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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $92,330 — what the $86,070 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $85,357 to $108,003.

How many RNs does Wisconsin employ?

BLS OES counts 64,960 RNs employed in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin rank for RN pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.

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 Wisconsin an NLC compact state for RN licensure?

Yes — Wisconsin participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin — 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 Wisconsin, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

Wisconsin Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $86K Median, Real $92K (2026)

TL;DR

Registered Nurses in Wisconsin earn a BLS median of $86,070, with real take-home of $92,330 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Nominal: #26/51 · Real: #21/51 — ranking shifts by 5 positions after RPP.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $6,260.
Wage envelope: $74,970 (P10) to $109,270 (P90), with quartiles at $79,570 and $100,680.
Wisconsin is an NLC compact state — RNs holding a multistate license can practice across compact states without re-applying.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$74,970	$80,423
P25 (lower quartile)	$79,570	$85,357
P50 (median)	$86,070	$92,330
P75 (upper quartile)	$100,680	$108,003
P90 (top tier)	$109,270	$117,217
Mean	$90,450	$97,029
Employment	64,960 RNs in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (RN)	$86,070	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$10,182	11.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,474	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,584	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$65,829	76.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$70,617	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $65,829 (76.5% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $70,617.

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. Wisconsin sits at #26 on nominal pay and #21 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 5 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Wisconsin (NLC)

Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin without applying for a separate Wisconsin license. Wisconsin-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.

Wisconsin 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

What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Wisconsin?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $92,330 — what the $86,070 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $85,357 to $108,003.
How many RNs does Wisconsin employ?: BLS OES counts 64,960 RNs employed in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin rank for RN pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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.
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 Wisconsin an NLC compact state for RN licensure?: Yes — Wisconsin participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?: 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin — 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 Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin 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.