Registered Nurses salary in Atlanta, Georgia

With about 54,000 Registered Nurses employed in the Atlanta metro, this is one of the larger nursing markets in the Southeast. The 2024 median annual wage was $96,370, roughly 11% above the Georgia median of $86,560 and just under 2% above the national median of $94,511. Atlanta nurses outpace their Georgia peers by nearly $10,000 a year, a gap wide enough to matter when comparing offers across the state.

The spread across the pay range is notable. Nurses at the 10th percentile earned $69,100, while those at the 90th earned $129,340. That $60,000 gap reflects real differences in specialty, setting, and years of experience. A new graduate starting in a general medical unit and a veteran working in a high-acuity surgical or critical care unit can both be counted in the same median, so the range gives a clearer picture of where pay actually lands across careers.

The mean wage of $96,640 sits almost exactly at the median, which tells us there is no strong pull from a small group of very high earners. Pay in the Atlanta market is distributed fairly evenly through the middle of the range.

Compared to the US figure, Atlanta's premium is modest. The metro edges out the national median, but not by a margin that would drive relocation decisions on its own. The stronger case for Atlanta is the combination of scale and above-state pay. A market with 54,000 nurses and wages 11% above the Georgia median tends to offer more options across specialties and employer types than smaller markets can.