Massachusetts RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in Massachusetts
The mean registered nurse salary in Massachusetts is $117,960 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts Massachusetts 16% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and 5th-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 Massachusetts land around $88,470, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $165,144. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
Massachusetts pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all Massachusetts figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $117,960 | 16% above national | 5th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $119,692 | 40% above national | 7th |
| Emergency department RN | $94,728 | — | 4th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $110,449 | 9% above national | 4th |
| Nurse practitioner | $145,140 | 6% above national | 4th |
| CRNA | $273,729 | 10% above national | 4th |
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
Massachusetts's regional price parity is 108.0 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 8.0% more than the national norm. Run the $117,960 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $109,222 anywhere else in the country.
Massachusetts ranks 5th on nominal pay and 5th 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 Massachusetts pay right now
ICU 1:1/1:2 ratio law (958 CMR 8.00); Boston academic-medicine hub (MGH, Brigham, BIDMC). 2025-2026 update: S.1522 active in legislature would expand staffing ratios statewide.
Staffing-ratio law: Existing 2014 ICU 1:1/1:2 law. Active 2025-2026 bill S.1522 would expand to statewide unit limits. Ratio legislation matters to pay because it changes how many nurses a hospital is required to have on the floor, which tightens the local labour market well before any raise is negotiated.
Who you are competing with
Because Massachusetts is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, every nurse working here needs a Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in Massachusetts
The largest RN employment markets in Massachusetts are Boston, Worcester. 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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts state income tax: flat 5%. 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?
The mean registered nurse salary in Massachusetts is $117,960 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 16% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 5th-highest in the country.
Is $117,960 a good RN salary in Massachusetts?
Adjusted for Massachusetts's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 108.0, where 100 is the national average), $117,960 has the purchasing power of about $109,222 nationally — 5th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which Massachusetts nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $273,729, followed by nurse practitioners at $145,140. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($119,692) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related Massachusetts guides
See nursing licensure in Massachusetts for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in Massachusetts for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.