Understanding the hourly wage of an RN helps healthcare facilities plan staffing budgets, evaluate job offers, and identify compensation gaps that may be making recruitment more difficult. But a single national figure is not enough to set the right rate for every hospital, clinic, or nursing facility.
Registered nurse (RN) pay can vary by geographic area, care setting, experience, shift requirements, and the responsibilities of the position. Facilities must also distinguish an employee’s wage from the full cost of employment and the bill rate for temporary staffing.
A reliable RN compensation benchmark combines official wage data with local recruitment information and the organization’s own staffing costs. This approach helps finance teams and nurse leaders make informed decisions without relying on unsupported pay estimates.
Where Reliable RN Wage Data Comes From
The best starting point is official occupational wage data. National figures provide context, while state and metropolitan estimates help facilities develop more relevant local benchmarks.
Use BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for registered nurses across the United States.
According to BLS data for May 2025, the national median annual wage for registered nurses was $97,550, equivalent to a median hourly wage of $46.90. The mean hourly wage was $48.76, with a mean annual wage of $101,420.
| National RN wage measure | May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $46.90 |
| Mean hourly wage | $48.76 |
| Median annual wage | $97,550 |
| Mean annual wage | $101,420 |
Sources: BLS Registered Nurses Occupational Outlook Handbook and BLS May 2025 national wage table.
The median represents the midpoint of the wage distribution. The mean is the arithmetic average, which can be affected by higher or lower wages across the occupation. These measures answer different questions, so facilities should select the one that best fits the comparison.
Published wage estimates are benchmarks, not guaranteed starting rates, offers, or staffing-agency prices. The data period should always be recorded when preparing a budget.
Compare Wages by Employment Setting
The appropriate RN pay benchmark also depends on the care environment. The BLS reported these median annual wages by selected industry for May 2025:
| Employment setting | Median annual RN wage |
|---|---|
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $110,780 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $100,220 |
| Ambulatory healthcare services | $91,230 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | $84,300 |
Source: BLS Registered Nurses wage data.
Use these figures to understand broad industry differences, not to assume that every RN in one setting should earn more than an RN in another. Job duties, experience, location, schedule, and other conditions may differ substantially.
What Drives RN Pay
An RN wage benchmark should reflect the requirements of the vacancy rather than relying on job title alone. Compensation decisions are more useful when finance, HR, and nurse managers agree on what the role requires.
Experience and Clinical Requirements
Experience requirements can affect the candidate pool and the competitiveness of an offer. A general outpatient role may have different requirements from a position involving specialized clinical experience or a demanding patient-care environment.
Before setting a pay range, confirm the required license, relevant experience, unit or specialty expectations, schedule, and facility-specific onboarding needs. Avoid adding requirements that are not necessary for the role, as they can narrow the pool of eligible applicants.
Shift Differential and Premium Pay
Positions requiring night, weekend, holiday, or other less-preferred shifts may need additional compensation arrangements to attract suitable candidates. Facilities should identify these costs separately rather than treating every payment as part of the base hourly wage.
When calculating the hourly wage of an RN, record base pay, shift differentials, overtime, and incentive payments as separate budget components. This allows managers to determine whether the ongoing base rate is competitive or whether temporary premium payments are driving up total labor spending.
State and Metro Differences, Including Pennsylvania
Local wage conditions matter because national figures can hide differences between states, metropolitan areas, and smaller labor markets.
BLS publishes state and metropolitan-area estimates through its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Facilities can use the data to compare their location with other areas and assess whether their pay range is aligned with the local market.
How Much Does an RN Make in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania’s May 2025 statewide occupational wage report lists the following figures for registered nurses:
| Pennsylvania RN wage measure | May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Average hourly wage | $45.20 |
| Average annual wage | $94,020 |
| Median annual wage | $96,430 |
The Pennsylvania report provides additional wage information for metropolitan statistical areas, workforce development areas, and counties. Employers should use the geographic level that most closely matches the facility’s recruiting market.
Notice that the Pennsylvania hourly figure is an average, whereas the national $46.90 figure above is a median. A like-for-like comparison should use the same measure wherever possible. The difference between two figures should not, by itself, be interpreted as proof that a local facility is underpaying its nurses.
Employed vs Temporary RN Costs
Employing permanent RNs and arranging temporary RN coverage are different staffing models. Comparing them accurately requires more than looking at the employee’s hourly wage beside an agency’s bill rate.
Calculate the Full Cost of Employed RNs
A facility’s cost of employing an RN may include:
- Base wages for scheduled hours.
- Employer-paid payroll taxes and applicable contributions.
- Health insurance, retirement contributions, and other benefits.
- Paid leave and associated coverage requirements.
- Recruitment, credential verification, orientation, and onboarding.
- Overtime, differentials, and other applicable compensation.
The exact cost depends on the organization’s benefit plan, employment terms, and staffing practices. Use actual payroll and finance records rather than applying a generic percentage to every position.
Evaluate Temporary RN Coverage Separately
Temporary staffing can help facilities cover an unfilled shift, leave of absence, temporary demand, or a vacancy while permanent recruitment continues.
The staffing agency’s bill rate is not the nurse’s take-home pay or necessarily the nurse’s underlying wage. It is a contractual rate for the staffing arrangement. The total cost may also depend on shift requirements, minimum hours, cancellation terms, and other agreement conditions.
For a fair comparison, identify the required number of shifts and hours, compare the full cost of permanent employment with the quoted temporary coverage cost, and account for recruitment timelines and operational needs. Temporary staffing is not automatically cheaper or more expensive in every situation.
YTC Healthcare offers nurse staffing services for healthcare facilities, including RN staffing. Facilities can discuss their required coverage and staffing arrangements through the nurse staffing services page.
Building a Nurse Staffing Budget
An effective nurse staffing budget combines wage benchmarks with actual staffing demand. Instead of using a national wage figure as the final budget rate, develop a documented process that can be repeated as circumstances change.
Create a Practical RN Wage Benchmark
Use these steps to create a consistent compensation review:
- Define the position. Document the role, setting, required credentials, relevant experience, and schedule.
- Select suitable wage data. Begin with BLS national estimates, then review state and metro-level data for the facility’s recruiting area.
- Compare like with like. Match hourly wages to hourly wages and medians to medians wherever possible.
- Review actual recruitment results. Examine current job postings, recent offers, acceptance rates, time to fill, and reasons candidates decline.
- Calculate the employment cost. Include base wages, benefits, payroll costs, differentials, overtime, and onboarding where applicable.
- Plan for coverage gaps. Estimate the cost of temporary coverage using actual quotations and contract terms, not a presumed industry-wide rate.
- Review the benchmark regularly. Update it during budget planning and when local hiring conditions or staffing needs materially change.
Track the Measures That Explain Staffing Costs
A wage benchmark is more useful when linked to workforce performance. Consider tracking:
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| RN hourly wage by role and location | Shows how offers compare with selected benchmarks |
| Offer acceptance rate | Helps identify possible compensation or scheduling barriers |
| Time to fill | Measures how long vacancies remain open |
| Overtime spending | Highlights additional labor costs associated with coverage needs |
| Temporary coverage costs | Shows actual spending on temporary shifts |
| Turnover and retention | Helps evaluate workforce stability alongside compensation |
Reviewing these measures together can reveal whether a problem is primarily related to pay, scheduling, recruitment processes, or the availability of qualified candidates. It also provides a clearer evidence base for deciding when to adjust compensation or use temporary staffing.
Need registered nurse coverage? Discuss your facility’s staffing requirements with YTC Healthcare and explore the appropriate coverage options.
FAQs
What is the hourly wage of an RN in the United States?
The BLS reported a national median RN hourly wage of $46.90 for May 2025 and a mean hourly wage of $48.76. These are different statistical measures and should not be treated as interchangeable. Local wages may vary by location, setting, role, and schedule.
How can facilities find RN wages by state?
Start with the BLS state occupational wage estimates. Where more local detail is needed, review metropolitan-area data and state labor department wage resources. Use the most relevant geography and record the data period before applying the benchmark to a budget.
How much does an RN make in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania’s May 2025 statewide occupational wage report lists an average hourly RN wage of $45.20 and a median annual wage of $96,430. Employers should consult the statewide or local-area report that best matches their recruiting market.
Is an RN’s hourly wage the same as the total cost of employment?
No. The hourly wage is one part of an employer’s cost. Benefits, payroll expenses, paid leave, overtime, shift differentials, recruitment, and onboarding may contribute to the full cost of employing an RN.
Is temporary RN staffing more expensive than hiring employees?
There is no universal answer. Permanent employment and temporary staffing have different cost structures. Facilities should compare actual employment costs with the applicable staffing-agency quotation and consider the duration of coverage, urgency, and operational requirements.
How often should an RN wage benchmark be reviewed?
Review it during annual budget planning and whenever local hiring conditions, vacancy levels, compensation policies, or clinical staffing requirements change significantly. Verify the publication date of wage data before using it in a new budget cycle.
Conclusion
A dependable RN wage benchmark starts with official data and becomes more useful when adjusted for the facility’s location, care setting, role requirements, and recruitment experience. National statistics provide context, while state and metropolitan wage estimates help refine the comparison.
By tracking compensation alongside overtime, turnover, time to fill, and temporary staffing costs, healthcare leaders can make more informed workforce decisions. The objective is not simply to find a wage figure, but to build a nurse staffing budget that reflects real hiring conditions and supports reliable patient-care coverage.
