Registered Nurses Salary
Registered Nurses in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC make a median of $90,620 a year, or about $43.57 an hour. The range runs from $70K at the entry level to $110K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.35), that's roughly $93,087 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,686/month, or 28.9% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $91K get you in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia’s Regional Price Parity (97.35). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia
Registered nurses pay in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia tracks closely to the national median, $91K locally vs. $98K nationwide, a 7% difference. Rent runs $1,686/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.7% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.35) 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Cary | $85K | $86K |
| Winston-Salem | $86K | $94K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $83K | $89K |
| Wilmington | $81K | $84K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Entry-level registered nurses (10th percentile) start around $70K. Mid-career wages sit at $91K. Top earners bring in $110K 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a registered nurse afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Yes — at the median salary of $91K, rent takes 29.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,686/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for registered nurses in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new registered nurses typically earn — is $70K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,181/month. At HUD’s $1,686/month FMR, rent would take 40% 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $91K locally vs. $98K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia compare to the national average for registered nurses?
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia pays $91K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.35), the purchasing-power equivalent is $93K — below the national median.
How much do registered nurses make in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC?
The median is $90,620 a year, that works out to about $44 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $69,680, and experienced registered nurses can clear $110,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $91K enough to live in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,672/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,686/month, which eats 29.7% 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia?
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia has a Regional Price Parity of 97.35 (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 $93,087 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.