Registered Nurses Salary in Philadelphia, PA (2024)
Registered Nurses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earn a median of $99,210 per year ($47.70 per hour) based on 74,840 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +6.0% against the national median of $93,600 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where registered nurses actually sit across the pay range in Philadelphia, PA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37.23 | $77,440 | |
| 25th percentile | $40.40 | $84,040 | |
| Median | $47.70 | $99,210 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $51.83 | $107,800 | |
| 90th percentile | $58.89 | $122,500 | |
| Average (mean) | $46.88 | $97,510 |
How Philadelphia, PA compares
The local median of $99,210 runs +6.0% above the US median of $93,600 for this occupation; it pays 91.7% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($51,760); within the metro it ranks 110th of 710 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA — this occupation | $99,210 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $93,600 | +6.0% |
| Philadelphia, PA — all occupations | $51,760 | +91.7% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $188,020 | -47.2% |
At a location quotient of 1.23, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 123% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.4%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 110th of 710 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Philadelphia, PA
To put $99,210 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 110th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrists | $236,740 | 600 |
| Pediatricians, General | $220,310 | 1,190 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $215,060 | 100 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $202,290 | 110 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $200,150 | 220 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $181,200 | 190 |
| Physicians, All Other | $179,220 | 8,290 |
| Dentists, General | $174,220 | 2,090 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $172,710 | 3,230 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $170,330 | 12,820 |
Where registered nurses earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $81,430 to $188,020. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $188,020 | 40,750 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $133,440 | 107,340 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $133,090 | 27,660 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $130,160 | 34,570 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $127,980 | 24,930 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $118,570 | 37,250 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $113,490 | 195,470 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $102,440 | 66,440 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $102,240 | 40,510 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $101,800 | 43,640 |
See the full national picture on the Registered Nurses salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for registered nurses in Philadelphia, PA?
The median annual wage is $99,210, or $48 per hour. That means half of the registered nurses working in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $97,510.
What do the highest and lowest paid registered nurses in Philadelphia, PA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $77,440 or less, while the top 10% earn $122,500 or more — a spread of $45,060 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $84,040 and $107,800.
Is registered nurses pay in Philadelphia, PA above the local average?
Yes, it is 91.7% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $51,760. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Philadelphia, PA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $99,210 the metro median is 6.0% higher than the US median of $93,600 for registered nurses. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $81,430 to $188,020.
How many registered nurses work in Philadelphia, PA?
BLS counts about 74,840 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 26.09 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.23, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 123% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 1.4%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.