New Hampshire RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in New Hampshire
The mean registered nurse salary in New Hampshire is $97,900 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts New Hampshire 3% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and 17th 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 New Hampshire land around $73,425, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $137,060. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
New Hampshire pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all New Hampshire figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $97,900 | 3% below national | 17th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $119,313 | 40% above national | 8th |
| Emergency department RN | $84,353 | — | 21st |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $98,352 | 3% below national | 21st |
| Nurse practitioner | $133,660 | 3% below national | 12th |
| CRNA | $229,266 | 8% below national | 35th |
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
New Hampshire's regional price parity is 105.0 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 5.0% more than the national norm. Run the $97,900 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $93,238 anywhere else in the country.
Adjusted for what things actually cost, New Hampshire drops 23 places — from 17th on paper to 40th 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 New Hampshire pay right now
No state income tax and proximity to Boston wage rates produce strong real take-home; Dartmouth Hitchcock anchors specialty care.
Staffing-ratio law: New Hampshire 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, New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in New Hampshire
The largest RN employment markets in New Hampshire are Manchester, Nashua. 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 New Hampshire
New Hampshire state income tax: none on wages. With no state income tax, a given gross goes further here than the same gross in a high-tax state — worth several thousand dollars a year at RN salaries, and one reason this state stays competitive for travellers. Federal brackets and FICA (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare) apply the same everywhere. The pay calculator models federal and New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?
The mean registered nurse salary in New Hampshire is $97,900 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 3% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 17th of 51 states and DC.
Is $97,900 a good RN salary in New Hampshire?
Adjusted for New Hampshire's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 105.0, where 100 is the national average), $97,900 has the purchasing power of about $93,238 nationally — 40th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which New Hampshire nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $229,266, followed by nurse practitioners at $133,660. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($119,313) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related New Hampshire guides
See nursing licensure in New Hampshire for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in New Hampshire for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.