The average full-time registered nurse earned $80,000 in 2016, according to a report from Medscape.
Here are nine more statistics on RN earnings in 2016, based on a survey of more than 5,000 RNs conducted in June 2017 by Medscape.
- Occupational and inpatient RNs made the most on average: $84,000
- School nurses made the least: $65,000
- Average RN hourly pay: $37 per hour
- Average compensation for male RNs: $84,000
- Average compensation for female RNs: $80,000
- Average salary for male RNs: $89,000
- Average salary for female RNs: $81,000
- Average annual compensation for hourly male RNs: $82,000
- Average annual compensation for hourly female RNs: $78,000
Despite the wage gap between men and women, Medscape found the hourly wage for male and female RNs was the same — $37 — for both genders. However, Medscape notes this may suggest false parity, as the average male nurse has been practicing for fewer years than the average female nurse. Forty-eight percent of male RNs have been working for more than 20 years, where as 68 percent of female nurses have practiced for more than 20 years.
However, Medscape did find some potential reasoning for the pay gap between male and female RNs. Male nurses were more likely than female nurses to work in higher-paid settings, such as inpatient units in urban areas. Male nurses were also more likely to work overtime, work more hours of overtime and take call.
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