Registered Nurse · Arkansas · SOC 29-1141
Arkansas Registered Nurse Salary — 2026 BLS + BEA RPP
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Arkansas pays RNs a BLS median of $77,130 — the more useful number is $88,849, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
- RN ranking: #47 on the BLS table, #33 once cost of living is in.
- Low BEA RPP (86.8) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $11,719.
- P25-P75 spread runs $65,450 to $84,720; P10 floor $57,380, P90 ceiling $99,960.
- Arkansas is an NLC compact state — RNs holding a multistate license can practice across compact states without re-applying.
Wage breakdown — Arkansas
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $57,380 | $66,098 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $65,450 | $75,395 |
| P50 (median) | $77,130 | $88,849 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $84,720 | $97,592 |
| P90 (top tier) | $99,960 | $115,148 |
| Mean | $77,720 | $89,529 |
| Employment | 28,320 RNs in Arkansas | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Arkansas index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 86.8 |
| Goods | 93.1 |
| Services | 81.9 |
| Rents | 56.7 |
Arkansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.7.
After-tax take-home — Arkansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (RN) | $77,130 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$8,216 | 10.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$2,509 | 0–3.9% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$5,900 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $60,505 | 78.4% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $69,698 | ÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Arkansas state-tax burden means for RN take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $60,505 (78.4% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $69,698.
Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).
National context
Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $93,600 for RNs with mean pay of $98,430 and total employment of 3,282,010. Arkansas sits at #47 on nominal pay and #33 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arkansas climbs 14 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Licensure — Arkansas (NLC)
Arkansas participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2018. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Arkansas without applying for a separate Arkansas license. Arkansas-issued multistate licenses are reciprocally recognized in 36 other Compact states (37 jurisdictions total in 2026), eliminating the per-state endorsement workflow ($100–$500 + 4–16 week processing) for travel and per-diem RN work.
Arkansas has been a Compact participant for 8 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.
Source: NCSBN compact implementation tracker — re-synced quarterly. See NLC reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Arkansas?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 86.8 for Arkansas), the real-wage equivalent is $88,849 — what the $77,130 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $75,395 to $97,592.
- How are Arkansas RN salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- How many RNs does Arkansas employ?
- BLS OES counts 28,320 RNs employed in Arkansas in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Is Arkansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?
- Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $77,130 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $88,849. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for RNs comparing offers across regions.
- What are the limits of these RN salary numbers?
- BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?
- The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arkansas.
- Is Arkansas an NLC compact state for RN licensure?
- Yes — Arkansas participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Arkansas without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1141, 2024 reference period.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
- Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
- See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.
Cross-comparison: see how Arkansas RN pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.