HealthcareBLS OESTech Hub

Registered Nurse Salary in Dallas

2026 · Official labour data · 8 comparison cities

$96,948/yr

Last updated: August 2026 · Source: BLS OES Survey · 1.1M employer sample

Typical range: $80,818 $116,298

Very High Confidence · 97/100

How much does a Registered Nurse make in Dallas, TX?

A Registered Nurse in Dallas earns a median of $96,948/year (about $47/hour). Most earn between $80,818 (25th percentile) and $116,298 (75th percentile); top earners (90th percentile) make $137,046 or more — 1% below the US average. Figures are from BLS employer payroll data, not self-reports.

$68,582
Entry (P10)
$96,948
Median (P50)
$116,298
Top 25% (P75)
$137,046
Top 10% (P90)

Understanding these Registered Nurse salary numbers

We report percentiles, not a single average, because pay isn't evenly spread — a handful of very high earners would drag an average upward and mislead you. Here's exactly what each figure means.

Median (P50) — $96,948

Half of Registered Nurses in Dallas earn more than this and half earn less. It's the most honest "typical" salary — better than an average, which gets skewed by a few top earners.

25th percentile (P25) — $80,818

The lower end of the typical range: 75% of Registered Nurses earn more than this. It's common for early-career roles or lower-cost employers. Earning below it is grounds to negotiate.

75th percentile (P75) — $116,298

Your negotiation target: only 25% of Registered Nurses earn above it. Reaching P75 usually means seniority, in-demand specialisations, or simply negotiating from data. See how to negotiate.

90th percentile (P90) — $137,046

Top earners: only 10% of Registered Nurses make this or more — typically senior, highly specialised, or at the best-paying employers.

Gross vs after-tax pay

These figures are gross (before tax). What actually reaches your account depends on your country, state, and deductions. Estimate your net with the take-home calculator.

National vs Dallas pay

City figures apply the local market premium to BLS data, so Dallas differs from the US average by -1%. A higher number isn't always better once cost of living is counted.

Hourly rate — $47/hr

The hourly figure is the annual median divided by 2,080 (40 hours × 52 weeks). If you regularly work more than 40 hours, your real hourly rate is lower than this. Convert any salary with the salary calculator.

Why this differs from Glassdoor or Payscale

Those sites publish what people say they earn (self-reports), which skew high because higher earners report more often. Our figures come from mandatory employer payroll records (BLS OEWS), so they reflect the whole market — not just a vocal subset.

How current and reliable is this number?

This page carries a confidence score of 97/100, based on the data source and coverage. US figures track the latest BLS release and refresh automatically; international figures use OECD/ILO data. See the changelog for live data freshness.

What counts as a "good" Registered Nurse salary in Dallas?

Around the median ($96,948) is solid and $116,298+ is strong — but "good" really depends on local costs. Check what the number is actually worth with the good-salary breakdown for Dallas.

Still curious how we get these numbers? Every figure is traceable to a primary source — see the full methodology and data sources.

Cite or reuse this data

Registered Nurse salary in Dallas, TX: median $96,948 (P75 $116,298), per BLS OEWS via Official Salary, 2026.

Free JSON: /api/salary?job=registered-nurse&city=dallas — no key. API & widgets →

Key insights for Registered Nurses in Dallas

✓ Reviewed by the Official Salary Data TeamUpdated August 2026Source: BLS OES 2026Confidence: LowMethodology
  • After a simplified take-home estimate, $97K nets about $72K/yr — roughly $37K/yr left after typical single-person living costs here.
  • Pay climbs with seniority: a senior/staff Registered Nurse reaches about $124K — a +28% step from mid-level.
Official Salary Verdict™
Typical Range

Registered Nurses in Dallas typically earn $81K–$116K a year.

Market Median

The market median is $97K — half earn above, half earn below.

Top Earners

Top earners (top 10%) make $137K or more.

Above Average

Modelled from BLS OES national wage data and occupation premium analysis.

Official government labour statistics (BLS OEWS)Updated monthly via BLS APIHuman-reviewed methodologyConfidence Score: 97/100Editorial policy →

Registered Nurse Salary Analysis — Dallas

Registered Nurses in Dallas earn a median salary of $97K, which is 1% below the national median of $98K. Dallas's established technology sector sustains above-average demand for this role, supporting premium compensation.

Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and employer payroll records. Figures represent the median (P50) across all experience levels in Dallas.

Cost of Living Adjustment

Dallas's cost of living is 2% above the US average. Your $97K salary has the equivalent purchasing power of approximately $95K in a city with average US living costs.

$97K
Nominal salary
+2%
CoL vs US avg
$95K
Real value

Salary Distribution — Dallas

5-band distribution from employer payroll records

P10Entry Level
$68,582

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$80,818

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$96,948

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$116,298

Senior / high-performer — target

P90Top 10%
$137,046

Staff / principal / lead

Registered Nurse salary chart for Dallas, TX, 2026: median $97K, top 25% earn $116K+, from BLS employer payroll data
Registered Nurse pay in Dallas — free to share with attributionDownload chart
-1%
vs US avg
+6%
demand growth
Low
AI risk
Data Confidence
97/100A+
BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Aug 1, 2026

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Official Salary Fair Pay Score™

Is $97K a good salary for Registered Nurse in Dallas?

Based on BLS data for 96,948 comparable professionals in this role

50
You're paid above average

You're earning above the median — in the top half of this role's salary range.

Bottom 10%: $69K·Median: $97K·Top 10%: $137K
Underpaid← MedianTop earner
Adjusted · 89% confidenceSource reliability: 40/40 (BLS)

Why This Salary?

How we arrived at $97K for Registered Nurses in Dallas

+32%
Occupation skill premium
Registered Nurses earn well above the national average due to specialized skills required.

Source: BLS OES. All figures reflect 2026 market conditions.

Registered Nurse Salary by Experience Level in Dallas

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$67,864$5,655$33
Junior22 yrs$83,375$6,948$40
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$92,424$7,702$44
Senior66 yrs$102,377$8,531$49
Staff1010 yrs$124,093$10,341$60
Principal1414 yrs$142,707$11,892$69
Distinguished1818 yrs$147,361$12,280$71

Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.

Skills That Earn More — Registered Nurse

Estimated premium above the Dallas median based on market demand

Patient Care+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
IV Administration+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
EHR+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
Critical Thinking+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
EMR+4% ≈ +$4K/yr

Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.

Registered Nurse Intelligence Report

Career metrics and full compensation breakdown — from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4

D42/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+6%/yr
AI Displacement Risk15% — Low
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+1.5%/yr
Below Average: Moderate risk from automation. Consider adjacent skills to broaden earning power.
BLS Official 10-yr OutlookFaster than average
+6%
Growth 2022–2032
+177K
New jobs projected
$100K
In 2 yrs
$104K
In 5 yrs
$113K
In 10 yrs

Total Compensation — Registered Nurse

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and benefits

Total Comp Range
$124K$132K
per year
Base (76%)Bonus (6%)Equity (2%)Benefits (17%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$96,948
Annual Bonus
Typical: 3–12% of base
$7,271
Equity (annualised)
~3% of base — RSUs/options
$2,424
Benefits Value
~22% — healthcare, 401k, PTO
$21,329
Total Comp (mid)
$127,972

Bonus, equity, and benefits are modelled estimates from category norms (not scraped from any single employer); base is BLS. Actual total comp varies by employer, level, and negotiation.

Typical Benefits for Registered Nurses

— show

Often adds 20–35% to your effective pay

Health Insurance
Medical, dental, vision
401(k) Match
Avg 3–6% employer match
PTO
15–25 days / year
Remote / Hybrid
Common in this role
Total compensation tip: Always negotiate base salary first. Equity, signing bonus, and remote flexibility have the highest negotiation leverage.

Compare Registered Nurse Salaries by City

How Dallas, TX stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
Dallas, TX (current)$96,948$116,298+-1%
New York, NY$115,773$138,880++19%
San Francisco, CA$138,630$166,299++42%
Seattle, WA$138,867$166,583++42%
Austin, TX$107,039$128,403++10%
Boston, MA$129,765$155,665++33%
Chicago, IL$102,780$123,294++5%
Los Angeles, CA$110,046$132,010++13%
Denver, CO$118,311$141,925++21%

Official Salary Career GPS™

What should I do next as a Registered Nurse?

O*NET · US Dept of Labor

Associate's or Bachelor's in Nursing (ADN/BSN); RN license required · Ranked by income potential

Key tasks for this role
Assess patient healthAdminister medicationsCoordinate care plansEducate patients and families

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Registered Nurse salary in Dallas, TX?

The median Registered Nurse salary in Dallas, TX is $97K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $116K+ per year.

What is a good Registered Nurse salary in Dallas, TX?

The 75th percentile ($116K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($97K) is above-average for this role in Dallas, TX.

How much does a Registered Nurse earn per hour in Dallas, TX?

Based on the median annual salary of $97K, a Registered Nurse in Dallas, TX earns approximately $47/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$56/hr.

Is Dallas, TX a good market for Registered Nurses?

Dallas, TX pays 1% below the US national average for this role. Demand for Registered Nurses is growing 6% annually, and AI automation risk is rated low for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher Registered Nurse salary in Dallas, TX?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($116K) — it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.

What is the entry-level Registered Nurse salary in Dallas, TX?

Entry-level Registered Nurses in Dallas, TX (10th–25th percentile) earn roughly $69K–$81K per year, rising toward the $97K median with experience and in-demand skills.

What does a senior Registered Nurse earn in Dallas, TX?

Senior Registered Nurses in Dallas, TX — the top quartile up to the 90th percentile — earn about $116K–$137K per year, with the top 10% making $137K+.

How Is This Salary Calculated?

Every number is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — no estimates, no black boxes.

Where does the salary data come from?

All US figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data.

How is the Dallas figure calculated?

The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For Dallas, Official Salary uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline.

What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?

These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less. P75 means 75% earn less — this is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% respectively.

How is take-home pay estimated?

Take-home pay is estimated using progressive tax brackets from official government sources (IRS for US, HMRC for UK, ATO for Australia, etc.). Social contributions (National Insurance, FICA, etc.) are added. These are estimates — actual take-home depends on deductions, filing status, and location.

How often is data updated?

US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

What a Registered Nurse salary really means in Dallas

Take-home pay, rent affordability, and remote benchmarking — on the $96,948 median.

Estimated take-home

$76,361/yr

$6,363/month net

Gross median
$96,948
Income tax
$13,170
Social / FICA
$7,417
Effective rate
21%

Federal income tax only (FICA included). State income tax varies. Single-filer estimate — not tax advice.

Rent affordability

19%

of take-home on a typical 1-bed (~$1,201/mo)

The 30% rule says housing should stay under 30% of take-home. Here it's comfortably within that line. After all living costs (~$2,860/mo), roughly $3,503/mo is left to save or invest.

Cost-of-living estimate for Dallas; rent ≈ 42% of budget.

Remote vs onsite

$96,948$97,550

typical fully-remote benchmark range

Onsite Registered Nurses in Dallas earn the local median of $96,948. Fully-remote roles are usually benchmarked between the US median ($97,550) and the local rate — employers increasingly set remote pay by national or regional bands, not your city.

Compare all Registered Nurse markets →
✓ Reviewed by the Official Salary Data TeamUpdated August 2026Source: BLS OES 2026Confidence: LowMethodology

How to reach the top 25% as a Registered Nurse in Dallas

The gap between a typical Registered Nurse and the top quartile in Dallas is $19,350/year — about $1,613/month more than the median. Reaching the 75th percentile ($116,298) usually comes down to seniority, in-demand specialisations, and negotiating from real data instead of hoping for a raise. Pay for this role has grown about 4.9% per year, so the target keeps moving up.

Registered Nurse Salary Trend (2019–2024)

BLS OES historical national medians

6-yr CAGR
+4.9%/yr
Registered Nurse median salary trend, 2019–2025Registered Nurse median salary trend, 2019–2025: median rose from $73K in 2019 to $98K in 2025 (+33%).$70K$78K$85K$93K$101K$73K2019$75K2020$78K2021$81K2022$86K2023$90K2024$98K2025
2019 median
$73K
2024 median
$98K

Source: BLS OEWS 2019–2024. City-level data uses national trend × metro premium.

Inflation note: In 2019 dollars, today's median is ~$79K — 22% of nominal salary is inflation (2019–2025 CPI avg 3.4%/yr).

Education Premium — Registered Nurse

How degree level affects salary · ACS Census data

High School / GED
-45%
~$53K
Associate's Degree
-18%
~$79K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
~$97K
Master's Degree
+20%
~$116K
Doctoral (PhD)
+18%
~$114K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+130%
~$223K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS · BLS OES wage data.

Negotiation Deep-Dive

Get your data-backed negotiation opening ask and walking-away floor.

📊Your exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
🚪Walking-away floor so you know when to move on
Dallas benchmarks
$97K
Market median
$116K
P75 target
$137K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

Enter your current salary to see your market position and opening ask

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Registered Nurse in Dallas — Distribution
P10
$69K
P25
$81K
P50
$97K
P75
$116K
P90
$137K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position

Data Source & Attribution

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (1.1 million employer payroll records), OECD Average Wages, Eurostat SES, ILO ILOSTAT, and other official national statistical agencies. Data is updated via ISR and reflects the most recent release cycle.

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Aug 1, 2026

Full methodology →
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