Registered Nurses Average Salary in Massachusetts
$117,960 average · $117,960 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 29-1141What is this?
Professional in registered nurses
How much do Registered Nurses make in Massachusetts?
The average registered nurses salary in Massachusetts is $117,960 per year. That works out to about $56.71 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 88,200 registered nurses jobs in Massachusetts.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $117,960. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $117,960; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $117,960 — a 0% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Careers Are Structured
Healthcare practitioner wages are among the most reliable in the labor data: demand is demographic rather than cyclical, licensure restricts supply, and the aging population guarantees the trend. This group spans an enormous range — from technologists to physicians — so the occupation-level detail on this page matters more than group generalizations.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how registered nurses pay is distributed in Massachusetts specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
Credential level sets the floor and ceiling: each step up the licensure ladder (LPN to RN to NP, for example) moves the entire distribution, not just the median. Setting matters next — hospitals generally pay above clinics and far above schools or home care for the same license. Shift differentials, overtime, and travel/contract arrangements can push actual earnings well above the base wages recorded here.
Every occupation in this group has a defined educational and licensure pipeline, which makes career planning unusually concrete: the prerequisites, program length, and resulting wage distribution are all knowable in advance. The highest-return calculation in healthcare is comparing the cost and duration of the next credential against the permanent distribution shift it buys.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
High Demand OccupationBright Outlook
Registered Nurses is in high demand with strong job growth projected over the next decade.
What Do Registered Nurses Do?
Professional in registered nurses
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 29-1141
Registered Nurses pay in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, registered nurses report a median of $117,960 (about $56.71/hour) across roughly 88,200 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $117,960 at the 10th percentile to $117,960 at the 90th.
Compared with the national distribution, local industry mix and cost of living are the main reasons Massachusetts wages for this occupation sit where they do — toggle Regional Price Parity on this page to see purchasing-power-adjusted pay.
Income reality check
The median salary for Registered Nurses in Massachusetts of $117,960 falls in the Upper-middle class band of this framework - roughly ~13% of the U.S. population and ~4% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
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AI Replacement Risk Analysis
Forward-looking analysis of automation and AI impact
- Knowledge-based work - moderate automation risk
- High human interaction requirement
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Occupation Report Card
Job Outlook 2023-2033
Official BLS Employment Projections for Registered Nurses
Skills & What You Do
Most occupations require a bachelor's degree
- Monitor, record, and report patient symptoms and progress
- Administer medications and treatments
- Develop and manage nursing care plans
- Educate patients and families on health management
Top Industries for Registered Nurses
| $106,542 | $100,569 | $51 | 7,846,370 | |
| $101,995 | $95,337 | $49 | 817,570 | |
| $101,600 | $97,660 | $49 | 2,895,620 | |
| $95,316 | $88,732 | $46 | 1,079,420 | |
| $88,610 | $84,300 | $43 | 198,830 |
Related Occupations
SOC: 11-1021 • 86% match | $134,649 | $134,530 | $65 | 18,506,210 |
SOC: 17-2041 • 76% match | $129,056 | $129,980 | $62 | 111,120 |
SOC: 29-2033 • 76% match | $105,088 | $105,160 | $51 | 110,630 |
SOC: 15-1244 • 76% match | $103,079 | $103,680 | $50 | 1,753,320 |
| Find Occupation 15 1244 Jobs | ||||
SOC: 13-2011 • 81% match | $94,419 | $95,250 | $45 | 7,668,610 |
SOC: 13-1161 • 78% match | $89,203 | $89,790 | $43 | 4,666,320 |
Related Occupations
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Registered Nurses in Other States
Compare salaries for this occupation across different states:
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Career Advancement Strategy
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Related Metrics
Viewing: Registered Nurses (SOC: 29-1141)
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