Registered Nurses salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Registered Nurses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
The figures
The median Registered Nurses in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $101,180 a year ($48.64 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $90,190 and $112,970 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $79,160 or less and the top 10 percent earn $121,900 or more. BLS estimates 73,790 Registered Nurses jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 25.464 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.17 (above the national concentration). That is 2.2% of all Registered Nurses employment in the United States (3,379,720 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #5 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Registered Nurses. In aggregate, Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $7.48 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $77,052.04 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Registered Nurses is about $5.69 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #12 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Registered Nurses. By employment, Registered Nurses is the #2 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Registered Nurses, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $101,180 falls between the national median ($97,550) and the national 75th percentile ($112,350). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Registered Nurses pay is 86.3% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $48.75 | $101,400 |
| 10th percentile | $38.06 | $79,160 |
| 25th percentile | $43.36 | $90,190 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $48.64 | $101,180 |
| 75th percentile | $54.31 | $112,970 |
| 90th percentile | $58.61 | $121,900 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($121,900 against $79,160). The middle half spans $22,780 — from $90,190 to $112,970. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($58.61) is 1.54 times the 10th ($38.06). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $112,970 takes home $84,836.44 and the 90th percentile wage of $121,900 takes home $90,842.48 — $6,006.04 more net for $8,930 more gross. Against the median take-home of $76,903.80, the top decile keeps 1.18 times as much. The mean wage of $101,400 sits 0.2% above the median: higher-paid Registered Nurses pull the average up in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Registered Nurses ranks #4 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Registered Nurses sits between Project Management Specialists at $104,160 and Business Operations Specialists, All Other at $86,900. Registered Nurses accounts for 2.5% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 55,027 Registered Nurses; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 1.3 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $101,180.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $13,429.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $6,273.16 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,467.11 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $3,106.23 |
| Total deductions | $24,276.20 |
| Net pay (annual) | $76,903.80 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $2,957.84 |
| Total deduction rate | 23.99% of gross |
At the median, $76,903.80 of the $101,180 gross is kept ($2,957.84 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 23.99%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 21.57% at the 10th percentile, 22.93% at the 25th percentile, 24.90% at the 75th percentile, 25.48% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,326.58 on a gross rise of $22,780.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($79,160) | $62,088.66 | $2,388.03 | 21.57% |
| 25th percentile ($90,190) | $69,509.86 | $2,673.46 | 22.93% |
| Median ($101,180) | $76,903.80 | $2,957.84 | 23.99% |
| 75th percentile ($112,970) | $84,836.44 | $3,262.94 | 24.90% |
| 90th percentile ($121,900) | $90,842.48 | $3,493.94 | 25.48% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $62,088.66 a year at the 10th percentile to $90,842.48 at the 90th — a spread of $28,753.82 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Registered Nurses median take-home of $76,903.80 sits $32,753.30 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Registered Nurses earns $97,550 a year ($46.90 an hour). The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $101,180 is $3,630 (3.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $101,400 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $101,420 nationally, a gap of $20 (0.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Registered Nurses 90th percentile of $121,900 is 94% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $79,160 is 254% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $101,180 | $48.64 | $101,400 |
| United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | $101,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$101,180 a year ($48.64 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $101,400 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #12 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $101,180 in Pennsylvania?
About $76,903.80 a year ($2,957.84 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 23.99% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $112,970, take-home is $84,836.44.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Registered Nurses?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $101,180 is $3,630 (3.7%) above the national median of $97,550 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $121,900, against a national 90th percentile of $137,470.
How much do the top 10% of Registered Nurses earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$121,900 a year or more ($58.61 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $121,900 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $90,842.48 a year ($3,493.94 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 25.48%.
How many Registered Nurses jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 73,790 Registered Nurses jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 25.464 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Registered Nurses jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 1.17 — above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $62,088.66 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($79,160) to $90,842.48 at the 90th ($121,900), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Registered Nurses in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $7.48 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 73,790 multiplied by the mean wage of $101,400.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.