Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Bachelor's degree
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These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
Discover metro markets where compensation, hiring demand, and long-term momentum align.
Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Registered nurses play a major role in the healthcare workforce, with national employment of 3,391,000 and a national median annual salary of $93,600. The field shows continued opportunity, with projected employment growth of 4.9% and an estimated 189,000 annual openings. This combination of a large existing workforce, steady projected growth, and many openings indicates a wide range of potential job paths and entry points for students, career changers, and experienced professionals. Strong interpersonal abilities, adaptability, leadership, and customer service are important in this career, along with problem solving, decision making, attention to detail, and core academic strengths in science, mathematics, and communication. Physical strength and stamina also matter. Typical entry into this role requires a bachelor’s degree, giving students a clear educational target. For people interested in healthcare, registered nursing can also connect to other paths such as paramedics, physical therapists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners.
Registered nurses earn a national median annual salary of $93,600, but pay can vary significantly by location. Among the top states by CareerGPS opportunity score, California stands out with a median salary of $140,270, followed by Washington at $124,200, New York at $109,440, Massachusetts at $104,550, and Colorado at $100,260. These figures illustrate how pay can differ across states while still staying above the national median in these top locations. Metro-level data shows even more variation. In the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA metro, the median salary reaches $216,740, while San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA reports $186,610. The New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ metro has a median of $119,720, Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH comes in at $106,180, and Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV at $102,710. Together, these numbers highlight how geographic choices can strongly influence earning potential for registered nurses.
Registered nursing offers a large national employment base of 3,391,000 positions, paired with a projected employment growth rate of 4.9%. In practical terms, this growth is accompanied by an estimated 189,000 annual openings, signaling frequent opportunities for new entrants and experienced professionals seeking transitions or advancement. The 4.9% projected growth rate appears consistently across the top states and metro areas highlighted by CareerGPS, suggesting that expansion in this field is not limited to a single region. For example, California, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and Washington all show this same 4.9% projected growth, as do major metros such as San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, New York–Newark–Jersey City, San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, and Boston–Cambridge–Newton. Combined with the large number of annual openings, this pattern suggests a sustained and geographically broad set of opportunities for new and experienced registered nurses over the projection period.
CareerGPS highlights several strong locations for registered nurses based on opportunity scores that combine salary, employment, and growth. Among states, California leads with an opportunity score of 67.38, with a high median salary of $140,270 and employment of 338,940. Massachusetts (score 65.87), New York (65.78), Colorado (56.97), and Washington (56.29) also rank strongly, each pairing the same 4.9% projected growth with varying levels of pay and employment size. At the metro level, differences become even clearer. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA has the highest opportunity score at 77.42 and the highest median salary at $216,740, though employment there (22,930) is smaller than in some other metros. The New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ metro offers an opportunity score of 77.27 with employment of 197,740 and a median salary of $119,720. San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA combines a median salary of $186,610 with an opportunity score of 68.75. Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV and Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH also show solid opportunity scores above 63, with six-figure median salaries and sizable employment bases.
The typical education for registered nurses is a bachelor’s degree. For students planning their path, this provides a clear target for entry into the field. This educational foundation supports the mix of scientific, quantitative, and communication skills reflected in the role’s top skills profile. Success in registered nursing draws on a combination of interpersonal skills, adaptability, leadership, and customer service, along with problem solving and decision making. Detail orientation is also important, aligning with the need for accuracy and careful work. Academic strengths in science and mathematics play a key role, and strong writing and reading skills support communication. Physical strength and stamina are also highlighted, indicating that the work can be physically demanding. Together, the bachelor’s degree requirement and this broad skill set make it useful for students and career changers to seek programs and experiences that build both technical knowledge and people-focused capabilities. Similar healthcare paths to consider include paramedics, physical therapists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners.
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