New Jersey RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in New Jersey
The mean registered nurse salary in New Jersey is $110,100 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts New Jersey 9% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and 8th 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 Jersey land around $82,575, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $154,140. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
New Jersey pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all New Jersey figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $110,100 | 9% above national | 8th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $119,178 | 40% above national | 9th |
| Emergency department RN | $88,059 | — | 12th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $102,673 | 2% above national | 12th |
| Nurse practitioner | $140,470 | 2% above national | 7th |
| CRNA | $287,792 | 16% above national | 1st |
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 Jersey's regional price parity is 110.4 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 10.4% more than the national norm. Run the $110,100 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $99,728 anywhere else in the country.
Adjusted for what things actually cost, New Jersey drops 9 places — from 8th on paper to 17th 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 Jersey pay right now
Public staffing-ratio disclosure required; close NYC proximity creates wage competition. NJ now ranks #1 nationally for CRNA pay per 2026 data.
Staffing-ratio law: New Jersey 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 Jersey 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 Jersey licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in New Jersey
The largest RN employment markets in New Jersey are Newark, Jersey City. 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 Jersey
New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 Jersey 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 Jersey?
The mean registered nurse salary in New Jersey is $110,100 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 9% above the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 8th of 51 states and DC.
Is $110,100 a good RN salary in New Jersey?
Adjusted for New Jersey's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 110.4, where 100 is the national average), $110,100 has the purchasing power of about $99,728 nationally — 17th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which New Jersey nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $287,792, followed by nurse practitioners at $140,470. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($119,178) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related New Jersey guides
See nursing licensure in New Jersey for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in New Jersey for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.