Registered Nurses salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Registered Nurses in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Washington tax rules.
The figures
The median Registered Nurses in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earns $128,260 a year ($61.66 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Registered Nurses in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn between $104,540 and $136,780 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $99,020 or less and the top 10 percent earn $163,890 or more. BLS estimates 39,900 Registered Nurses jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area — 19.124 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.88 (below the national concentration). That is 1.2% of all Registered Nurses employment in the United States (3,379,720 jobs nationally). By employment, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is the #15 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Registered Nurses. In aggregate, Registered Nurses in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn about $5.04 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $96,920.56 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Registered Nurses is about $3.87 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Registered Nurses. By employment, Registered Nurses is the #5 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Placed against the national distribution for Registered Nurses, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $128,260 falls above the national 75th percentile of $112,350. Across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median is $72,610 a year — Registered Nurses pay is 76.6% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $60.76 | $126,390 |
| 10th percentile | $47.61 | $99,020 |
| 25th percentile | $50.26 | $104,540 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $61.66 | $128,260 |
| 75th percentile | $65.76 | $136,780 |
| 90th percentile | $78.79 | $163,890 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Registered Nurses in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn 1.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($163,890 against $99,020). The middle half spans $32,240 — from $104,540 to $136,780. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($78.79) is 1.65 times the 10th ($47.61). In the upper half of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $136,780 takes home $103,961.76 and the 90th percentile wage of $163,890 takes home $122,334.46 — $18,372.70 more net for $27,110 more gross. Against the median take-home of $98,187.88, the top decile keeps 1.25 times as much. The mean wage of $126,390 sits 1.5% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Registered Nurses ranks #4 by median pay. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage ladder of covered occupations, Registered Nurses sits between Project Management Specialists at $130,380 and Business Operations Specialists, All Other at $101,920. Registered Nurses accounts for 1.9% of all employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. The average covered metro employs 55,027 Registered Nurses; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs 0.7 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Washington
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Washington; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $128,260.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $19,516.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $7,952.12 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,859.77 |
| Washington income tax | $0.00 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care premium) | $743.91 |
| Total deductions | $30,072.12 |
| Net pay (annual) | $98,187.88 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,776.46 |
| Total deduction rate | 23.45% of gross |
At the median, $98,187.88 of the $128,260 gross is kept ($3,776.46 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 23.45%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 21.31% at the 10th percentile, 21.78% at the 25th percentile, 23.99% at the 75th percentile, 25.36% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $22,194.12 on a gross rise of $32,240.
The same engine at the other published points of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($99,020) | $77,916.32 | $2,996.78 | 21.31% |
| 25th percentile ($104,540) | $81,767.64 | $3,144.91 | 21.78% |
| Median ($128,260) | $98,187.88 | $3,776.46 | 23.45% |
| 75th percentile ($136,780) | $103,961.76 | $3,998.53 | 23.99% |
| 90th percentile ($163,890) | $122,334.46 | $4,705.17 | 25.36% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $77,916.32 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,334.46 at the 90th — a spread of $44,418.14 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median wage of $72,610 takes home $59,489.88 a year ($2,288.07 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.07%). The Registered Nurses median take-home of $98,187.88 sits $38,698.00 (above that area-wide figure.
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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $128,260 is $30,710 (31.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $126,390 a year in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA against $101,420 nationally, a gap of $24,970 (24.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Registered Nurses 90th percentile of $163,890 is 98% of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA all-occupations 90th percentile ($167,440), and its 10th percentile of $99,020 is 234% of the area-wide 10th ($42,280).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $128,260 | $61.66 | $126,390 |
| United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | $101,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Registered Nurses in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$128,260 a year ($61.66 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $126,390 a year. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $128,260 in Washington?
About $98,187.88 a year ($3,776.46 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 23.45% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $136,780, take-home is $103,961.76.
How does pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA compare with the national median for Registered Nurses?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $128,260 is $30,710 (31.5%) above the national median of $97,550 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $163,890, against a national 90th percentile of $137,470.
How much do the top 10% of Registered Nurses earn in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$163,890 a year or more ($78.79 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
On $163,890 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $122,334.46 a year ($4,705.17 per biweekly paycheck) in Washington under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 25.36%.
How many Registered Nurses jobs are there in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
BLS estimates 39,900 Registered Nurses jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — 19.124 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Registered Nurses jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
The location quotient is 0.88 — below 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
From $77,916.32 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($99,020) to $122,334.46 at the 90th ($163,890), under the same single-filer assumptions in Washington.
What is the total wage bill for Registered Nurses in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
About $5.04 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 39,900 multiplied by the mean wage of $126,390.
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.