How many RNs does New Jersey employ?

BLS OES counts 95,150 RNs employed in New Jersey in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for New Jersey 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. New Jersey's overall index of 108.9 reflects rents 134.1, services 114.8, and goods 105.8.

Where does New Jersey rank for RN pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New Jersey 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.

How wide is the wage spread in New Jersey?

P10 to P90 spans $81,670 to $130,540. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is New Jersey a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?

No — New Jersey's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.

Travel RN vs staff RN in New Jersey — which earns more on a real basis?

Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In New Jersey, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

New Jersey Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $103K Median, Real $94K (2026)

TL;DR

Headline RN pay in New Jersey is $102,730. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $94,299.
State ranks #8 nationally on nominal wage, #16 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $81,670 · P25 $96,110 · P75 $123,130 · P90 $130,540.
New Jersey is an NLC compact state — RNs holding a multistate license can practice across compact states without re-applying.

Wage breakdown — New Jersey

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$81,670	$74,967
P25 (lower quartile)	$96,110	$88,222
P50 (median)	$102,730	$94,299
P75 (upper quartile)	$123,130	$113,024
P90 (top tier)	$130,540	$119,826
Mean	$106,990	$98,209
Employment	95,150 RNs in New Jersey

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Jersey index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.9
Goods	105.8
Services	114.8
Rents	134.1

New Jersey is a high-cost state — RPP 108.9 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (134.1) and services (114.8).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$102,730	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,848	13.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,418	1.4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,859	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$76,606	74.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$70,319	÷ (108.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Jersey state-tax burden means for RN take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $76,606 (74.6% of gross). After the 108.9 RPP, real take-home is $70,319.

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. New Jersey sits at #8 on nominal pay and #16 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Jersey falls 8 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — New Jersey (NLC)

New Jersey 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 New Jersey without applying for a separate New Jersey license. New Jersey-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.

New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 many RNs does New Jersey employ?: BLS OES counts 95,150 RNs employed in New Jersey in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for New Jersey 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. New Jersey's overall index of 108.9 reflects rents 134.1, services 114.8, and goods 105.8.
Where does New Jersey rank for RN pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New Jersey 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.
How wide is the wage spread in New Jersey?: P10 to P90 spans $81,670 to $130,540. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is New Jersey a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?: No — New Jersey's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.
Travel RN vs staff RN in New Jersey — which earns more on a real basis?: Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In New Jersey, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

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 New Jersey 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.