Registered Nurse Take-Home Pay by State in 2026
This article benchmarks the BLS registered nurse median salary and applies the 2026 paycheck engine across all 51 jurisdictions.
Registered nurses have a national median salary of about $93,600 in the BLS wage data used for this study. That puts the profession in a range where federal withholding is meaningful, FICA is still fully active, and state tax policy can create a noticeable difference in what reaches the bank account each pay period.
The state comparison matters because nursing labor markets are regional while tax systems are state-driven. Two employers can advertise similar gross pay and still leave different after-tax results once state withholding is applied. This article holds the gross RN salary constant so you can see that tax effect directly without mixing it with local signing bonuses, overtime assumptions, or shift differentials.
Nurses also face compensation structures that are more variable than a headline annual salary suggests. Overtime, weekend premiums, relocation packages, and pre-tax health coverage can all move the real paycheck above or below the benchmark shown here. That is why the ranked study is a starting point: it tells you where the tax friction is low or high, then the state calculator lets you plug in your own staffing pattern and withholding details.
Use the all-states ranking to identify where the median RN salary keeps more of its value, then open the state-specific salary page or calculator for the jurisdiction you care about most. That sequence is especially useful for nurses comparing permanent roles, travel-nurse destinations, or a move between a no-income-tax state and a higher-withholding state.
Source benchmark: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for registered nurses, occupation 29-1141. Review the BLS salary source and then continue to the full ranking or a state-specific take-home page.
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