Occupation salary profile

Registered Nurses

SOC 29-1141 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required. Includes Clinical Nurse Specialists. Excludes “Nurse Anesthetists” (29-1151), “Nurse Midwives” (29-1161), and “Nurse Practitioners” (29-1171).

National median · BLS
$97,550
▲ +4.22% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$79,872
▲ +3.9% YoY · 1,411 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$101,420
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
3,379,720
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Registered Nurses

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 1,411 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$68,940$67,392
25th$80,330$70,658
Median (50th)$97,550$79,872
75th$112,350$87,214
90th — top pay$137,470$97,406
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $79,872 for Registered Nurses — 18.1% below the BLS national median of $97,550.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Registered Nurses

BLS projects employment of registered nurses to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 180,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
3,465,400 → 3,660,100
+194,700 jobs
Projected change
+5.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
180,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $79,872
Change vs prior year +3.9%
After inflation (CPI-U) +0.75%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 403 28.6% $68,775 $76,960 $81,546
Level II 666 47.2% $74,734 $83,200 $91,566
Level III 247 17.5% $68,432 $73,403 $86,736
Level IV 31 2.2% $100,277 $116,979 $139,693
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Registered Nurses

The 27 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-1141, from 1,411 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Registered Nurse 555 39.33% $70,075 $79,872 $87,214 +2.98%
Glide Team Registered Nurse Inpatient 55 3.9% $88,192 $92,373 $94,672 +6.02%
Clinical Nurse 40 2.83% $73,403 $73,403 $73,403 +5.12%
Flex Float Registered Nurse 34 2.41% $81,120 $81,120 $81,120 —
Critical Care Nurse 25 1.77% $68,000 $72,530 $83,720 -8.24%
Perioperative Resource Nurse 21 1.49% $81,120 $81,120 $81,120 —
Intensive Care Unit Nurse Specialist 20 1.42% $80,080 $83,200 $83,200 +8.22%
Emergency Room Clinical Nurse Specialist 18 1.28% $81,120 $83,200 $83,200 +8.22%
Surgical Unit Nurse Specialist 18 1.28% $76,877 $77,958 $79,150 —
Float Pool RN 17 1.2% $68,432 $68,432 $68,432 —
Charge Nurse 16 1.13% $82,306 $83,720 $84,620 +5.45%
RN-System Resource 15 1.06% $107,037 $107,037 $129,906 +5.36%
Staff Nurse 15 1.06% $70,681 $76,648 $95,826 -11.1%
Progressive Care Unit Nurse Specialist 14 0.99% $80,190 $83,200 $83,200 +8.22%
Emergency Department RN 13 0.92% $68,432 $68,432 $68,432 —
Rehabilitation Nurse 13 0.92% $83,720 $83,720 $83,720 —
Registered Nurse Float RN 13 0.92% $75,400 $84,032 $89,960 —
Perioperative Medical & Surgical Nurse Specialist 12 0.85% $79,539 $83,200 $83,200 —
Staff Registered Nurse 11 0.78% $86,757 $86,965 $86,965 —
ICU Nurse 11 0.78% $59,155 $59,155 $72,800 —
Operating Room Nurse 11 0.78% $76,866 $86,195 $92,310 +9.05%
Operating Room RN 10 0.71% $68,432 $68,432 $68,432 —
Clinical Support-Float RN 10 0.71% $75,046 $75,046 $75,046 +3.17%
RN Case Manager 10 0.71% $74,262 $79,352 $81,328 —
RN Float Pool 10 0.71% $78,629 $85,821 $85,821 +0%
Emergency Room Nurse 10 0.71% $68,723 $71,042 $78,306 -10.12%
Registered Nurse Supervisor 10 0.71% $97,406 $97,406 $101,026 +4.07%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Registered Nurses

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Social Perceptiveness4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Coordination4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Service Orientation4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Writing3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Psychology4.6
  • Customer and Personal Service4.4
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.4
  • English Language4.2
  • Administrative3.5
  • Mathematics3.4
  • Therapy and Counseling3.4
  • Administration and Management3.3
Software and technology used
Apache SparkeClinicalWorks EHR softwareEpic SystemsGoogle DocsHenry Schein DentrixKronos Workforce TimekeeperMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordAllscripts healthcare automation softwareAllscripts Sunrise

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What registered nurses do

  • Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
  • Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
  • Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
  • Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
  • Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.
  • Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
  • Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
  • Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
Also called
Charge NurseEmergency Department RN (Emergency Department Registered Nurse)Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN)Staff NurseCertified Operating Room Nurse (CNOR)Oncology RN (Oncology Registered Nurse)Psychiatric RN (Psychiatric Registered Nurse)Relief Charge NurseSchool NurseStaff RN (Staff Registered Nurse)
Specialties within this occupation
  • Acute Care Nurses
  • Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
  • Critical Care Nurses
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists
More job titles for this occupation (80)
Cardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)Cardiac Nurse SpecialistCentral Supply NurseCirculating NurseCommunity Health NurseConsultant NurseConsulting NurseCoronary Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)County NurseDelivery NurseDialysis NurseDialysis Registered Nurse (Dialysis RN)Discharge PlannerEmergency Room Nurse (ER Nurse)Emergency Room Registered Nurse (ER RN)Endoscopy Registered Nurse (Endoscopy RN)Field NurseFlight NurseForensic NurseGeneral Duty NurseGenetics NurseGeriatric NurseHome Health RN (Home Health Registered Nurse)Hospice Registered Nurse (Hospice RN)Industrial NurseIndustrial RN (Industrial Registered Nurse)Industrial Staff NurseInfection Control NurseL and D RN (Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse)Labor and Delivery NurseLegal Nurse Consultant (LNC)Maternity NurseMed- Surg Travel RN (Medical Surgical Travel Registered Nurse)Med-Surg RN (Medical Surgical Registered Nurse)Med-Surg Telemetry RN (Medical Surgical Telemetry Registered Nurse)Medical RN (Medical Registered Nurse)Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (Med-Surg RN)Neonatal Intensive Care Registered Nurse (NICU RN)Neonatal NurseNephrology NurseNurseNurse ClinicianNurse ConsultantNurse ReceptionistOB/GYN Nurse (Obstetrics/Gynecology Nurse)Obstetrical NurseObstetrics Nurse (OB Nurse)Obstetrics Scrub Nurse (OB Scrub Nurse)Occupational Health NurseOccupational NurseOncology NurseOR Nurse (Operating Room Nurse)PACU Nurse (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Nurse)PACU RN (Post Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse)PACU RN (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse)Pediatric NursePediatric Oncology NursePediatric RN (Pediatric Registered Nurse)Perianesthesia NursePerinatal NursePerioperative NursePhysical Therapy Nurse (PT Nurse)Post-Anesthesia Room NursePrenatal NursePrivate Duty NursePublic Health Nurse (PHN)Public Health Staff NurseReceptionist NurseRecovery Room NurseRegistered Health NurseRegistered Nurse (RN)Registered Private Duty NurseRegistered Public Health NurseRN Case Manager (Registered Nurse Case Manager)RN Resident (Registered Nurse Resident)Scrub NurseSpecial Duty NurseSurgical NurseSurgical RN (Surgery Registered Nurse)Surgical RN (Surgical Registered Nurse)

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.