Do nurses make good money? Well, that’s a good question.
The median nursing salary for RNs is $68,450 per year according to the 2018 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. RN is an acronym for registered nurses.
There are many factors which will be effective for salary.
For example, these factors are your location, your experience, and the type of industry you work in. So the salary depends on many different things.
And the more educated you are the more you will earn. Of course just like with any other job experience matters.
Night shift nurses will make more than day-shift. You make more money as a nurse if you are willing to work on a holiday for example Christmas etc.
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To become a registered nurse you must have an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) at a minimum.
Most hospitals encourage nurses to continue their education and earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN); like any other bachelor’s degree, this usually takes four years.
See also: ADN vs BSN Salary, Competencies, and Pros and Cons
That does not yet cover up entirely the subject do nurses make good money. Next, I’m going to give you the answer where do nurses make the most money.
Where do nurses make the most money?
Here is a list of different areas where a registered nurses can work and how much they earn. After that, you have a better vision of whether do nurses make good money or not.
See also: Do Nurses Get Paid Overtime?
And I would like to emphasize that this list is indicative. As you may have already noticed that salary depends on many things. I can’t promise that salaries are just those below.
These are indicative.
Here is the list for you of how much RNs earn in different areas.
The highest paying nursing jobs are:
PEDIATRIC NURSE
Pediatric nurses are working with the children. For example, the children’s ward in the hospital. Their median salary is $89.000.
CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIVE
Midwives deliver babies. Their median salary is $96.970.
See also: Can Nurse Practitioners Deliver Babies?
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
They treat patients with a range of psychiatric and mental health disorders and also behavioral challenges. Their median salary is $102.000.
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Their median salary is $95.350.
GERONTOLOGICAL NURSE PRACTITIONER
They are working with the elderly. Their median salary is $64.906.
CRITICAL CARE NURSE
They are also known as intensive care unit nurses, they have to act quickly under pressure and possess excellent decision-making skills. Their median heist nurses’ salary is $80.000.
NURSE ANESTHETIST
Anesthetist nurses give anesthesia to patients who are going into surgery. This means you will need to be able to gauge your patients’ responses to anesthesia pre-and post-operation.
Their median salary is a whopping $157.690.
See also: Can Nurse Practitioners Do Surgery or Not?
Job descriptions are very different between different wields. For example, nurse anesthetists’ and pediatric nurses’ jobs are very different.
See also: Can Nurses Accept Tips?
Can you now decide better whether do nurses make good money or not?
If not, next up I’m going to give you the answer to the question “What state do nurses make the most money in the United States?”.

What state do nurses make the most money in the United States?
Here is a list of the states where nurses make the most money in the United States.
I would like to emphasize that these are indicative also.
State | Hourly Wage | Annual Salary |
---|---|---|
California | $49.37 | $102.700 |
Hawaii | $46.63 | $96.990 |
District of Columbia | $43.32 | $90.110 |
Massachusetts | $42.95 | $89.330 |
Oregon | $42.68 | $88.770 |
Alaska | $42.07 | $87.510 |
Nevada | $40.86 | $84.980 |
New York | $40.12 | $83.450 |
New Jersey | $39.43 | $82.010 |
Connecticut | $38.56 | $80.200 |
It is impossible to say a true average nurse salary.
There are so many different types of nurses working in different career options that a true average would be very hard to say.
So these salaries are indicative.
But at least these salaries give you a better vision of whether do nurses make good money or not.
See also: Do Nurses Get Hazard Pay?
Well, do nurses make good money?

Well, as you can see it depends on many things.
The best way to make a good many as being a registered nurse is to get more education and experience. Also, it depends on where you live.
Self-development is very important.
So do nurses make good money is a difficult question and it depends on many things. I believe that experience and education are important.
Goals are also important.
See also: SMART Goals for Nursing with Examples
The higher you aim, the higher you can get. And that is going to positively affect your salary.
I hope you got the clear as a possible answer to the question “Do nurses make good money?”.
If you are more interested in working as a nurse, check out these articles also:
- How Often Do Nurses Get Raises?
- Neonatal Nurse Salary
- Respiratory Therapist Salary
- Do Nurses Get Pensions?
- Do Nurses Buy Their Own Scrubs?
- Do Nurses Clean Poop?
I’d be also very happy if you would have time to rate this article.