Nursing BSN Salary: How Much Do BSN Nurses Make?

Maybe you just started your nursing career, or even if you are a nurse holding an associate’s degree, getting a BSN is an excellent investment in your career. Apart from the skills and knowledge gained or the assuring job outlook, a nursing BSN salary is a weighty reason to consider getting a degree.

In this article, you will learn about what a BSN degree is, BSN nurses, and BSN nursing salaries. Read on if you are curious about how much BSNs make a year and what are the best-paid BSN nurse jobs.

What Is a BSN Degree?

A bachelor’s degree of science in nursing (BSN) is a four-year nursing degree. The first two years of the BSN program usually include general education and introductory courses, while the third and fourth years involve clinical hours and nursing classes.

The curriculum for BSN degrees can differ; however, it usually follows a descriptive framework provided by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). It introduces a competency-based approach, where certain areas are considered. These areas of competence include knowledge for nursing practices; personal, professional, and leadership development; person-centered care; informatics and healthcare technologies; and more.

A BSN degree is required for pursuing an advanced nursing degree, such as an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing), a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice), NP (Nurse Practitioners), or CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist). 

Furthermore, a BSN is starting to be required in many states. In New York, for example, the state requires all nurses to have a BSN degree or obtain it within ten years of receiving their RN (registered nurse) license. In addition, states like Canada, Brazil, Korea, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, the Philippines, and many more, require a four-year undergraduate degree to be able to practice as a registered nurse.

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What Does a BSN Nurse Do?

When you have a bachelor of science in nursing, you will be qualified for leadership jobs and acquire problem-solving skills. The specific roles of a BSN nurse may vary according to experience or healthcare setting. But they often include supervising other nurses, administering medications, maintaining medical records, creating treatment and care plans, communicating with doctors, coordinating departments, and so on. 

Furthermore, holding a BSN degree will improve your research and critical thinking skills, thus enabling you to take on more decision-making roles.

BSN Nurse Job Outlook

In general, job opportunities for nurses are expected to grow as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 9% growth rate from 2020 to 2030.

However, nurses with a BSN will have better job prospects than those without one. Based on research conducted by AACN, 41.1% of healthcare facilities require new employees to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In the meantime, 82.4% of employers are expressing a strong preference for BSN program graduates. This makes the job outlook very promising and gives a sense of job security to BSN nurses.

How Much Does a BSN Nurse Make?

If you are considering adding a bachelor of science in nursing under your belt, the salary outlook associated with a BSN degree might interest you. Having a BSN degree is an excellent step towards ensuring you develop the required skills and obtain the knowledge necessary to be a successful nurse with a lucrative career.

So, how much does a BSN nurse make? Well, the exact numbers can depend on the state where you work and what position you have, so let’s take a look.

Starting salary of a BSN nurse

According to reports, a BSN nurse’s starting salary is estimated to be around $22.66 hourly, which is an average of $47,127 per year. This sum is the fixed amount of money you can expect most employers to provide you with for your nursing services at the beginning of your career.

In some cases, the BSN starting salary can be as high as $97,000, in others as low as $20,000. This difference suggests that there are factors that can contribute to a change in your starting salary. The deciding factors can be the current market pay rates for similar industries and for people performing the same services, the average pay range of the company you are working for, and the average salary of the region where your job is located.

Average BSN salary by state

If you are wondering how much BSN graduates make by state, see below a table with the average annual and hourly BSN salary.

State	Annual Salary	Hourly Salary
Alabama	$69,016	$33.18
Alaska	$73,176	$35.18
Arizona	$73,256	$35.22
Arkansas	$63,981	$30.76
California	$83,471	$40.13
Colorado	$68,123	$32.75
Connecticut	$74,978	$36.05
Delaware	$67,994	$32.69
Florida	$66,604	$32.02
Georgia	$70,668	$33.97
Hawaii	$76,879	$36.96
Idaho	$78,592	$37.78
Illinois	$63,634	$30.59
Indiana	$72,786	$34.99
Iowa	$68,102	$32.74
Kansas	$68,489	$32.93
Kentucky	$65,167	$31.33
Louisiana	$69,294	$33.31
Maine	$77,249	$37.14
Maryland	$72,753	$34.98
Massachusetts	$79,179	$38.07
Michigan	$63,925	$30.73
Minnesota	$71,452	$34.35
Mississippi	$64,166	$30.85
Missouri	$67,643	$32.52
Montana	$74,017	$35.59
Nebraska	$71,585	$34.42
Nevada	$72,601	$34.90
New Hampshire	$84,739	$40.74
New Jersey	$73,703	$35.43
New Mexico	$67,721	$32.56
New York	$87,488	$42.06
North Carolina	$58,250	$28.00
North Dakota	$72,671	$34.94
Ohio	$70,923	$34.10
Oklahoma	$66,532	$31.99
Oregon	$69,488	$33.41
Pennsylvania	$74,740	$35.93
Rhode Island	$73,736	$35.45
South Carolina	$68,357	$32.86
South Dakota	$70,549	$33.92
Tennessee	$71,443	$34.35
Texas	$76,258	$36.66
Utah	$69,916	$33.61
Vermont	$80,022	$38.47
Virginia	$70,647	$33.96
Washington	$93,772	$45.08
West Virginia	$76,026	$36.55
Wisconsin	$71,264	$34.26
Wyoming	$78,178	$37.59

Best-paying states for BSN nurses

According to the previous table, the five best-paying states with the highest annual salary for BSN nurses are:

1. Washington ($93,772)

2. New York ($87,488)

3. New Hampshire ($84,739)

4. California ($83,471)

5. Vermont ($80,022)

Best-paid BSN nurses

Nurses that hold the following job titles are the best-paid BSN nurses. In brackets, you can find their annual salary. 

• RN MSN ($105,867)

• Head of BSN ($105,740)

• Director BSN ($105,729)

• Entry Level ICU Registered Nurse ($100,471)

• Manager RN MSN ($95,756)

Final Thoughts

Considering the job outlook and the high job opportunities, getting a BSN degree is a smart move. It adds a set of skills to you and opens many doors to your career. The knowledge gained by obtaining a BSN degree makes you competent for leadership roles as a nurse. With higher job responsibilities comes a higher salary. If you are interested in all these, go ahead and start studying for your BSN degree!