Registered Nurses Salary
Registered Nurses in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ make a median of $101,440 a year, or about $48.77 an hour. The range runs from $78K at the entry level to $118K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.97), that's roughly $101,470 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,634/month, or 25% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $101K get you in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton’s Regional Price Parity (99.97). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About registered nurses
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What this looks like in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Registered nurses pay in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton tracks closely to the national median, $101K locally vs. $98K nationwide, a 4% difference. Rent runs $1,634/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 25.6% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 99.97) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for registered nurses in metros near Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $101K | $99K |
| Pittsburgh | $82K | $87K |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle | $97K | $98K |
| Lancaster | $90K | $91K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Entry-level registered nurses (10th percentile) start around $78K. Mid-career wages sit at $101K. Top earners bring in $118K or more, a $40K spread from bottom to top.
Registered Nurses pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Registered Nurses salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $140K | +44% | 338,940 |
| Hawaii | $136K | +40% | 12,940 |
| Oregon | $129K | +32% | 39,730 |
| Washington | $124K | +27% | 69,260 |
| Alaska | $109K | +12% | 7,510 |
| New York | $109K | +12% | 205,810 |
| New Jersey | $107K | +9% | 92,680 |
| Massachusetts | $105K | +7% | 88,200 |
| Nevada | $104K | +6% | 27,070 |
| Connecticut | $103K | +5% | 40,110 |
| District of Columbia | $103K | +5% | 11,440 |
| Minnesota | $102K | +4% | 70,110 |
| Rhode Island | $101K | +3% | 10,090 |
| Colorado | $100K | +3% | 54,490 |
| Maryland | $100K | +2% | 52,910 |
| New Hampshire | $100K | +2% | 15,390 |
| Delaware | $100K | +2% | 14,290 |
| Arizona | $100K | +2% | 73,150 |
| Vermont | $97K | -0% | 7,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $96K | -1% | 146,520 |
| Illinois | $96K | -2% | 138,910 |
| Texas | $96K | -2% | 271,380 |
| Wisconsin | $96K | -2% | 68,060 |
| New Mexico | $94K | -3% | 17,980 |
| Michigan | $94K | -3% | 104,950 |
| Virginia | $94K | -4% | 77,490 |
| Georgia | $94K | -4% | 100,950 |
| Idaho | $92K | -5% | 16,880 |
| Maine | $87K | -11% | 16,540 |
| Montana | $85K | -13% | 10,950 |
| Nebraska | $85K | -13% | 24,720 |
| Utah | $85K | -13% | 27,420 |
| North Carolina | $84K | -14% | 111,120 |
| Florida | $84K | -14% | 229,940 |
| Wyoming | $84K | -14% | 5,330 |
| Indiana | $84K | -14% | 68,980 |
| Oklahoma | $83K | -15% | 38,270 |
| Ohio | $83K | -15% | 143,730 |
| South Carolina | $82K | -16% | 49,750 |
| Missouri | $82K | -16% | 76,310 |
| Tennessee | $82K | -16% | 72,200 |
| Kentucky | $81K | -17% | 50,300 |
| North Dakota | $81K | -17% | 11,340 |
| Louisiana | $80K | -18% | 48,970 |
| West Virginia | $80K | -18% | 23,430 |
| Kansas | $79K | -19% | 33,800 |
| Arkansas | $79K | -19% | 29,400 |
| Iowa | $79K | -19% | 34,420 |
| South Dakota | $78K | -20% | 14,710 |
| Mississippi | $77K | -21% | 29,060 |
| Alabama | $77K | -21% | 54,340 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track registered nurses salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a registered nurse afford a 2BR apartment alone in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Yes — at the median salary of $101K, rent takes 25.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,634/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for registered nurses in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new registered nurses typically earn — is $78K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,697/month. At HUD’s $1,634/month FMR, rent would take 35% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is registered nurse a high-paying job in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $101K locally vs. $98K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton compare to the national average for registered nurses?
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton pays $101K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $101K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do registered nurses make in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?
The median is $101,440 a year, that works out to about $49 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $78,280, and experienced registered nurses can clear $118,070. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $101K enough to live in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,386/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,634/month, which eats 25.6% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a registered nurses salary go in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton has a Regional Price Parity of 99.97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median registered nurses salary is worth about $101,470 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do registered nurses get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.