How much does an RN make in Idaho?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $86,100 for RNs in Idaho as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $78,020 and the 75th-percentile is $100,220.

Why is the BEA RPP for Idaho different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Idaho's overall index of 92.2 reflects rents 86.9, services 68.1, and goods 95.9.

Where does Idaho rank for RN pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Idaho ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Is Idaho a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $86,100 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $93,347. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for RNs comparing offers across regions.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Is Idaho an NLC compact state for RN licensure?

Yes — Idaho participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Idaho without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.

How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Idaho?

BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Idaho typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

Registered Nurse Salary in Idaho (2026): $86K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Median RN salary in Idaho: $86,100 nominal, $93,347 real (BEA RPP basis).
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $7,247 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Bottom quartile $78,020, top quartile $100,220. The P90 ($118,460) is roughly 1.8× the P10 ($65,690).
Idaho accepts the NLC multistate license; cross-state mobility is materially cheaper here than in non-compact states.
State ranks #25 nationally on nominal wage, #18 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Idaho

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$65,690	$71,219
P25 (lower quartile)	$78,020	$84,587
P50 (median)	$86,100	$93,347
P75 (upper quartile)	$100,220	$108,656
P90 (top tier)	$118,460	$128,431
Mean	$89,770	$97,326
Employment	14,540 RNs in Idaho

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Idaho index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.2
Goods	95.9
Services	68.1
Rents	86.9

Idaho sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 86.9.

After-tax take-home — Idaho (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$86,100	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$10,189	11.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,080	5.8% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,587	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$65,244	75.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$70,736	÷ (92.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Idaho state-tax burden means for RN take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $65,244 (75.8% of gross). After the 92.2 RPP, real take-home is $70,736.

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. Idaho sits at #25 on nominal pay and #18 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Idaho climbs 7 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Idaho (NLC)

Idaho participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2017. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Idaho without applying for a separate Idaho license. Idaho-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.

Idaho has been a Compact participant for 9 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

How much does an RN make in Idaho?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $86,100 for RNs in Idaho as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $78,020 and the 75th-percentile is $100,220.
Why is the BEA RPP for Idaho different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Idaho's overall index of 92.2 reflects rents 86.9, services 68.1, and goods 95.9.
Where does Idaho rank for RN pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Idaho ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is Idaho a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $86,100 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $93,347. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for RNs comparing offers across regions.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Is Idaho an NLC compact state for RN licensure?: Yes — Idaho participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Idaho without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Idaho?: BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Idaho typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

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.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Idaho 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.