Rhode Island RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in Rhode Island
The mean registered nurse salary in Rhode Island is $101,260 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts Rhode Island level with the national RN mean of $101,420, and 13th 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 Rhode Island land around $75,945, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $141,764. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
Rhode Island pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all Rhode Island figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $101,260 | level with national | 13th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $109,053 | 28% above national | 26th |
| Emergency department RN | $84,943 | — | 20th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $99,040 | 2% below national | 20th |
| Nurse practitioner | $139,600 | 2% above national | 8th |
| CRNA | $252,721 | 2% above national | 16th |
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
Rhode Island's regional price parity is 99.7 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 0.3% less than the national norm. Run the $101,260 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $101,565 anywhere else in the country.
Rhode Island ranks 13th on nominal pay and 12th 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 Rhode Island pay right now
Lifespan and Care New England dominate a small market; mandated staffing committees and Brown-affiliated academic medicine. CRNA refreshed for 2026 — prior BLS small-sample undercount fixed.
Staffing-ratio law: Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, every nurse working here needs a Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in Rhode Island
The largest RN employment markets in Rhode Island are Providence. 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 Rhode Island
Rhode Island state income tax: graduated to 5.99%. 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?
The mean registered nurse salary in Rhode Island is $101,260 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is level with the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 13th of 51 states and DC.
Is $101,260 a good RN salary in Rhode Island?
Adjusted for Rhode Island's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 99.7, where 100 is the national average), $101,260 has the purchasing power of about $101,565 nationally — 12th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which Rhode Island nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $252,721, followed by nurse practitioners at $139,600. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($109,053) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related Rhode Island guides
See nursing licensure in Rhode Island for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in Rhode Island for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.