The 90th percentile for registered nurses in Massachusetts is $174,510 per year, meaning the top 10% of earners reach or exceed that level. Senior specialists in high-demand settings or with advanced certifications are most likely to command compensation at or above that threshold. When recruiting for a senior or specialized role, plan your offer ceiling with that figure in mind rather than anchoring to the statewide median.
Registered nurse salary in Massachusetts (2026)
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The average registered nurse salary in Massachusetts is $117,960 per year. A small pool of very high earners pulls that average upward, so the median of $104,550 gives employers a more reliable starting point for most hiring decisions. Massachusetts employs 88,200 registered nurses, and the $13,410 gap between the mean and median reflects real variation in the candidate pool you will be evaluating. Junior registered nurses in Massachusetts typically earn around $80,310, while senior specialists reach and exceed the $174,510 level at the 90th percentile. Plan for a range rather than a single number when budgeting for a registered nurse hire in Massachusetts, and anchor that range to the seniority and specialization of the role you are filling.
Metric / Value
Metric | Value |
Median Annual Salary | $104,550 |
Average Annual Salary | $117,960 |
vs. National Average | 16.3% above the national mean of $101,420 |
Data comes from the BLS OEWS and covers 88,200 employed registered nurses across Massachusetts.
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Registered nurse salary percentiles in Massachusetts
Percentile | Annual Salary |
10th Percentile | $80,310 |
25th Percentile | $87,460 |
75th Percentile | $136,110 |
90th Percentile | $174,510 |
Employers hiring entry-level registered nurses in Massachusetts should expect offers in the $80,310 to $87,460 range, while experienced specialists command $136,110 to $174,510 and beyond. Setting your offer below the 25th percentile of $87,460 for a mid-career candidate will put you at a disadvantage in a market with 88,200 active practitioners.
City | Average Annual Salary |
Boston | $121,820 |
Worcester | $113,910 |
Barnstable | $112,730 |
Springfield | $98,850 |
Employers hiring registered nurses in Springfield can budget meaningfully less than those competing in Boston, which creates a real opportunity to calibrate offers by location rather than applying a single statewide figure. Boston's average of $121,820 runs $22,970 higher than Springfield's $98,850, a gap large enough to affect both offer strategy and total compensation budgets. If your facility sits outside the Boston metro, anchoring to the local city average will produce more accurate and competitive offers.
How Massachusetts compares to other states
State | Average Annual Salary | Median Annual Salary |
Massachusetts | $117,960 | $104,550 |
New York | $113,440 | $109,440 |
New Jersey | $110,100 | $106,500 |
Connecticut | $105,250 | $102,740 |
Rhode Island | $101,260 | $100,640 |
Pennsylvania | $94,020 | $96,430 |
Employers in Massachusetts should expect to pay at the top of the Northeast regional market when recruiting registered nurses, which means compensation packages need to reflect that positioning to remain competitive. Massachusetts leads all comparison states with a mean of $117,960, sitting above New York at $113,440 and New Jersey at $110,100. Pennsylvania's mean of $94,020 shows that employers with remote or multi-state operations have meaningful cost differences to account for when setting location-based pay bands.
Frequently asked questions about registered nurse salary in Massachusetts
What is the highest pay for an RN?
Registered Nurse salary by state
Data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2025, SOC code 29-1141 (Registered Nurses).
Disclaimer
Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.
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The Rippling Team
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