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Registered Nurses in Kentucky

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Registered Nurses in Kentucky

Considering a career as a Registered Nurse in Kentucky?

12.1% Jobs Projection
$61,780 Median Salary
3,040 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Registered Nurses in Kentucky are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Registered Nurses in Kentucky is growing faster than average.

  • Registered Nurses in Kentucky earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Registered Nurses Work in Kentucky?

In Kentucky, there were 46,130 people working as Registered Nurses in the year 2018.

There were 44,410 Registered Nurses employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,720 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 43,110 Registered Nurses working in it, which means Kentucky has more Registered Nurses than average.

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Job Projections for Kentucky

Jobs for Registered Nurses in this state are growing at a rate of 12.1% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 14.8%.

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Kentucky Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 3,040 annual job openings, and 51,890 total jobs in 2026 for Registered Nurses in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 203,700 annual jobs and 3,393,200 total jobs in 2026.

What do Registered Nurses Make in Kentucky?

In 2018 wages for Registered Nurses ranged from $44,410 to $81,900 with $61,780 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $21.35 to $39.37. The median hourly rate was $29.7.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $29.01 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.69.

The median salary in Kentucky is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Kentucky Metros for Registered Nurses

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Registered Nurses.

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 23,970 $64,950
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 16,000 $64,300
Lexington-Fayette, KY 7,840 $62,680
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 5,010 $63,060
Evansville, IN-KY 4,470 $60,220
Owensboro, KY 1,660 $61,100
Bowling Green, KY 1,580 $59,970
Clarksville, TN-KY 1,310 $61,230
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY 1,230 $60,720

Top States for Registered Nurses Employment

The table below shows the states where most Registered Nurses work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
California 294,510 $104,410
Texas 210,350 $72,000
New York 182,490 $85,300
Florida 177,600 $64,400
Pennsylvania 148,520 $69,170
Illinois 129,400 $72,250
Ohio 125,380 $64,200
North Carolina 102,500 $62,940
Michigan 96,680 $70,590
Massachusetts 80,630 $86,860
New Jersey 79,530 $81,820
Georgia 76,640 $67,870
Missouri 71,770 $62,270
Minnesota 69,000 $77,940
Indiana 67,870 $62,330
Virginia 64,750 $68,000
Tennessee 60,360 $60,120
Wisconsin 59,030 $70,150
Washington 56,290 $79,920
Arizona 54,690 $75,770

Below are the states where Registered Nurses get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
Hawaii $105,300
California $104,410
Oregon $91,220
District of Columbia $88,800
Alaska $87,650
Massachusetts $86,860
New York $85,300
Nevada $85,210
New Jersey $81,820
Connecticut $79,920

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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