How are Minnesota 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 wide is the wage spread in Minnesota?

P10 to P90 spans $75,830 to $128,200. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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 Minnesota?

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 Minnesota.

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 Minnesota an NLC compact state for RN licensure?

No — Minnesota is not an NLC compact member as of the most recent NCSBN list. RNs moving to Minnesota need to apply for a Minnesota-issued license through endorsement; an NLC multistate license alone is not sufficient.

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

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 Minnesota 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.

Minnesota Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $101K Median, Real $103K (2026)

TL;DR

Median RN salary in Minnesota: $100,870 nominal, $102,612 real (BEA RPP basis).
RN ranking: #12 on the BLS table, #7 once cost of living is in.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
P25-P75 spread runs $83,730 to $110,400; P10 floor $75,830, P90 ceiling $128,200.
RNs moving to Minnesota apply for a state license directly — NLC compact does not include Minnesota.

Wage breakdown — Minnesota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$75,830	$77,140
P25 (lower quartile)	$83,730	$85,176
P50 (median)	$100,870	$102,612
P75 (upper quartile)	$110,400	$112,307
P90 (top tier)	$128,200	$130,414
Mean	$99,460	$101,178
Employment	64,740 RNs in Minnesota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Minnesota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.3
Goods	102.1
Services	89.4
Rents	90.7

Minnesota's overall RPP (98.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$100,870	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,438	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,409	5.35–9.85% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,717	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$74,306	73.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$75,590	÷ (98.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $74,306 (73.7% of gross). After the 98.3 RPP, real take-home is $75,590.

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. Minnesota sits at #12 on nominal pay and #7 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Minnesota climbs 5 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Minnesota (NLC)

Minnesota is not currently a NLC member. RNs moving to Minnesota must apply for a Minnesota-issued license through endorsement; a multistate license from a Compact state alone is not sufficient. Endorsement timelines and fees are set by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

Legislative status (2026-05): Bill HF 2466 / SF 2438 introduced 2023; passed House but stalled in Senate Labor Committee.

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 are Minnesota 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 wide is the wage spread in Minnesota?: P10 to P90 spans $75,830 to $128,200. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
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 Minnesota?: 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 Minnesota.
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 Minnesota an NLC compact state for RN licensure?: No — Minnesota is not an NLC compact member as of the most recent NCSBN list. RNs moving to Minnesota need to apply for a Minnesota-issued license through endorsement; an NLC multistate license alone is not sufficient.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Minnesota?: 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.