Any city with higher living cost is going to have to compensate with higher wages. I think it all evens out. But I would say San Francisco, Southern California, Florida and New York probably pay the most.

Florida girl at heart
I love Florida and I was raised in Florida, but I will tell you they are one of the worst paying. WHY? Because #1, there is no STATE tax. #2 so many people love Florida, they feel monetary compensation is not as important as location.

evajayden,

I was thinking of moving to Florida after I graduate, can you give me a ballpark figure on what RN's make ?? I agree, Florida is beautiful, but if they pay less than MO, I'm not sure I want to sacrifice pay for location afterall.
The word thru the grapevine here in MO is that our GN's start out between $17-18 hr. is it worse than that??

9 yr rn
wiht 9 years experience a hospital in murray ky offered me 18.18 an hour

Jacksonville FL RN's new grads should make 17-18 an hour. After that first year of experience change hospitals for a 2-3 dollar raise or stay at the same location for say 50 cents.

best pay
Florida does not pay that great, but you can work as much as you want. You can make all the overtime you can stand and thats how you make money in Florida. San Francisco pays better than southern California. New York pays very well, but the cost of living is high. I would suggest that before you move to Florida, that you take a working vacation there to see if you like it before you commit to a move. I moved there 20 + years ago and the wonderful weather is the best I can say for Florida. The dont treat their nurses well at all

florida pay
I have been working in Florida in the Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Tampa Clearwater areas and the pay is the lowest in the country...new Grads will start out at $18 hr but a nurse with over 20 years won't make more than around $25 an hour. I agree that they do not treat their nurses well as compared to up north ( we have done travel assignments in new england) the hospitals expect that the perk of sun and fun off set the low pay. The rent and price of housing here in FL is pricing nurses out...like policeman and teachers with the rising price of realestate taxes, housing insurance etc. which is driving the rental price up too. This is not to mention that the nurse patient ratio's are very awful and very dangerous. Now that the kids have graduated we are going to move up north...we can always travel somewhere warm if the snow gets too deep! I hear from my snowbird patient's families of new grads starting out at $38/hr.!!!

pay
In oklahoma and kansas pay with agency around $30 for per diem. Obviously travel is more. But its not bad. I hear Delaware pays great.

mississippi pay rate
Mississippi per diem rate is 32.00 to 37.00 hourly. Sunday RN

San Francisco has the best per diem rates by far...like low to mid 40s/hour. Yes, the cost of living is much higher, but the city life is totally worth it...the food, the entertainment, the people. Can you tell I'm from there? haha!

Pay rate
I have been working 9 years in a hospital in Trenton and have been a nurse for 14. I make 33.50 an hour on the day shift. You get $4.00 more to work 2nd and 3rd shift. I know the other hospitals in our area pay a little more. We work a lot with the poor and Charity Care cases.

Re: What regions pay more?


rural Ohio starts RNs out in a hospital setting at about $20 an hour.

Re: What regions pay more?


to clarify - that is for a full time position, with all the benefits. per diem makes about $5 more per hour, no benefits.

From what has been said about pay in the above... you may want to check out the Twin Cities area. New grads start in the hospitals here around $25. I'm at a step 9(years) and make 40 for base and 50 with my diff.....