Minnesota RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in Minnesota
The mean registered nurse salary in Minnesota is $103,420 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts Minnesota 2% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and 12th 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 Minnesota land around $77,565, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $144,788. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
Minnesota pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all Minnesota figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $103,420 | 2% above national | 12th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $112,427 | 32% above national | 20th |
| Emergency department RN | $84,951 | — | 19th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $99,050 | 2% below national | 19th |
| Nurse practitioner | $128,120 | 7% below national | 24th |
| CRNA | $266,916 | 7% above national | 9th |
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
Minnesota's regional price parity is 97.4 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 2.6% less than the national norm. Run the $103,420 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $106,181 anywhere else in the country.
Minnesota ranks 12th on nominal pay and 9th 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 Minnesota pay right now
Strong MNA union (large 2022 strike); Mayo Clinic anchor. 2025 update: MNA ratified 10% over 3 years (Twin Cities), 9.75% (Duluth). Allina, M Health Fairview, Essentia, Aspirus all settled July 2025.
Staffing-ratio law: Minnesota 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.
Recent contract activity: (Twin Cities + Duluth, ~15,000 RNs): Ratified July 14, 2025. 10% over 3 years (Twin Cities), 9.75% (Duluth). Allina, M Health Fairview, Essentia, Aspirus.
Who you are competing with
Because Minnesota is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, every nurse working here needs a Minnesota 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 Minnesota licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in Minnesota
The largest RN employment markets in Minnesota are Minneapolis, Saint Paul. 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 Minnesota
Minnesota state income tax: graduated to 9.85%. 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota?
The mean registered nurse salary in Minnesota is $103,420 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 2% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 12th of 51 states and DC.
Is $103,420 a good RN salary in Minnesota?
Adjusted for Minnesota's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 97.4, where 100 is the national average), $103,420 has the purchasing power of about $106,181 nationally — 9th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which Minnesota nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $266,916, followed by nurse practitioners at $128,120. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($112,427) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related Minnesota guides
See nursing licensure in Minnesota for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in Minnesota for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.