- Registered nurses receive an average annual salary of $66,100 as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although 50 percent employed in the profession earn between $55,380 and $78,790. The average hourly wage for registered nurses in the state is $31.78, with half of all RNs receiving hourly wages between $26.63 and $37.88.
- Advertised salaries for open positions in Arizona reveal lower than average salaries in the state's largest cities. The average annual salary for a registered nurse who works in Phoenix is $64,548 as of January 2011, according to Salary.com. An RN employed as a staff nurse in Tucson earns an average annual salary of $60,410, while those in Flagstaff receive an average annual salary of $58,256. These salaries are for general staff nurse positions, and nurses who work in special wards such as burn clinics, pediatrics or the emergency room may earn higher incomes.
- Nationwide, registered nurses earn average annual salaries of $65,379 as of January 2011, according to Salary.com, with half of all in the profession receiving salaries between $59,451 and $71,950 annually. Although RNs in Arizona receive average annual salaries almost identical to the national average, the 75th percentile for earnings is 110 percent that of the same point for national salaries, indicating that the higher paying positions in the state bring a higher salary than in other regions.
- Although Arizona traditionally faced a nursing shortage that led graduates from nursing programs to find many employment opportunities, the economic downturn of 2008 drastically changed the professional landscape. Faced with cutbacks of their own, hospitals in Arizona slowed hiring, resulting in a labor market where 21 percent of recent graduates from RN programs unable to find a job in their field following graduation, according to USA Today.
Average Arizona RN Earnings
Average Salaries by City
Comparison to National Salaries
Hiring Slump
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