How much does an RN make in Kansas?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $78,060 for RNs in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $66,790 and the 75th-percentile is $85,020.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Kansas?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kansas), the real-wage equivalent is $86,822 — what the $78,060 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $74,287 to $94,563.

What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Kansas?

The 90th percentile lands at $97,870. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $85,020.

Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas 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. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $78,060 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $86,822. 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.

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

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 Kansas 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 Pay in Kansas: $78K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Kansas pays RNs a BLS median of $78,060 — the more useful number is $86,822, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $8,762.
Bottom quartile $66,790, top quartile $85,020. The P90 ($97,870) is roughly 1.6× the P10 ($60,630).
Multistate license: Kansas participates in the NLC compact, useful for travel-RN flexibility.
State ranks #46 nationally on nominal wage, #41 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Kansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$60,630	$67,436
P25 (lower quartile)	$66,790	$74,287
P50 (median)	$78,060	$86,822
P75 (upper quartile)	$85,020	$94,563
P90 (top tier)	$97,870	$108,856
Mean	$79,430	$88,346
Employment	32,640 RNs in Kansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	96.5
Services	90.8
Rents	68.6

Kansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 68.6.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$78,060	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,420	10.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,792	3.1–5.7% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,972	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$59,876	76.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$66,597	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $59,876 (76.7% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $66,597.

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. Kansas sits at #46 on nominal pay and #41 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kansas climbs 5 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Kansas (NLC)

Kansas participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2019. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Kansas without applying for a separate Kansas license. Kansas-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.

Kansas has been a Compact participant for 7 years as of 2026, putting it in the established middle tier — most major hospital systems and travel agencies in Kansas have updated their credentialing workflows to accept Compact licenses by default.

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 Kansas?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $78,060 for RNs in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $66,790 and the 75th-percentile is $85,020.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Kansas?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kansas), the real-wage equivalent is $86,822 — what the $78,060 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $74,287 to $94,563.
What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Kansas?: The 90th percentile lands at $97,870. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $85,020.
Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas 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. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.
Is Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $78,060 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $86,822. 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.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Kansas?: 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 Kansas 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 Kansas 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.