Average Salary

• In its national employment survey of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics gathered wage information from over 2.5 million individuals working as nurses throughout the United States. It calculated that the average annual salary for the occupation was $66,530, equivalent to $5,544 a month, or $31.99 an hour. This corresponds with the upper range of figures published by wage comparison website PayScale.com in 2011. It put the average yearly salary for a nurse at between $46,387 and $66,105, dependent on bonuses.
  
  

Salary by Industry Sector

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that a nurse's salary will depend upon the area of the health care industry that she works in. The two sectors that employ the largest numbers of practitioners, general medical and surgical hospitals and the offices of physicians, had comparable wage levels, at $67,740 and $67,290, respectively. Outpatient care centers offered $65,690, home health care services were listed at $63,300, and nursing care facilities at $59,320. Positions within federal government agencies paid more, an average of $77,830.
  
  

Salary by Experience

• PayScale.com also analyzed how experience impacts upon a nurse's salary. It listed the average wage for a practitioner with less than 12 months in the job as between $38,331 and $52,094. An individual who had gained one to four years experience received between $40,530 and $59,046, while five to nine years brought in between $47,793 and $65,574. The accrual of 10 to 19 years in the profession meant pay levels of $49,819 to $71,038 while 20 years or more experience earned a nurse between $51,025 and $73,705.
  
  

Salary by Location

• Another factor influencing a nurse's salary is geographical location. The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed California and Massachusetts as the states in which, across all industry sectors, a nurse was likely to receive the highest pay -- $85,080 and $81,780, respectively. In contrast, South Dakota was listed at $53,520. This most lucrative metropolitan area was listed as the Visalia-Porterville district of California, with an average annual wage of $111,030. In Morgantown, West Virginia, a nurse was likely to receive just $57,180.
  
  

Salary by Speciality

• Nurses can choose to pursue training in different specialities of medicine. PayScale.com detailed how certification in various specialities affected a nurse's salary. The average salary for a general registered nurse was listed at between $44,447 and $63,648. An individual certified in oncology earned between $53,584 and $74,945 on average, while a nurse certified in critical care received a salary of $59,940 to $84,426. A neonatal resuscitation certificate meant compensation of between $47,542 and $69,802, while one in advanced cardiac life support brought the practitioner between $46,333 and $67,158. PayScale ranges are for the 25th to 75th percentile of survey respondents.