What can you expect to earn with an AL RN salary? Alabama residents enjoy some of the lowest living costs in the nation. Add in the flexibility of a compact nursing license and a projected shortage of over 14,000 nurses, and Alabama offers plenty of opportunities for RNs looking to grow their careers.
What factors contribute to your registered nurse salary? Alabama nurses may earn more depending on their location, but other key factors impacting pay include experience, schedule, and responsibilities. Read on to learn more about what RNs are earning in the major metro areas of Alabama, as well as strategies to help you earn more as a nurse.
What’s the Average RN Salary in Alabama?
According to the up-to-date numbers from our job board, RNs in Alabama are earning an average salary of $80,578 annually, or $38.74 per hour. The nursing profession covers a range of jobs, so individual wages vary widely in accordance with specialty area, qualifications, and more.
How these numbers are determined: Our wage estimates for the RN salary in Alabama are based on two inputs: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data and Credenza's own job postings feed, which features current job ads for nurses in the area. Estimates are updated monthly. Learn more about our methodology.
RN Salaries by Alabama City
Wondering how much you might earn in one of Alabama's metro areas? Here's a breakdown. Take a look at the current RN jobs on Credenza to find the best-paying opportunities in your community.
Your salary. Your city.
What Do RNs Make in Alabama?
Median pay for RNs in Alabama's top-paying areas, from Credenza's salary model. Updated monthly.
- Columbus Annual salary: $86,008 Hourly salary: $41.35 / hr See jobs
- Boaz Annual salary: $85,571 Hourly salary: $41.14 / hr See jobs
- Montgomery Annual salary: $82,930 Hourly salary: $39.87 / hr See jobs
- Mobile Annual salary: $82,826 Hourly salary: $39.82 / hr See jobs
- Daphne-Fairhope-Foley Annual salary: $82,763 Hourly salary: $39.79 / hr See jobs
Our own salary estimates · Updated monthly · Free to access
Annual figures are annualized equivalents (40 hrs/week × 52 weeks) of median hourly
pay.
RN Salary: Alabama Comparison
While the national average salary for RNs provides a general benchmark, which Alabama falls below, nursing wages are highly influenced by state legislation and economic factors. Compare the RN salary in Alabama to salaries in the surrounding states to see what you might earn across state lines.
- Average RN salary in Georgia
- Average RN salary in Florida
- Average RN salary in Mississippi
- Average RN salary in Tennessee
Benefits of Being an RN in Alabama
What’s different about living and working as a nurse in AL? When it comes to your RN salary, Alabama living costs may help your paycheck go further. The average state cost of living is 12% lower than the national average, and housing costs are nearly 30% lower, making this a great area to rent or buy.
Speaking of housing costs, the Alabama Housing Finance Authority’s Step Up program is designed for moderate-income home buyers who earn $172,800 or less. It provides help with a down payment as a 10-year second mortgage, which is combined with a 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage. It is available for both first-time and repeat homebuyers.
Alabama has multiple high-need areas. If you’re looking for help paying off your nursing school loans, consider the National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs, also referred to as NurseCorps. Through this program, you can have 60% of your nursing education debt paid off with two years of service.
Advance Your Career in Alabama
Whether you’re looking to take on more responsibility at work, earn a certification, or go back to school, there are many ways to continue developing your skills in Alabama. For licensure information, refer to the Alabama Board of Nursing. And if you’re looking to get involved in advocacy and nursing development in the state, join the Alabama State Nurses Association.
One of the best nursing schools in Alabama is the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), which also ranks in the top 10 in the nation for its master’s programs in nursing. In-state tuition at UAB is a fraction of the cost of comparable programs, and they offer dozens of endowed scholarships for nursing students.
Looking to change specialties or try something new? Alabama needs nurses in a range of areas, including rural health, obstetrics, primary care, mental health, and more. If you’re jumping back into nursing after a career break, consider a refresher course through an Alabama Area Health Education Center (AHEC).
Leading Facilities in Alabama
Alabama has one Magnet-designated hospital: UAB Hospital in Birmingham. This facility initially earned status in 2002, making it one of the few hospitals in the world to have maintained its status six consecutive times. Magnet designation is a mark of excellence earned through a commitment to patient outcomes, interprofessional collaboration, shared governance, and more.
Alabama is home to four level-1 trauma centers, including UAB and the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. These facilities offer 24/7 medical-surgical care, as well as the resources to care for some of the most fragile patients in the state. Learn more about trauma center levels.
As a nurse, you’re not limited to working in acute care. Alabama has over 200 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, community health centers across the state, home health agencies, and many more.
Ready to start applying? Check out current opportunities at the following healthcare employers across Alabama:
- Baptist Health
- DCH Health System
- Diversicare
- Flowers Hospital
- Gadsden Regional Medical Center
- Grandview Medical Center
- Right at Home Birmingham
- Tanner Health System
- UAB Medicine
- UnitedHealthcare
Tips for Increasing Your RN Salary
Alabama nurses have many ways they can advance their career and their income. If you’re comparing an entry-level RN salary in Alabama with your long-term earning potential, it’s helpful to know that nurses have many options to increase their income. Here are some tips and strategies to help you grow your nursing income:
- Work overtime. This may be the fastest way to increase your RN salary. Alabama facilities often need nurses to volunteer for shifts when units are understaffed or someone is on leave. This allows you to boost your income in the short term without committing to a different schedule.
- Consider travel nursing. Alabama’s compact status allows you to work in surrounding NLC states, such as Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Travel RNs typically earn more than staff nurses through tax breaks and stipends. Learn more about becoming a travel nurse.
- Earn an RN certification. Getting certified is a great way to validate your expertise, add clout to your resume, and potentially earn more as a nurse. Ask your manager about certification bonuses or a career ladder program. Some employers will even pay for your certification. Check out some of the best RN certifications.
- Move to a metro area. Nurses in cities tend to earn more than those in rural areas. Plus, metropolitan hospitals tend to be larger, with more opportunities to advance or specialize. Consider relocating or commuting into a city for your next role.
- Consider an advanced-practice role. Want to earn the highest RN salary in Alabama? The highest paid nursing jobs in Alabama include roles like nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, and nurse midwife. These pathways involve going back to school for a master’s or doctoral degree and completing a board certification.
Create your nursing profile to get matched with the jobs you want
Ready to simplify your job search? Build your customized nursing profile once and use it to find the best-matched jobs whenever you're looking for them.
Why Trust Us?
How much you make as a registered nurse is important. That’s why it’s crucial to get numbers reporting the RN salary in Alabama and other regions right. We have the data and the experience to do just that. Here’s why you can rely on us.
Methodology: How We Get the Data
Data Sources. Wage estimates combine two inputs. The first is the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which is the federal benchmark for what healthcare workers actually earn. It's the most reliable measure available, but it's published annually, lags the market, and doesn't report on thousands of smaller market-and-discipline combinations. The second is Credenza's own job postings feed, a daily export of active listings from verified healthcare employers. Postings are current and granular, but they advertise pay rather than report it, as advertised rates typically run a few percentage points off actual earnings, by an amount that varies market to market.
How Estimates Are Calculated. Rather than averaging listings, our model treats each market's wage as an unknown value that both sources give partial evidence about. It learns the gap between advertised and earned pay for each market, anchors markets with sparse data to their state's wage level, and carries estimates forward year over year at a rate learned from historical data. Every figure is published with an interval reflecting how much evidence stands behind it.
Data Cleaning. We exclude extreme outlier salary ranges, which are often artifacts of data collection. These are rare, but in thin markets a single outlier listing can shift an average by whole percentage points.
Coverage and Limitations. Our estimates cover roughly 1,600 market-and-discipline combinations the federal survey never reports on, including rural areas and smaller metros. All figures are statistical estimates rather than measured wages, and shifts in which employers are posting can affect the advertised-versus-earned correction. These figures describe market conditions and aren't a substitute for a formal compensation study.
Who We Are
All our Career Advice articles, including the Nursing Salary pages, were prepared by the humans on the Credenza content team. Our team comprises subject matter experts — registered nurse writers — and an editorial staff with a combined 65+ years of digital writing, publishing, and SEO experience, who uphold a rigorous review process to ensure that our articles are both accurate and relevant to modern nurses. Our articles provide actionable steps to help you maximize your career potential, whether you’re seeking new employment opportunities or just looking for ways to gain greater job satisfaction.
About Credenza
Credenza is the clinician career destination, the single place to manage your career, unlock every opportunity, and ensure you’re always ready for what’s next. The clinical job market is moving fast. On Credenza, your profile unlocks every relevant match, specialty, and setting all in one place. Credenza — one profile, one platform, every opportunity.