The national estimated wage average for registered nurses is $68,910, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2013 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates report.
The following are the top 10 states with the highest average annual estimated wages for registered nurses.
1. California – $96,980
2. Hawaii – $85,380
3. Massachusetts – $83,720
4. Alaska – $83,640
5. Oregon – $80,440
6. Nevada – $78,800
7. Washington, D.C. – $77,550
8. New Jersey – $77,360
9. Washington – $76,420
10. Connecticut – $76,280
The Occupational Employment Statistics survey is a semiannual mail survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. OES estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Each year, forms are mailed to two semiannual panels of approximately 200,000 sampled establishments, one panel in May and the other in November. The unweighted employment of sampled establishments across all six semiannual panels represents approximately 57.5 percent of total national employment. Response rates are slightly lower for these estimates due to the Federal shutdown in October 2013.