Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Arkansas | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $78,940 | $98,331 | -20% |
| Median hourly wage | $37.95 | $47.27 | -20% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $90,840.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Registered Nurse in Arkansas is $78,940, or about $37.95 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Registered Nurses is $98,331. Arkansas is -20% below the national median.
Entry-level registered nurses in Arkansas typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 29,400 registered nurse jobs on record and a median salary of $78,940, Arkansas offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, registered nurses rank 102 of the 673 occupations reported in Arkansas — higher than 85% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Dermatologists at $422,060, Neurologists at $317,880, Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $262,470 — all figures are median annual wages for Arkansas.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Arkansas levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 87.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, registered nurses rank 102 of the 673 occupations reported in Arkansas — higher than 85% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Arkansas | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Dermatologists | $422,060 | $40 |
| Neurologists | $317,880 | $70 |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $262,470 | $350 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $259,320 | $30 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $254,940 | $280 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $239,200 | $60 |
Arkansas levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 87.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 673 occupations in Arkansas.