Nursing has never been more complex – or more essential.
But does pay truly reflect the growth, expertise, and responsibility RNs take on throughout their careers?
We’re breaking down the latest data from our Registered Nursing Compensation Survey:
In this video, we explore early-career wage growth, mid- and late-career pay plateaus, and the growing impact of pay compression.
You’ll also learn how organizations are making targeted investments in RN leaders and managers, how specialty premiums are shaping base pay trends, and why regional differences matter more than ever.
Watch to see where RN pay stands today – and where it may be headed next.
Empower your organization to effectively shape your RN workforce strategy moving forward!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Nursing has never been more complex – or more essential. Registered nurses grow continuously over the course of their careers. They gain experience, they expand skills, and they take on greater responsibility. But financially, many RNs are encountering a different reality. Career growth does not always lead to pay growth.
RNs who start their journey as a new graduate RN role experienced no movement in the first half of 2025. Early career pay growth is often the most meaningful up until year 10. But, as experience accumulates, wage progression often slows and in some cases, it flattens.
Survey experience-based medians for staff RNs show that pay increases steadily early on, then begins to plateau later in the career journey. The result is pay compression, where the financial value of experience erodes just as clinical judgment and operational reliance peak.
SullivanCotter’s latest nursing compensation data shows organizations are making targeted investments in RN pay, prioritizing certain roles, specialties, and geographies.
In the first half of 2025, RN leaders and managers saw the largest median base pay increases – 3.0% for leaders and 2.7% for managers. Meanwhile, supervisors, charge nurses, and staff RNs experienced lower median movement.
To maintain the long-term health and equity of nursing compensation programs, many organizations are addressing pay compression by first prioritizing managers and leaders.
That targeted approach is visible across regions as well. In the first half of 2025, organizations nationwide increased base pay for RN managers at a higher rate than staff or supervisory roles – marking a notable shift from recent years.
Across most regions, RN manager base pay grew between 2.3 and 2.9% in just six months. At the same time, staff RN base pay growth remained more modest – generally below 2%.
In most parts of the country, one region stands out. In the Northeast, Staff RN base pay increased by 3.6% – outpacing staff investment in every other region. This variation highlights how organizations are responding differently to local workforce pressures while continuing to prioritize leadership roles nationally.
Many nurses advance professionally without meaningful base pay progression. They become preceptors, charge nurses, senior or lead RNs. Each role carries more responsibility, more decision-making, and greater accountability. Yet base pay often changes very little. Advancement into supervisory or management roles is sometimes viewed as the only path forward, but that path is not for everyone.