How nursing salaries stack up
In 2018, the average annual salary for a registered nurse came in at $80,000, according to a new survey from Medscape.
That’s $1,000 less than the average reported in 2017, but substantially higher than the 2018 average for licensed practical nurses ($48,000). In 2017, LPNs earned $46,000 on average.
Medscape queried more than 7,000 U.S. nurse members about their annual earnings through an online survey. Most nurses worked in hospital settings (37% inpatient and 13% outpatient).
The findings show that earnings have been mostly flat for RNs over the past few years, with LPNs seeing only modest salary increases. The stagnation in nursing wages is stark compared to specialty physicians, which have seen significant increases in annual wages over the last several years due to high demand. In addition, physicians are seeing higher salaries.
Part of the trend for nurses could be due to a higher number of older, and therefore higher-paid, nurses retiring from the workforce.
According to the survey, the vast majority of RNs and LPNs were full time––78% and 81%, respectively. When broken down hourly, full-time RNs and LPNs made $38 and $23, respectively, while part-timer workers had the same average in 2018.
When it came to salaried versus hourly workers, salaried workers had higher compensation. An RN who was salaried in 2018 made an average of $83,000, compared to $78,000 for an hourly RN. Similarly, a salaried LPN made an average of $53,000 while an hourly LPN averaged $47,000.
Salaries for RNs also varied by setting, with hospital inpatient care, insurance and health plans, and occupational/employee health settings having the highest average salaries. The lowest salaries were within school and college health services––$65,000 on average in 2018.
LPNs made the most money in skilled nursing facilities, with $51,000 in average annual earnings, and the least in school and college health services, with $36,000 on average.
Male RNs and LPNs both made more than their female counterparts, and only 9% of the respondents in the survey were men.
See the full survey here.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."