Male registered nurses in the United States earn a median salary of around $78,800 to $90,000 per year, depending on the data source and survey year. That’s notably higher than the overall median for registered nurses regardless of gender, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged at $93,600 in May 2024. Men make up about 12% of the nursing workforce, and their earnings tend to outpace those of female colleagues across nearly every nursing role.
What Male Nurses Earn by Role
Pay varies dramatically depending on the type of nursing you pursue. A staff registered nurse is the most common starting point, but advancing into specialized or advanced-practice roles can more than double your income. Based on 2021 median figures from workforce data analyzed by Marquette University, here’s how male salaries break down across the three major nursing categories:
- Registered Nurse (RN): $78,842 per year
- Nurse Practitioner (NP): $123,014 per year
- Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA): $199,981 per year
Nurse anesthetists sit at the top of the nursing pay scale regardless of gender. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an average annual salary of $212,650 for CRNAs overall, making it one of the highest-paid roles in all of healthcare. Reaching that level requires a doctoral or master’s degree in nurse anesthesia and several years of critical care experience, but the financial payoff is substantial.
How Male and Female Nurse Salaries Compare
Male nurses consistently earn more than female nurses in the same roles. The 2022 Nurse Salary Research Report found that male RNs reported a median salary of $90,000 compared to $76,000 for female RNs, a gap of $14,000. In broader terms, women in registered nursing earn about 91 cents for every dollar men earn.
That gap persists at every level of practice. Female nurse anesthetists earned a median of $180,790 in 2021, while male nurse anesthetists earned $199,981, a difference of more than $19,000. Among nurse practitioners, the gap was $13,141, with women earning 89.3% of what men earned. The pay disparity actually widens in higher-paying specialties rather than shrinking.
Several factors contribute to this difference. Research from Rutgers School of Nursing found that in a sample of over 4,500 nurses, men earned an average of $79,688 compared to $73,090 for women, an 8.2% gap. Education, specialty certifications, and years of experience all influence negotiating power. One interesting finding: when both men and women held a specialty certification, the gap shrank from over $6,000 to roughly $1,000 per year. Certification appears to level the playing field significantly, suggesting that credentialing gives all nurses stronger leverage in salary negotiations.
Highest-Paying States for Nurses
Geography has an enormous effect on nursing pay. The top-paying states reflect high costs of living but also strong union representation and competitive healthcare markets. The five states with the highest average RN salaries are:
- California: $148,330 per year
- Hawaii: $123,720 per year
- Oregon: $120,470 per year
- Washington: $115,740 per year
- Massachusetts: $112,610 per year
These figures represent all RNs, not just men, but the relative ranking holds. A male nurse in California can reasonably expect to earn well above the national median, though housing and tax costs eat into that advantage. States in the Southeast and Midwest generally pay less but offer significantly lower living expenses.
How to Maximize Earnings as a Male Nurse
The clearest path to higher pay is advancing your education and choosing a high-demand specialty. Moving from an associate degree to a bachelor’s (BSN) opens the door to most hospital positions, and a master’s or doctoral degree qualifies you for nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist roles. The salary jump from RN to CRNA represents a roughly $120,000 to $135,000 increase in annual pay.
Specialty certifications also matter more than many nurses realize. Beyond the Rutgers finding that certification nearly eliminates the gender pay gap, certified nurses across the board report higher salaries and faster career advancement. Certifications in critical care, emergency nursing, or oncology signal expertise that employers reward.
Travel nursing is another option worth considering. Travel nurses take short-term contracts, typically 8 to 13 weeks, at facilities facing staffing shortages. Pay packages often include housing stipends, travel reimbursement, and hourly rates well above what permanent staff earn. The trade-off is instability and time away from home, but for nurses early in their careers or without geographic ties, it can accelerate savings quickly.
Job Outlook for Nursing
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% employment growth for registered nurses from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations. An aging population, rising rates of chronic disease, and ongoing retirements among baby-boomer nurses all drive demand. Men entering nursing today face strong job security and a field that is actively recruiting for diversity, with many hospitals and health systems running initiatives to attract more male applicants. With men representing just 12.3% of the nursing workforce, there is significant room for that share to grow.