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.
Registered nurse salary in Arizona (2026)
In this article
The average registered nurse salary in Arizona is $99,730 per year. A small pool of very high earners pulls that average upward, so the median of $99,500 gives employers a more reliable starting point for most hiring decisions. Arizona employs 73,150 registered nurses, and the $230 gap between the mean and median signals real variation in the candidate pool you will be evaluating. Junior registered nurses in Arizona typically earn around $70,540, while senior specialists reach and exceed the $130,930 level at the 90th percentile. Plan for a range rather than a single number when budgeting for a registered nurse hire in Arizona, and anchor that range to the seniority and specialization of the role you are filling.
Metric | Value |
Median Annual Salary | $99,500 |
Average Annual Salary | $99,730 |
vs. National Average | 1.7% below the national mean of $101,420 |
Data comes from the BLS OEWS and covers 73,150 employed registered nurses across Arizona.
Employers setting offers for registered nurses in Arizona should expect a wide range depending on experience level. Entry-level candidates typically fall near $70,540, while experienced specialists push toward and past $130,930, giving you a practical budgeting span of roughly $60,000 across the full talent pool.
City | Average Annual Salary |
Prescott | $108,420 |
Phoenix | $101,090 |
Flagstaff | $97,840 |
Tucson | $95,800 |
Yuma | $92,130 |
Location meaningfully affects what you will need to offer a registered nurse in Arizona, so a single statewide figure will not serve every hiring situation. Prescott leads at $108,420 while Yuma sits at $92,130, a spread of more than $16,000 that can shift your budget depending on where the role is based. Anchoring your offer to the local market rather than the state average will keep you competitive in each specific geography.
State | Average Annual Salary | Median Annual Salary |
Arizona | $99,730 | $99,500 |
California | $150,280 | $140,270 |
Nevada | $105,710 | $103,670 |
Colorado | $99,370 | $100,260 |
Texas | $95,380 | $95,970 |
New Mexico | $95,290 | $94,340 |
Arizona sits in a mid-range position among its regional peers, making it a cost-effective market compared to California and Nevada but broadly comparable to Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. California's average of $150,280 is more than $50,000 above Arizona's $99,730, so employers competing for nurses who could relocate west need to account for that gap. Colorado's mean of $99,370 is nearly identical to Arizona's, which means compensation expectations will be similar if you are recruiting across those two states.
Frequently asked questions about registered nurse salary in Arizona
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
Author
The Rippling Team
Global HR, IT, and Finance know-how directly from the Rippling team.
Hubs
See Rippling in action
Increase savings, automate busy work, and make better decisions by managing HR, IT, and Finance in one place.