District of Columbia RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in District of Columbia
The mean registered nurse salary in District of Columbia is $106,980 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts District of Columbia 5% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and 9th of 51 states and DC.
That mean covers every RN in the state — new graduates and thirty-year charge nurses, day shift and nights, bedside and management. In practice new-graduate wages in District of Columbia land around $80,235, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $149,772. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
District of Columbia pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all District of Columbia figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $106,980 | 5% above national | 9th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $134,467 | 58% above national | 1st |
| Emergency department RN | $98,015 | — | 2nd |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $114,282 | 13% above national | 2nd |
| Nurse practitioner | $137,600 | level with national | 9th |
| CRNA | $200,000 | 19% below national | 48th |
RN, NP and CRNA figures are BLS May 2025 OEWS unless the state note says otherwise. ICU, ER and travel figures are 2026 aggregator data (ZipRecruiter, Vivian, TheCRNA) — those specialties have no separate federal SOC code, so no BLS series exists for them.
What that salary is actually worth
District of Columbia's regional price parity is 117.5 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 17.5% more than the national norm. Run the $106,980 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $91,047 anywhere else in the country.
Adjusted for what things actually cost, District of Columbia drops 36 places — from 9th on paper to 45th on purchasing power. This is the gap that catches nurses out when they relocate for a bigger number and find it does not go as far.
What is driving District of Columbia pay right now
Highest urban concentration of academic medical centers (Georgetown, GWU, Howard, MedStar, Children's National); federal employer presence sets benefit floors.
Staffing-ratio law: District of Columbia has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so how many patients you carry is set by hospital policy and unit budget rather than by law. That makes the ratio a question to settle in the interview, not after you start — ask what the unit actually runs on nights and weekends, not what the policy says.
Who you are competing with
As a Nurse Licensure Compact state, District of Columbia lets any nurse holding a multistate licence work here without applying for a separate one. That widens the pool of candidates for every posting, and it also means travel nurses can start assignments quickly — which keeps contract rates competitive but stops staff wages running away during a shortage. Full detail on requirements and timelines is in the District of Columbia licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in District of Columbia
The largest RN employment markets in District of Columbia are Washington. Metro wages generally run 5-15% above the state mean, and rural postings 5-10% below — though rural and critical-access hospitals often close part of that gap with sign-on bonuses and loan repayment, because they compete for a much smaller pool of applicants. ANCC Magnet-designated hospitals typically pay 8-12% more than non-Magnet facilities for the same role.
Tax and take-home in District of Columbia
District of Columbia state income tax: graduated to 10.75%. State income tax comes out before anything else, so compare cross-state offers on take-home rather than gross. Federal brackets and FICA (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare) apply the same everywhere. The pay calculator models federal and District of Columbia state tax together, and the cost-of-living calculator compares two states on take-home rather than headline pay.
Differentials and premium pay
Base rate is rarely the whole story. Most District of Columbia hospitals pay a night differential of roughly $2-7/hr, weekends $1-3/hr, holidays at $1-3/hr or time-and-a-half, and charge-nurse pay of $2-5/hr on top. A nurse working a permanent night rotation with every third weekend can add several thousand a year over the base figures above. The shift differential calculator works out what a given rotation is actually worth.
Common questions
What is the average RN salary in District of Columbia?
The mean registered nurse salary in District of Columbia is $106,980 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 5% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 9th of 51 states and DC.
Is $106,980 a good RN salary in District of Columbia?
Adjusted for District of Columbia's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 117.5, where 100 is the national average), $106,980 has the purchasing power of about $91,047 nationally — 45th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which District of Columbia nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $200,000, followed by nurse practitioners at $137,600. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($134,467) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related District of Columbia guides
See nursing licensure in District of Columbia for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in District of Columbia for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.