The Average RN Salaries in Texas

Registered nurses, or RNs, care for patients' physical illnesses or injuries and offer emotional support to patients and their families. Nurses assist doctors, educate patients and keep track of vital signs. These highly trained professionals work as a team with other health-care professionals to provide the best care to patients. If you are interested in becoming a nurse in Texas, you may want to learn about how much these nurses earn.

Texas

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses earned an hourly mean wage of $31.09 and an annual mean wage of $64,670 in Texas during May 2009.

National Comparison

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals how registered nurses earned a national hourly mean wage of $31.99 and an annual mean wage of $66,530 in May 2009. The national hourly wage was 90 cents above Texas' hourly wage. The national mean salary was $1,860 above Texas' annual mean.

Metropolitan Areas

• Salaries for registered nurses in Texas varied across metropolitan areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Metropolitan areas may stretch across multiple states. In May 2009, registered nurses in the Abilene, Texas, metropolitan area earned an annual mean wage of $59,880; Amarillo, Texas, $58,280; Austin-Round Rock, Texas, $62,560; Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, $61,330; Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas, $68,510; College Station-Bryan-Texas, $60,280; Corpus Christi, Texas, $63,360; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, $66,270; El Paso, Texas, $60,850; Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, $69,180; Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas, $65,190; Laredo, Texas, $61,850; Longview, Texas, $59,140; Lubbock, Texas, $55,420; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission-Texas, $69,360; Midland, Texas, $57,760; Odessa, Texas, $59,450; San Angelo, Texas, $57,790; San Antonio, Texas, $65,150; Sherman-Denison, Texas, $55,900; Texarkana-Texarkana, Texas-Arkansas, $65,840; Tyler, Texas, $58,270; Victoria, Texas, $50,960; Waco, Texas, $64,030; and Wichita Falls, Texas, $57,150.

Regions

• Salaries for registered nurses in Texas differed across regions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May 2009, registered nurses in northwestern Texas earned an annual mean wage of $53,400; north central Texas, $62,250; eastern Texas, $53,180; central Texas, $58,510; southern Texas, $61,730; and Gulf Coast Texas, $60,350.

Job Outlook

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, national employment for registered nurses is expected to increase at a rate of 22 percent from 2008 through 2018. Employment for registered nurses in Texas is projected to experience a 38 percent increase through 2016.