The Gender Pay Gap in Nursing

The gender pay gap describes the difference between men’s and women’s earnings. Although women continue to make up the largest segment of the nursing field, men earn higher salaries overall.

The nursing pay gap has narrowed in recent years, but income disparities remain — especially for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). This guide explores the pay gap for registered nurses (RNs), provides ways for nurses to negotiate for higher salaries, and suggests ways to support equal pay in nursing.

The gender pay gap refers to the ratio of female-to-male annual earnings for full-time workers. Despite the passage of the 1963 Equal Pay Act to protect against wage discrimination based on sex or gender, progress toward closing the gender gap has slowed.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that women in 2020 earned only 82.3% of men’s annual earnings, compared to 57% in 1973.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women earn less than men in almost every occupation. Educational attainment does not significantly narrow the gender gap.

While RNs make up one of the most employed and best-paid segments of the nation’s workforce, the gender gap reveals large pay disparities between female and male RNs. Women comprise more than 87% of the RN workforce but generally earn about $7,300 less a year than men.

Women working in the nursing profession continue to face pay disparities compared to men in similar positions, regardless of:

The 2020 Nurse Salary Research Report surveyed 7,431 nursing professionals from all 50 states, including RNs, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPN/LVNs).

While the average yearly earnings for all respondents was $75,290, men in nursing made an annual salary of $80,000, compared to only $72,700 for women. Female RNs make 90 cents for every dollar earned by men in the same roles — nearly $7,300 less a year.

The gap persists even as women move up the ladder into administrative roles. Women chief nursing officers make $127,050, while men in these same supervisory positions earn an average of $132,700. The pay differentials have grown even wider between male and female APRNs, with men earning $16,000 more annually.

LPN/LVNs, who typically do not hold a bachelor’s degree, earn lower wages overall but show no gender differences in pay rates.

While the gender pay gap has narrowed for many occupations across the United States, earnings for women nurses continue to lag behind men performing the same roles.

The gender pay gap persists even after factoring in elements affecting salary differences, such as age, education, and experience. Recent research also indicates significant pay differentials between men and women in many clinical specialties.

The specialties with the largest disparities include:

Nurses will find the smallest pay gap in:

As the following information demonstrates, salaries for men surpassed those paid to women in almost all the 10 most common clinical specialties.

The 2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey provides data on race and gender. Nearly 81% of RNs reported their race as white. Asian RNs make up 7.2% of the workforce, the largest non-white group in this nursing role, followed by Black/African American and Hispanic and Latino/a RNs.

Among LPN/LVNs, white individuals make up over 65% of the workforce, followed by Black/African Americans, who comprise 17.2%, and Hispanic and Latino/a nurses, who account for 10%. Women make up the overwhelming majority of nurses in all racial categories.

While the gender pay gap continues to affect nursing professionals, especially BIPOC nurses, recent data indicates variations in earnings and hours worked among races.

The following information compares median salaries and overtime for racial groups with data from the recent Nurse Salary Research Report. RNs who identified as white reported working fewer hours than other racial groups. BIPOC nurses report earning higher median salaries and working longer hours, possibly resulting from higher rates of overtime.

The gender pay gap for Black and Latina women has closed more slowly than for white and Asian women compared to white males.

The earnings ratio for Black women has only risen from 59% to 63% in the past 30 years. At this rate, the gender pay gap for Black women will not disappear for 350 years.

Latinas fared even worse, with their earnings ratio rising only 53% to 55% in the same period. If this pace continues without strategies for change, the pay gap for Latinas will not close for 432 years.

The gender pay gap in nursing reflects longstanding national trends across all occupations, resulting from structural and economic discriminations beyond an employee’s control. However, women nurses can use a few strategies to help increase their earnings.

According to the Nurse Survey Research Report, RNs, APRNs, and LPN/LVNs who negotiate their salaries with prospective employers before taking a position may improve their chances of earning a higher salary. However, in general, women nurses are less likely than their male counterparts to negotiate salary.

For RNs, 46% of men compared to 34% of women negotiated their salaries most of the time or always. The percentage of women APRNs and LPN/LVNs who have engaged in salary negotiation also falls slightly below men in these roles.

The gender pay gap narrows with advanced training and certification, but data suggests that fewer women than men in nursing have considered furthering their education and receiving certification. Only 49% of female respondents plan to pursue higher education and certification to boost their earnings, compared to 56% of male respondents.

Closing the gender pay gap in nursing poses a major challenge. Nurses, employers, and legislators can take the next step toward leveling the salary playing field through these additional measures: