Registered Nurses Salary in Arkansas

In Arkansas, registered nurses earn a median $78,940 a year, well below the national median of $97,550 (−19%); the state ranks 47th of 51 states by median. Registered Nurses earn 81% more than the median across all occupations in Arkansas ($43,630). Among neighbouring states, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee and Louisiana pay more (up to $95,970 in Texas) and Mississippi pays less (down to $77,090 in Mississippi). Arkansas employs 29,400 registered nurses, 22.6 per 1,000 jobs, the 32nd largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.04 is close to the national share.

Arkansas vs the United States, May 2025

Registered Nurses: wage percentiles, mean, employment, jobs per 1,000 and location quotient in Arkansas and nationally, May 2025
AreaBasisPercentile wageMeanEmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
10th25thMedian75th90th
ArkansasHourly$29.22$32.04$37.95$43.40$49.84$39.1929,40022.551.04
Annual$60,780$66,640$78,940$90,280$103,660$81,520
United StatesHourly$33.14$38.62$46.90$54.02$66.09$48.763,379,720––
Annual$68,940$80,330$97,550$112,350$137,470$101,420
$0$50k$100k$150k10th10th: $60,780$60,78025th25th: $66,640$66,640MedianMedian: $78,940$78,94075th75th: $90,280$90,28090th90th: $103,660$103,660US median
Arkansas annual wage at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles; the line marks the US median. The same numbers are in the table above.
Rank by median
47th of 51 states
Rank by employment
32nd of 51 states
Location quotient
1.04
Jobs per 1,000
22.55

Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Arkansas's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.

Metropolitan areas in Arkansas

7 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Arkansas publish a row for registered nurses, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.

AreaMedian hourlyMedian annual10th pct (annual)90th pct (annual)EmploymentJobs per 1,000Location quotient
Memphis, TN-MS-AR$39.18$81,500$65,280$112,31013,76022.501.04
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$38.98$81,070$60,270$114,19011,55032.231.48
Texarkana, TX-AR$38.75$80,610$60,960$99,3701,76030.621.41
Fort Smith, AR-OK$38.40$79,870$58,540$98,5002,18022.771.05
Jonesboro, AR$37.95$78,940$64,520$100,2501,99032.841.51
Hot Springs, AR$37.79$78,590$59,760$122,3601,16030.021.38
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR$37.46$77,910$64,440$103,7904,87017.680.81
South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area$36.52$75,960$59,940$94,9301,98016.900.78
West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area$36.47$75,850$54,790$95,9701,17013.620.63
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area$36.40$75,720$59,740$93,1802,76023.151.07
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area$36.18$75,260$55,170$91,7201,04015.330.71

Neighbouring states

StateMedian hourlyMedian annualEmploymentLocation quotient
Arkansas$37.95$78,94029,4001.04
Louisiana$38.57$80,23048,9701.16
Missouri$39.32$81,78076,3101.20
Mississippi$37.06$77,09029,0601.15
Oklahoma$39.87$82,92038,2701.03
Tennessee$39.18$81,50072,2001.01
Texas$46.14$95,970271,3800.89

See the national page for Registered Nurses (every state ranked) and the Arkansas wage profile (every occupation in the state).

Source and notes

Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Arkansas estimates.

  • Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
  • Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.