Wisconsin RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in Wisconsin
The mean registered nurse salary in Wisconsin is $94,690 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts Wisconsin 7% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and 22nd 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 Wisconsin land around $71,017, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $132,566. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
Wisconsin pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all Wisconsin figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $94,690 | 7% below national | 22nd |
| ICU / critical care RN | $117,283 | 38% above national | 13th |
| Emergency department RN | $87,548 | — | 13th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $102,078 | 1% above national | 13th |
| Nurse practitioner | $130,490 | 5% below national | 20th |
| CRNA | $281,056 | 13% above national | 2nd |
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
Wisconsin's regional price parity is 94.1 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 5.9% less than the national norm. Run the $94,690 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $100,627 anywhere else in the country.
Adjusted for what things actually cost, Wisconsin moves up 9 places — from 22nd on paper to 13th on purchasing power. Nurses here keep more of what they earn than the headline number suggests.
What is driving Wisconsin pay right now
Aurora/Advocate, Froedtert, and Marshfield anchor a strong CRNA market. 2025 update: NP FPA enacted. Wisconsin now ranks #2 nationally for CRNA pay.
Staffing-ratio law: Wisconsin 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.
NP practice authority: Wisconsin granted nurse practitioners full practice authority in 2025, which typically lifts NP compensation over the following two to three years as independent practice becomes possible.
Who you are competing with
As a Nurse Licensure Compact state, Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in Wisconsin
The largest RN employment markets in Wisconsin are Milwaukee, Madison. 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 Wisconsin
Wisconsin state income tax: graduated to 7.65%. 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
The mean registered nurse salary in Wisconsin is $94,690 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 7% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 22nd of 51 states and DC.
Is $94,690 a good RN salary in Wisconsin?
Adjusted for Wisconsin's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 94.1, where 100 is the national average), $94,690 has the purchasing power of about $100,627 nationally — 13th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which Wisconsin nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $281,056, followed by nurse practitioners at $130,490. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($117,283) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related Wisconsin guides
See nursing licensure in Wisconsin for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in Wisconsin for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.