Registered Nurses salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Registered Nurses in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Registered Nurses in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $83,180 a year ($39.99 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Registered Nurses in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $77,410 and $100,230 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $63,440 or less and the top 10 percent earn $104,460 or more. BLS estimates 35,200 Registered Nurses jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 26.245 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.21 (above the national concentration). That is 1.0% of all Registered Nurses employment in the United States (3,379,720 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #18 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Registered Nurses. In aggregate, Registered Nurses in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $3.11 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $67,817.58 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Registered Nurses is about $2.39 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #25 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 St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Registered Nurses, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $83,180 falls between the national 25th percentile ($80,330) and the national median ($97,550). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Registered Nurses pay is 66.4% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $42.46 | $88,310 |
| 10th percentile | $30.50 | $63,440 |
| 25th percentile | $37.22 | $77,410 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $39.99 | $83,180 |
| 75th percentile | $48.19 | $100,230 |
| 90th percentile | $50.22 | $104,460 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Registered Nurses in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($104,460 against $63,440). The middle half spans $22,820 — from $77,410 to $100,230. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($50.22) is 1.65 times the 10th ($30.50). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $100,230 takes home $75,599.42 and the 90th percentile wage of $104,460 takes home $78,378.36 — $2,778.94 more net for $4,230 more gross. Against the median take-home of $64,441.80, the top decile keeps 1.22 times as much. The mean wage of $88,310 sits 6.2% above the median: higher-paid Registered Nurses pull the average up in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Registered Nurses ranks #5 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Registered Nurses sits between General and Operations Managers at $93,140 and Accountants and Auditors at $78,880. Registered Nurses accounts for 2.6% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 55,027 Registered Nurses; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $83,180.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $9,469.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $5,157.16 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,206.11 |
| Missouri income tax | $2,905.37 |
| Total deductions | $18,738.20 |
| Net pay (annual) | $64,441.80 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $2,478.53 |
| Total deduction rate | 22.53% of gross |
At the median, $64,441.80 of the $83,180 gross is kept ($2,478.53 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 22.53%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 19.38% at the 10th percentile, 21.66% at the 25th percentile, 24.57% at the 75th percentile, 24.97% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $14,954.48 on a gross rise of $22,820.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($63,440) | $51,147.98 | $1,967.23 | 19.38% |
| 25th percentile ($77,410) | $60,644.94 | $2,332.50 | 21.66% |
| Median ($83,180) | $64,441.80 | $2,478.53 | 22.53% |
| 75th percentile ($100,230) | $75,599.42 | $2,907.67 | 24.57% |
| 90th percentile ($104,460) | $78,378.36 | $3,014.55 | 24.97% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $51,147.98 a year at the 10th percentile to $78,378.36 at the 90th — a spread of $27,230.38 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Registered Nurses median take-home of $64,441.80 sits $23,462.36 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri 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 Illinois 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 St. Louis, MO-IL median of $83,180 is $14,370 (14.7%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $88,310 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $101,420 nationally, a gap of $13,110 (12.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Registered Nurses 90th percentile of $104,460 is 91% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $63,440 is 203% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $83,180 | $39.99 | $88,310 |
| United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | $101,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Registered Nurses in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$83,180 a year ($39.99 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $88,310 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #25 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $83,180 in Missouri?
About $64,441.80 a year ($2,478.53 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 22.53% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $100,230, take-home is $75,599.42.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Registered Nurses?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $83,180 is $14,370 (14.7%) below the national median of $97,550 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $104,460, against a national 90th percentile of $137,470.
How much do the top 10% of Registered Nurses earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$104,460 a year or more ($50.22 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $104,460 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $78,378.36 a year ($3,014.55 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 24.97%.
How many Registered Nurses jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 35,200 Registered Nurses jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 26.245 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Registered Nurses jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 1.21 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $51,147.98 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($63,440) to $78,378.36 at the 90th ($104,460), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Registered Nurses in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $3.11 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 35,200 multiplied by the mean wage of $88,310.
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.