When it comes to making money, Georgia’s registered nurses do better than most these days. They made an average $90,000 last year, roughly 146% of the Peach State’s overall average wage of $61,250.
Thanks to the Southern state’s lower-than-average cost of living, according to a new report, RNsin Georgia don’t just make significantly more than their local communities, though. They make more than their co-workers in 47 other states and the District of Columbia.
After adjusting for cost of living across the country, health care business news outlet Becker’s Hospital Review has ranked registered nurse pay for all 50 states. Based on 2023 salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and 2024 cost of living data from the World Population Review, California, Minnesota and Georgia are the top-paying places for these professionals right now.
Even with a high cost of living, California still pays its nurses better than any other state — averaging $49.22 an hour after adjustments. Minnesota paces just behind at $48.45 hour, with Georgia nurses in third at $47.55. At $32.15, Hawaii’s 51st spot on the list represents a near 35% drop in pay compared to the Golden State. That’s because Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the nation.
Registered nurses working in the District of Columbia make the 50th least at $34.55, with Massachusetts just ahead at $35.26 an hour.
Despite making more than most of their co-workers across the country, Georgia nurses still don’t make quite enough to live comfortably. According to financial information company SmartAsset’s 2024 study on U.S. incomes, Peach State workers need to make $96,886 a year to keep up with the standard 50/30/20 budgeting rule. That’s 50% of income on basic needs (food, housing, etc.), 30% on wants and 20% on savings or paying off debts.
Local nurses are nearly $7,000 shy of that mark.
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