Utah RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in Utah
The mean registered nurse salary in Utah is $90,950 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts Utah 10% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and 30th 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 Utah land around $68,212, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $127,329. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
Utah pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all Utah figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $90,950 | 10% below national | 30th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $104,253 | 22% above national | 35th |
| Emergency department RN | $78,963 | — | 40th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $92,068 | 9% below national | 40th |
| Nurse practitioner | $131,680 | 4% below national | 16th |
| CRNA | $247,050 | 1% below national | 21st |
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
Utah's regional price parity is 94.5 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 5.5% less than the national norm. Run the $90,950 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $96,243 anywhere else in the country.
Utah ranks 30th on nominal pay and 29th 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 Utah pay right now
Intermountain Health and University of Utah Health dominate. CRNA refreshed for 2026 — prior BLS $133K was anomalously low.
Staffing-ratio law: Utah 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, Utah 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 Utah licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in Utah
The largest RN employment markets in Utah are Salt Lake City, Provo. 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 Utah
Utah state income tax: flat 4.55%. 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 Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah?
The mean registered nurse salary in Utah is $90,950 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 10% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 30th of 51 states and DC.
Is $90,950 a good RN salary in Utah?
Adjusted for Utah's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 94.5, where 100 is the national average), $90,950 has the purchasing power of about $96,243 nationally — 29th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which Utah nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $247,050, followed by nurse practitioners at $131,680. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($104,253) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related Utah guides
See nursing licensure in Utah for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in Utah for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.