Registered Nurses salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Registered Nurses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 District of Columbia tax rules.
The figures
The median Registered Nurses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earns $102,710 a year ($49.38 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Registered Nurses in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn between $84,610 and $119,620 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $80,750 or less and the top 10 percent earn $132,900 or more. BLS estimates 46,830 Registered Nurses jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area — 14.932 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.69 (well below the national concentration). That is 1.4% of all Registered Nurses employment in the United States (3,379,720 jobs nationally). By employment, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is the #11 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Registered Nurses. In aggregate, Registered Nurses in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn about $4.90 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $76,393.78 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Registered Nurses is about $3.58 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #10 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Registered Nurses. By employment, Registered Nurses is the #9 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Placed against the national distribution for Registered Nurses, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $102,710 falls between the national median ($97,550) and the national 75th percentile ($112,350). Across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median is $71,060 a year — Registered Nurses pay is 44.5% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $50.28 | $104,590 |
| 10th percentile | $38.82 | $80,750 |
| 25th percentile | $40.68 | $84,610 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $49.38 | $102,710 |
| 75th percentile | $57.51 | $119,620 |
| 90th percentile | $63.89 | $132,900 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Registered Nurses in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($132,900 against $80,750). The middle half spans $35,010 — from $84,610 to $119,620. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($63.89) is 1.65 times the 10th ($38.82). In the upper half of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $119,620 takes home $85,690.00 and the 90th percentile wage of $132,900 takes home $93,681.60 — $7,991.60 more net for $13,280 more gross. Against the median take-home of $75,231.12, the top decile keeps 1.25 times as much. The mean wage of $104,590 sits 1.8% above the median: higher-paid Registered Nurses pull the average up in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Among the 30 covered occupations in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Registered Nurses ranks #5 by median pay. In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage ladder of covered occupations, Registered Nurses sits between Business Operations Specialists, All Other at $104,770 and Accountants and Auditors at $102,140. Registered Nurses accounts for 1.5% of all employment in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area. The average covered metro employs 55,027 Registered Nurses; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV employs 0.9 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in District of Columbia
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in District of Columbia; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $102,710.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $13,766.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $6,368.02 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,489.29 |
| District of Columbia income tax | $5,855.35 |
| Total deductions | $27,478.88 |
| Net pay (annual) | $75,231.12 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $2,893.50 |
| Total deduction rate | 26.75% of gross |
At the median, $75,231.12 of the $102,710 gross is kept ($2,893.50 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 26.75%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 23.65% at the 10th percentile, 24.32% at the 25th percentile, 28.36% at the 75th percentile, 29.51% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $21,653.80 on a gross rise of $35,010.
The same engine at the other published points of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($80,750) | $61,649.10 | $2,371.12 | 23.65% |
| 25th percentile ($84,610) | $64,036.20 | $2,462.93 | 24.32% |
| Median ($102,710) | $75,231.12 | $2,893.50 | 26.75% |
| 75th percentile ($119,620) | $85,690.00 | $3,295.77 | 28.36% |
| 90th percentile ($132,900) | $93,681.60 | $3,603.14 | 29.51% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $61,649.10 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,681.60 at the 90th — a spread of $32,032.50 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median wage of $71,060 takes home $55,576.74 a year ($2,137.57 per paycheck, deduction rate 21.79%). The Registered Nurses median take-home of $75,231.12 sits $19,654.38 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV also covers parts of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia. The take-home estimate above uses District of Columbia 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 Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $102,710 is $5,160 (5.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $104,590 a year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV against $101,420 nationally, a gap of $3,170 (3.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Registered Nurses 90th percentile of $132,900 is 76% of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV all-occupations 90th percentile ($174,600), and its 10th percentile of $80,750 is 223% of the area-wide 10th ($36,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $102,710 | $49.38 | $104,590 |
| United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | $101,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Registered Nurses in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$102,710 a year ($49.38 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $104,590 a year. Ranked by median pay, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV stands #10 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $102,710 in District of Columbia?
About $75,231.12 a year ($2,893.50 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 26.75% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $119,620, take-home is $85,690.00.
How does pay in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV compare with the national median for Registered Nurses?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median of $102,710 is $5,160 (5.3%) above the national median of $97,550 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $132,900, against a national 90th percentile of $137,470.
How much do the top 10% of Registered Nurses earn in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
$132,900 a year or more ($63.89 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
On $132,900 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $93,681.60 a year ($3,603.14 per biweekly paycheck) in District of Columbia under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 29.51%.
How many Registered Nurses jobs are there in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
BLS estimates 46,830 Registered Nurses jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area — 14.932 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Registered Nurses jobs in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
The location quotient is 0.69 — well 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
From $61,649.10 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($80,750) to $93,681.60 at the 90th ($132,900), under the same single-filer assumptions in District of Columbia.
What is the total wage bill for Registered Nurses in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
About $4.90 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 46,830 multiplied by the mean wage of $104,590.
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.