Registered Nurses salary in Minneapolis, Minnesota

With 40,510 Registered Nurses employed in the metro, Minneapolis is one of the larger nursing markets in the upper Midwest. The 2024 median annual wage was $102,240, a little above the Minnesota median of $100,870 and about 8% above the national median of $94,511.

The mean and median are almost identical here, at $102,790 and $102,240 respectively. That narrow gap is worth noting. In many large metros, a smaller group of high earners pulls the average well above the midpoint. In Minneapolis, the two figures are nearly the same, which suggests wages are fairly evenly distributed across experience levels rather than concentrated at the top.

The spread still tells a real story, though. A nurse at the 10th percentile earned $78,120, while one at the 90th earned $128,690. That is a $50,570 range within the same occupation in the same metro. Specialty, setting, shift differential, and years on the floor all drive that variation. ICU nurses, nurse anesthetists in training, and those working overnight in high-acuity units tend to sit toward the upper end.

Minnesota as a whole pays nurses above the national median, and Minneapolis tracks closely with the state figure rather than pulling far ahead of it. That is somewhat unusual for a major metro. In states like California or Washington, the largest city typically pays 15% to 25% more than the state median. Here, the gap between Minneapolis and the rest of Minnesota is under 2%.