The Numbers Game:
Nurses Respond to Questions About Salary
By Lorraine Steefel, RN, MSN, CTN
Monday September 8, 2008
A reader profile study of Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek nurse
readers released in 2007 provides a mixture of results, influenced by specialty,
setting, and experience. Of the 2,598 total respondents, 1,910 answered a study
question about their approximate annual incomes and 1,720 answered a question
about their hourly wages for a regularly scheduled shift.
How does your salary rate compare with the Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek
readers who responded to this Harvey Research Inc. questionnaire? Do you rank
with the more than 14% of RNs who earn between $60,000 and $69,000 per year?
Nurses' salaries, of course, depend on level of education, years of experience,
type of work, and specialty area. They also vary from from location to location.
The majority of survey respondents from across the U.S. are B.S.N. grads (39.3%)
with 21 to 30 years of experience (33.2%), who work full time in hospitals
(49.7%) in a med/surg primary specialty (13.9%). About 60% are not certified in
their nursing specialty or subspecialty area.
Of the almost 75% who responded to the question on salary, the average salary
was $62,618. This group included nurses who provide direct patient care (46.3%);
managers (9%); educators/staff developers (5.5%); APNs/CNSs (5.4%); and
administrators (2.6%).
Notable Findings in Nurses' Earnings by Region
Southeast
Average Annual Salary: $57,261
Average Hourly Wage: $29.60
Florida
Average Annual Salary: $59,204
Average Hourly Wage: $30.00
IL/Chicago
Average Annual Salary: $58,810
Average Hourly Wage: $32.00
Midwest
Average Annual Salary: $53,759
Average Hourly Wage: $29.10
New England
Average Annual Salary: $61,707
Average Hourly Wage: $36.10
NY/NJ
Average Annual Salary: $73,630
Average Hourly Wage: $37.30
Philadelphia
Average Annual Salary: $61,719
Average Hourly Wage: $33.40
DC/MD/VA
Average Annual Salary: $63,920
Average Hourly Wage: $34.50
South Central
Average Annual Salary: $59,288
Average Hourly Wage: $28.80
Northwest
Average Annual Salary: $59,562
Average Hourly Wage: $32.90
California
Average Annual Salary: $74,950
Average Hourly Wage: $41.60
Heartland
Average Annual Salary: $52,771
Average Hourly Wage: $28.80
Southwest
Average Annual Salary: $59,562
Average Hourly Wage: $32.90
Lorraine Steefel, RN, is a senior staff writer for Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek.
This article was used with the permission of
Nursing Spectrum/Nursing Week.
