What Is the Texas RN Salary?

What is the average RN salary in Texas per year and per hour?

The average Texas RN salary per year and per hour is listed as the mean annual and hourly wage in the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2024 Texas wage table. The same table reports median wages and percentile estimates for registered nurses, occupation code 29-1141.

Mean and median answer different questions. The mean is the arithmetic average across reported wage estimates; the median marks the midpoint, with half of the workers below it and half above it. Averages can be pulled upward by higher wages, so the mean alone does not describe what a typical nurse earns.

Percentiles add useful context. The 10th percentile indicates the lower end of the wage distribution, while the 90th percentile indicates its upper end. They help frame the spread of reported wages, but do not identify a guaranteed starting wage or a cap for an individual nurse.

The reference year matters. These are May 2024 estimates, not a live wage quote. Read the annual and hourly amounts together, and compare the percentile range rather than relying on one statewide figure.

What is the median Texas RN salary, and how does it differ from the average?

The median Texas RN salary is the midpoint wage in the May 2024 BLS state estimate, while the average is the mean of reported wages. The median is often more useful for understanding the center of the wage distribution because a small number of high wages can pull the mean upward.

Neither measure tells you what one employer will offer. A nurse’s offer can sit above or below the statewide midpoint because the state estimate combines employers and locations. The percentile range gives another comparison point: a wage near the lower percentile differs from one near the upper percentile, even though both are part of the same statewide occupation estimate.

For a practical comparison, match the right measure. Compare an offer’s base hourly rate with the BLS hourly figures, and compare annual salary with annual figures. An annual total that includes extra shifts should not be treated as equivalent to a guaranteed base salary.

How much do registered nurses make in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio?

Registered nurse wages in Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio have separate May 2024 BLS metro estimates. The BLS metropolitan-area wage page links to occupation estimates for those regions and specifies the geographic definitions used.

Metro comparisons matter because a statewide figure blends distinct labor markets. Use each metro’s RN estimate to assess a local offer, then check that the defined metro area matches the job’s location. City names in ordinary usage do not always capture the BLS area boundary.

A local benchmark still does not predict an individual offer. The BLS estimates represent employer-reported wages across workers in the occupation, not a personalized rate for a particular facility, specialty, schedule, or experience level. City is one comparison point, not the whole compensation picture.

How much can a new RN expect to earn in Texas?

A new RN can use the lower part of the BLS Texas wage distribution as context, but the cited statewide data do not report a separate starting salary or break pay down by experience. The state percentiles describe the overall occupation, not a specific new-graduate cohort.

When reviewing an offer, separate guaranteed base pay from possible additional earnings. Ask whether the stated rate is hourly or salaried, which hours and shifts it covers, how overtime is handled, and whether bonuses are guaranteed or conditional. The annual total can look higher when it assumes extra hours that are not guaranteed.

Benefits also belong in the comparison, but they are not the same as wage. Health coverage and other benefits affect the value of a job package; they do not increase the stated hourly base wage or the amount deposited in a paycheck. Take-home pay is also different from gross pay because payroll deductions affect what reaches the employee.

Use this checklist to compare an offer with the benchmarks:

• Match the offer’s hourly or annual base wage to the corresponding BLS measure.
• Compare it with the relevant metro estimate and the statewide percentile range.
• Confirm which shift differentials apply and whether they are guaranteed.
• Check overtime eligibility, the workweek definition, and how overtime is calculated.
• Separate base pay, variable pay, benefits, and take-home pay in your own comparison.

The Department of Labor explains that covered, nonexempt employees generally receive at least time-and-one-half their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Its health care overtime fact sheet says shift differentials and some bonuses can be included in the regular-rate calculation. The rules can depend on coverage and exemption status; a nurse’s job title alone does not settle whether the learned-professional exemption applies, as the Department of Labor nurse guidance explains.