Nursing degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in nursing earn a median $85,212 four years after finishing, across 858 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in nursing earn $71,500, $9,451 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is registered nurses (78%).
Median across 858 colleges; middle half $79,283–$92,601.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $50,762–$89,493. 22,306 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Nursing"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$35,862/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs nursing graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in nursing actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 78% | $97,550 | +5.6% | Bachelor's degree | SCI |
| Medical And Health Services Managers | 1% | $123,860 | +24.2% | Bachelor's degree | ECS |
| Nursing Assistants | 1% | $42,260 | +2.6% | Postsecondary nondegree award | SRC |
| Elementary And Middle School Teachers | under 1% | $64,170 | -0.4% | — | — |
| Medical Assistants | under 1% | $45,690 | +12.9% | Postsecondary nondegree award | CSR |
| Other Managers | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
| Licensed Practical And Licensed Vocational Nurses | under 1% | $64,400 | +3.0% | Postsecondary nondegree award | SCR |
| Personal Care Aides | under 1% | — | — | — | SCR |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Who tends to enjoy this work
The jobs these graduates hold score highest on Social, Conventional, Investigative interests (O*NET), weighted by how many graduates hold each job. A rough guide to fit, not a test.
O*NET 31.0 interest scores (1-7) for each job, weighted by Census share of graduates; EducationGuide calculation.
Nursing earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $78,124 (12) | $57,721 (319) |
| Arizona | $86,576 (4) | $69,266 (446) |
| Arkansas | $75,246 (12) | $66,117 (182) |
| California | $118,549 (35) | $91,610 (2,190) |
| Colorado | $84,331 (10) | $71,594 (475) |
| Connecticut | $96,483 (15) | $83,527 (218) |
| Delaware | $96,117 (4) | — |
| District of Columbia | $96,845 (4) | — |
| Florida | $89,284 (42) | $67,032 (1,091) |
| Georgia | $83,656 (32) | $67,032 (627) |
| Hawaii | $111,996 (4) | $106,315 (115) |
| Idaho | $76,250 (5) | $71,594 (136) |
| Illinois | $83,867 (29) | $68,433 (1,057) |
| Indiana | $81,507 (29) | $64,435 (555) |
| Iowa | $75,832 (17) | $61,101 (225) |
| Kansas | $78,299 (15) | $55,860 (231) |
| Kentucky | $81,941 (15) | $62,968 (322) |
| Louisiana | $86,608 (15) | $67,032 (314) |
| Maine | $82,677 (7) | $71,068 (104) |
| Maryland | $92,710 (11) | $76,144 (345) |
| Massachusetts | $93,248 (21) | $76,144 (585) |
| Michigan | $81,505 (23) | $67,211 (709) |
| Minnesota | $84,481 (20) | $73,463 (521) |
| Mississippi | $80,622 (8) | $65,914 (184) |
| Missouri | $79,363 (26) | $65,991 (539) |
| Montana | $81,191 (4) | — |
| Nebraska | $77,272 (9) | $67,032 (207) |
| Nevada | $96,934 (4) | $61,446 (188) |
| New Hampshire | $88,246 (8) | — |
| New Jersey | $101,328 (21) | $83,958 (670) |
| New Mexico | $86,559 (5) | — |
| New York | $108,022 (52) | $83,958 (1,279) |
| North Carolina | $79,586 (25) | $67,032 (625) |
| North Dakota | $79,624 (7) | — |
| Ohio | $78,644 (54) | $67,032 (1,104) |
| Oklahoma | $83,826 (18) | $62,323 (190) |
| Oregon | $104,592 (5) | $91,651 (315) |
| Pennsylvania | $91,032 (58) | $75,765 (971) |
| Rhode Island | $88,018 (4) | — |
| South Carolina | $75,458 (13) | $65,989 (367) |
| South Dakota | $77,180 (6) | $65,991 (111) |
| Tennessee | $77,105 (28) | $61,101 (581) |
| Texas | $88,815 (39) | $71,068 (1,772) |
| Utah | $80,444 (8) | $62,049 (248) |
| Vermont | $82,571 (3) | — |
| Virginia | $89,336 (21) | $72,618 (526) |
| Washington | $93,424 (15) | $86,024 (501) |
| West Virginia | $83,255 (12) | — |
| Wisconsin | $81,446 (22) | $71,594 (455) |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where nursing graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 55 in Florida, 29 in Virginia, 42 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-East BayCA | $150,921 | $18,875 |
| 2 | San Francisco State UniversityCA | $150,102 | $16,875 |
| 3 | Dominican University of CaliforniaCA | $149,622 | $27,000 |
| 4 | Sonoma State UniversityCA | $143,886 | $19,750 |
| 5 | University of San FranciscoCA | $143,356 | $27,000 |
| 6 | Pacific Union CollegeCA | $140,542 | $31,000 |
| 7 | California State University-Monterey BayCA | $134,489 | $9,489 |
| 8 | California State University-SacramentoCA | $129,960 | $19,000 |
| 9 | California State University-StanislausCA | $126,959 | $23,450 |
| 10 | San Diego State UniversityCA | $120,799 | $18,875 |
| 11 | California State University-San MarcosCA | $120,196 | $25,047 |
| 12 | University of California-IrvineCA | $119,502 | $13,400 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Nursing degree questions
How much do Nursing graduates make?
Nursing graduates earn a median $85,212 four years after finishing, across 858 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $79,283 to $92,601; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in nursing, the median is $71,500 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Nursing degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in nursing earn a median $71,500: $9,451 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $35,862 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Nursing graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in nursing, the most common jobs are registered nurses (78%), medical and health services managers (1%), nursing assistants (1%). Registered Nurses earn a U.S. median $97,550.
How much do Nursing graduates earn in Florida?
Across 42 Florida colleges reporting, Nursing graduates earn a median $89,284 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $67,032.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Nursing degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/nursing.