Registered Nurses · SOC 29-1141
Registered Nurse Salary in the Wisconsin
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Wisconsin
Figures describe the state of Wisconsin as a whole.
Registered Nurses in the Wisconsin earned a median of $95,530 per year ($45.93 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $77,470 at the 10th percentile to $119,860 at the 90th. BLS estimates 68,060 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Registered Nurses in the Wisconsin earn more than $95,530 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $81,920 and $102,610.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $77,470 | $81,920 | $95,530 | $102,610 | $119,860 |
| Hourly | $37.24 | $39.39 | $45.93 | $49.33 | $57.63 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Wisconsin$95,530 median for Wisconsin; middle half earns $81,920 to $102,610
- United Statesnational$97,550 median for United States; middle half earns $80,330 to $112,350
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −2% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in Wisconsin
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for registered nurses, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Wisconsinthis page$95,530 median for Wisconsin; middle half earns $81,920 to $102,610
- $101,190 median for Madison metro area; middle half earns $87,270 to $103,150
- $98,370 median for La Crosse metro area; middle half earns $79,820 to $102,190
- $97,360 median for Milwaukee metro area; middle half earns $82,570 to $105,000
- $93,890 median for Fond du Lac metro area; middle half earns $80,980 to $99,490
- $93,410 median for Eau Claire metro area; middle half earns $82,430 to $97,400
- $93,030 median for Janesville metro area; middle half earns $77,740 to $98,990
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for registered nurses · Highest-paying occupations in Wisconsin
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.