Hawaii RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in Hawaii
The mean registered nurse salary in Hawaii is $124,340 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts Hawaii 23% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and 2nd-highest in the country.
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 Hawaii land around $93,255, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $174,076. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
Hawaii pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all Hawaii figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $124,340 | 23% above national | 2nd |
| ICU / critical care RN | $115,358 | 35% above national | 15th |
| Emergency department RN | $90,116 | — | 10th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $105,072 | 4% above national | 10th |
| Nurse practitioner | $135,020 | 2% below national | 11th |
| CRNA | $266,694 | 7% above national | 10th |
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
Hawaii's regional price parity is 111.7 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 11.7% more than the national norm. Run the $124,340 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $111,316 anywhere else in the country.
Hawaii ranks 2nd on nominal pay and 4th once cost of living is taken out, so the headline number is roughly honest here — what you are offered is close to what it is worth.
What is driving Hawaii pay right now
Among the highest cost-of-living states; isolated labor market drives heavy travel-nurse reliance.
Staffing-ratio law: Hawaii 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
Because Hawaii is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, every nurse working here needs a Hawaii licence specifically. That slows down out-of-state hiring and travel placements, and in a shortage it tends to push rates up faster than in compact states, because the supply of nurses who can legally take the shift is smaller. Full detail on requirements and timelines is in the Hawaii licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in Hawaii
The largest RN employment markets in Hawaii are Honolulu. 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 Hawaii
Hawaii state income tax: graduated to 11%. 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii?
The mean registered nurse salary in Hawaii is $124,340 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 23% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 2nd-highest in the country.
Is $124,340 a good RN salary in Hawaii?
Adjusted for Hawaii's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 111.7, where 100 is the national average), $124,340 has the purchasing power of about $111,316 nationally — 4th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which Hawaii nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $266,694, followed by nurse practitioners at $135,020. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($115,358) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related Hawaii guides
See nursing licensure in Hawaii for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in Hawaii for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.