The state where average nurse pay goes the furthest is Kentucky, according to data from ZipRecruiter and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator.
The minimum cost of living in each state in the U.S. eats up the majority of the average nurse salary, with Hawaii being the most costly. Nurses in the state who are single with no children are left with only $10,763 for the year, after minimum living expenses are paid.
On the other end of the spectrum, single nurses with no children in Kentucky are left with $26,394, or 45 percent of their annual pay, after minimum living expenses.
The minimum cost of living in each state was provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator. The cost of living is for a single adult with no children, before taxes.
| State | Avg. annual nurse salary | Avg. cost of living | CoL salary burden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $58,441 | $32,147 | 55% |
| Nebraska | $62,194 | $34,519 | 55.5% |
| Oklahoma | $57,805 | $32,750 | 56.7% |
| Wyoming | $55,844 | $31,719 | 56.8% |
| Arkansas | $56,930 | $32,336 | 56.8% |
| West Virginia | $54,222 | $32,144 | 59.3% |
| Washington | $64,818 | $38,573 | 59.5% |
| South Dakota | $51,840 | $30,895 | 59.6% |
| New Hampshire | $60,321 | $36,023 | 59.7% |
| North Dakota | $53,399 | $31,976 | 59.9% |
| Michigan | $56,507 | $34,028 | 60.2% |
| South Carolina | $60,166 | $36,340 | 60.4% |
| Idaho | $54,640 | $33,603 | 61.5% |
| Missouri | $54,943 | $33,890 | 61.7% |
| Tennessee | $51,886 | $32,135 | 61.9% |
| Delaware | $59,395 | $36,896 | 62.1% |
| Indiana | $52,129 | $32,844 | 63% |
| Ohio | $51,510 | $32,460 | 63% |
| Nevada | $53,446 | $33,788 | 63.2% |
| Montana | $53,010 | $33,946 | 64% |
| Texas | $52,895 | $34,127 | 64.5% |
| Alaska | $53,870 | $34,786 | 64.6% |
| Maryland | $63,465 | $41,054 | 64.7% |
| Pennsylvania | $53,303 | $34,680 | 65.1% |
| Vermont | $56,846 | $37,044 | 65.2% |
| Virginia | $61,378 | $40,362 | 65.8% |
| Colorado | $60,298 | $39,846 | 66.1% |
| Wisconsin | $51,615 | $34,120 | 66.1% |
| Louisiana | $50,386 | $33,585 | 66.7% |
| Illinois | $56,623 | $37,782 | 66.7% |
| Alabama | $49,428 | $33,094 | 67% |
| Iowa | $49,653 | $33,657 | 67.8% |
| Kansas | $50,247 | $34,073 | 67.8% |
| Rhode Island | $54,148 | $37,019 | 68.4% |
| Maine | $54,024 | $37,184 | 68.8% |
| New Mexico | $49,035 | $33,792 | 68.9% |
| Arizona | $52,465 | $36,252 | 69.1% |
| Mississippi | $47,070 | $32,572 | 69.2% |
| Utah | $50,877 | $35,311 | 69.4% |
| North Carolina | $51,270 | $35,655 | 69.5% |
| Minnesota | $51,955 | $36,898 | 71% |
| Connecticut | $54,876 | $39,526 | 72% |
| Georgia | $50,611 | $36,686 | 72.5% |
| New York | $62,387 | $45,738 | 73.3% |
| Florida | $47,702 | $35,858 | 75.2% |
| Massachusetts | $58,450 | $45,517 | 77.9% |
| California | $58,179 | $45,382 | 78% |
| Oregon | $51,027 | $40,587 | 79.5% |
| New Jersey | $53,207 | $42,775 | 80.4% |
| Hawaii | $56,510 | $45,747 | 81% |