Registered Nurses salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Registered Nurses in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Massachusetts tax rules.
The figures
The median Registered Nurses in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earns $106,180 a year ($51.05 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Registered Nurses in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn between $94,870 and $153,380 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $81,880 or less and the top 10 percent earn $188,670 or more. BLS estimates 64,240 Registered Nurses jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area — 23.757 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.09 (above the national concentration). That is 1.9% of all Registered Nurses employment in the United States (3,379,720 jobs nationally). By employment, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH is the #7 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Registered Nurses. In aggregate, Registered Nurses in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn about $7.83 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $88,759.18 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Registered Nurses is about $5.70 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands #8 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Registered Nurses. By employment, Registered Nurses is the #3 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Placed against the national distribution for Registered Nurses, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $106,180 falls between the national median ($97,550) and the national 75th percentile ($112,350). Across all occupations, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median is $66,620 a year — Registered Nurses pay is 59.4% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $58.57 | $121,820 |
| 10th percentile | $39.37 | $81,880 |
| 25th percentile | $45.61 | $94,870 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $51.05 | $106,180 |
| 75th percentile | $73.74 | $153,380 |
| 90th percentile | $90.71 | $188,670 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Registered Nurses in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($188,670 against $81,880). The middle half spans $58,510 — from $94,870 to $153,380. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($90.71) is 2.30 times the 10th ($39.37). In the upper half of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $153,380 takes home $108,752.30 and the 90th percentile wage of $188,670 takes home $131,108.34 — $22,356.04 more net for $35,290 more gross. Against the median take-home of $78,538.62, the top decile keeps 1.67 times as much. The mean wage of $121,820 sits 14.7% above the median: higher-paid Registered Nurses pull the average up in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Among the 30 covered occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, Registered Nurses ranks #4 by median pay. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH wage ladder of covered occupations, Registered Nurses sits between Project Management Specialists at $114,990 and Accountants and Auditors at $100,150. Registered Nurses accounts for 2.4% of all employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area. The average covered metro employs 55,027 Registered Nurses; Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH employs 1.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Massachusetts
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Massachusetts; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $106,180.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $14,529.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $6,583.16 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,539.61 |
| Massachusetts income tax | $4,989.00 |
| Total deductions | $27,641.38 |
| Net pay (annual) | $78,538.62 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,020.72 |
| Total deduction rate | 26.03% of gross |
At the median, $78,538.62 of the $106,180 gross is kept ($3,020.72 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 26.03%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 23.47% at the 10th percentile, 25.01% at the 25th percentile, 29.10% at the 75th percentile, 30.51% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $37,604.70 on a gross rise of $58,510.
The same engine at the other published points of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($81,880) | $62,658.72 | $2,409.95 | 23.47% |
| 25th percentile ($94,870) | $71,147.60 | $2,736.45 | 25.01% |
| Median ($106,180) | $78,538.62 | $3,020.72 | 26.03% |
| 75th percentile ($153,380) | $108,752.30 | $4,182.78 | 29.10% |
| 90th percentile ($188,670) | $131,108.34 | $5,042.63 | 30.51% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $62,658.72 a year at the 10th percentile to $131,108.34 at the 90th — a spread of $68,449.62 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median wage of $66,620 takes home $52,686.34 a year ($2,026.40 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.92%). The Registered Nurses median take-home of $78,538.62 sits $25,852.28 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH also covers parts of New Hampshire. The take-home estimate above uses Massachusetts 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 Hampshire paycheck calculator.
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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $106,180 is $8,630 (8.8%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $121,820 a year in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH against $101,420 nationally, a gap of $20,400 (20.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Registered Nurses 90th percentile of $188,670 is 112% of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH all-occupations 90th percentile ($168,090), and its 10th percentile of $81,880 is 223% of the area-wide 10th ($36,760).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $106,180 | $51.05 | $121,820 |
| United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | $101,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Registered Nurses in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
$106,180 a year ($51.05 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $121,820 a year. Ranked by median pay, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands #8 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $106,180 in Massachusetts?
About $78,538.62 a year ($3,020.72 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 26.03% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $153,380, take-home is $108,752.30.
How does pay in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH compare with the national median for Registered Nurses?
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $106,180 is $8,630 (8.8%) above the national median of $97,550 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $188,670, against a national 90th percentile of $137,470.
How much do the top 10% of Registered Nurses earn in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
$188,670 a year or more ($90.71 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
On $188,670 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $131,108.34 a year ($5,042.63 per biweekly paycheck) in Massachusetts under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 30.51%.
How many Registered Nurses jobs are there in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
BLS estimates 64,240 Registered Nurses jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area — 23.757 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Registered Nurses jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
The location quotient is 1.09 — 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
From $62,658.72 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($81,880) to $131,108.34 at the 90th ($188,670), under the same single-filer assumptions in Massachusetts.
What is the total wage bill for Registered Nurses in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About $7.83 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 64,240 multiplied by the mean wage of $121,820.
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.