How much does an RN make in New York?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $105,600 for RNs in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $89,360 and the 75th-percentile is $125,810.

How many RNs does New York employ?

BLS OES counts 204,120 RNs employed in New York in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does New York rank for RN pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New York 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.

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.

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.

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

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 New York 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.

Travel RN vs staff RN in New York — 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 York, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

How Much Do Registered Nurses Make in New York? $106K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports New York RN median pay at $105,600. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $97,921.
Nominal: #6/51 · Real: #9/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Quartile range $89,360 (bottom 25%) to $125,810 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $77,930 to $153,420.
New York stays outside the NLC compact, so cross-state moves require a separate endorsement application.

Wage breakdown — New York

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$77,930	$72,263
P25 (lower quartile)	$89,360	$82,862
P50 (median)	$105,600	$97,921
P75 (upper quartile)	$125,810	$116,661
P90 (top tier)	$153,420	$142,264
Mean	$110,490	$102,455
Employment	204,120 RNs in New York

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New York index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.8
Goods	105.1
Services	135.4
Rents	122.0

New York is a high-cost state — RPP 107.8 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (122.0) and services (135.4).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$105,600	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$14,479	13.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,288	4–10.9% (graduated; +NYC residents 3.078–3.876%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,078	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$77,755	73.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$72,101	÷ (107.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $77,755 (73.6% of gross). After the 107.8 RPP, real take-home is $72,101. Local-tax overlay: New York City residents add 3.078–3.876% city tax (Yonkers ~16.75% surtax on state liability). NYC numbers are not in the table — subtract roughly $3,696/year for a 5-borough resident at this income.

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 York sits at #6 on nominal pay and #9 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New York falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — New York (NLC)

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

Legislative status (2026-05): HB 8261 / SB 8743 introduced 2026 in both chambers; held in Higher Education committee. Active labor opposition.

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 New York?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $105,600 for RNs in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $89,360 and the 75th-percentile is $125,810.
How many RNs does New York employ?: BLS OES counts 204,120 RNs employed in New York in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does New York rank for RN pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New York 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.
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.
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.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in New York?: 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 New York 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.
Travel RN vs staff RN in New York — 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 York, 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 York 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.