more facilities are willing to pay for quality employees. According to reports, the top-paying states for nurses in May 2009 were as follows:

• California
• Massachusetts
• Hawaii
• Maryland
• New Jersey

In all of these states, the average annual salary for registered nurses is over $75,000. All of the top-paying metropolitan areas for nurses are located in California, and in cites like San Jose and Visalia, you can expect to earn a six-figure salary as a registered nurse! Travel nursing is also an option if you want to make more money as a nurse. Traveling nurses move every three to six months, going where the need is greatest until new nurses can be hired. As a traveling nurse, you’ll have “home base” hospital (or other medical facility) but may work in facilities across the United States before settling in a specific hospital. This is ideal for nurses who aren’t yet married and who don’t have children, as it requires you to live in short-term house and move quickly and often.

Earn More Money as a Registered Nurse

If you’re currently a registered nurse and want to earn more money, the best way to do so is to go back to school for more education. Many employers will actually finance an advanced education, an in just an addition one to two years, you could have a bachelor of science in nursing, making you eligible for leadership roles and management positions, which all come attached to higher salaries. With nursing, the sky is the limit – you can also go on to get your master’s degree to become an advanced practice nurse or even your doctorate degree in nursing if you’re interested in teaching or research.