Average RN Salary in Kansas (2026)

Written by: Bonnie Wiegand, BSN, RN Content Writer

Reviewed by: Rishi Kulkarni, PhD VP, Engineering and Machine Learning, Data Science

Learning the average RN salary in Kansas will help you navigate the state's nursing employment landscape — including which employers, locations, and specialties may offer the best opportunities for career growth. Whether you're considering a new job offer or preparing to ask for a raise, having up-to-date salary information can help you make confident career decisions.

Compensation for registered nurses varies based on several factors, including your experience and career path. We'll help you understand what you can expect to earn in Kansas by covering average pay by location (including the Wichita and Topeka metro areas) and typical hourly and annual RN wages. We'll also give you tips on how you could earn more.

What’s the Average RN Salary in Kansas?

According to the latest data from our job board, RNs in Kansas are getting paid an average salary of $83,605 per year, or $40.19 per hour. Because there's so much variety within the nursing profession, wages can be significantly more or less than this average depending on years of experience, specialization, credentials, and other factors.

How these numbers are determined: Our wage estimates for the RN salary in Kansas 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.

Registered Nurse Salary in Kansas by Major Metro Area

Wondering about your earning potential in one of Kansas' cities? Here's our latest market-based data to give you a look at pay averages in some of the top metro areas across the state. Check out the current RN jobs on Credenza to find the highest paying jobs in your area of interest.

Your salary. Your city.

What Do RNs Make in Kansas?

Median pay for RNs in Kansas's top-paying areas, from Credenza's salary model. Updated monthly.

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Our own salary estimates · Updated monthly · Free to access
Annual figures are annualized equivalents (40 hrs/week × 52 weeks) of median hourly pay.

Kansas RN Salary Comparison

Let's look at how the average registered nurse salary in Kansas compares to nearby states. If you're considering a career move, you may be gathering data about RN wages in different parts of the U.S., with a focus on the states closest to you. Nurses can encounter differences in pay by location, especially across state lines (such as the divide in the Kansas City metro area). This can be related to state laws, politics, economics, and other factors. Here's a look at averages for Kansas' neighboring states:

Benefits of Being a Kansas RN

Practicing nursing in Kansas comes with some great professional advantages. Kansas is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), making it easier for nurses with multistate licenses to start working here. There's a 10% shortage of RNs in Kansas, meaning your skills are in demand. Residents also enjoy a cost of living that's 10% lower than the national average, which can help your RN salary in Kansas go a little further.

Even better? The cost of housing, whether you buy or rent, is about 32% lower than the rest of the country, and the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation First-Time Homebuyer Program offers significant assistance to eligible buyers.

Patient Population and Healthcare Facilities in Kansas

Kansas' population of just under 3 million people is moderately ethnically and racially diverse. About 19% of the population is 65 years old or older. Like so much of the country, the state faces an aging population that puts stress on the healthcare infrastructure and makes skilled, compassionate nursing care indispensable.

The healthcare ecosystem here features impressive healthcare systems, academic medical centers, and regional facilities that work to meet patient needs. The University of Kansas Health System earned its fifth consecutive Magnet designation in 2026, achieving Magnet with Distinction — an elite tier that recognizes excellence in nursing care, evidence-based practice, and outstanding patient outcomes.

In addition, the Stormont Vail Health system (located in Topeka, Junction City, and various other locations) has held Magnet status since 2009, and AdventHealth Shawnee Mission also holds Magnet status, giving Kansas nurses three Magnet facilities to potentially pursue employment with. Nurses working for Magnet-designated hospitals can count on high standards of care and excellent professional growth opportunities.

Whether you want to work for a hospital, nursing home, school, home care agency, or community clinic, there are many options to consider. Take a look at some of the current opportunities for RNs in the following Kansas healthcare facilities and agencies:

Wellness Support for Kansas RNs

The Kansas Nurse Assistance Program (KNAP) is a voluntary program designed to assist nursing professionals who have a problem or illness that has impaired or could impair their ability to practice safely. They assist RNs and a variety of other care providers who are struggling with mental or physical illnesses, substance abuse, or aging issues, while helping them keep their professional licenses in the face of these challenges. This support gives nurses in Kansas a resource to lean on during challenging times, and protects patients from impaired providers.

How to Increase Your Kansas Nurse Salary

Looking for ways to earn the highest RN salary in Kansas? Whether you're an experienced nurse earning competitive pay or a new grad earning an RN starting salary, there are steps you can take to increase your income. Here are five tips to consider.

Get certified. Earning a new professional nursing certification is a great way to increase your earning potential. Certifications formally validate your clinical experience and depth of knowledge in specific areas. They can be earned for areas you're already confident in, like med-surg nursing, sometimes simply through meeting the eligibility requirements and passing an exam. Your new certification could help you reach the next rung in your clinical ladder program or secure a raise. Given the many salary variations by specialty, it could also help you branch into a higher-paying nursing specialty, like informatics or clinical research.
Pick up extra shifts. Picking up extra shifts within your current role is a straightforward way to boost your Kansas nurse salary. When you work an extra shift within your usual work environment, you won't need to get to know a whole new workflow or system. Check out your employer's policies regarding overtime pay and shift differentials, and be strategic about the hours you work. Your time and energy are valuable, and it's important to mitigate the risk of burnout and practice self-care when you're working more than usual.
Try a different schedule. Have you tried working evenings, nights, weekends, or twelve-hour shifts? Depending on the healthcare organization, these schedules can come with enticing financial perks. You could bring in a few extra dollars per hour in a shift differential, or a flat-rate per-shift bonus. Some facilities have unique opportunities for pay increases related to scheduling. The University of Kansas Health System, for example, has offered an hourly incentive to RNs in specific roles who committed to 12 months of working weekend shifts.
Become a charge nurse. If you're an experienced nurse with a strong awareness of the workflow on your unit, consider voicing your interest in the charge nurse role. You could start by shadowing other charge nurses or taking an online leadership course. Because of the increased responsibilities involved, charge nurses typically earn more than floor nurses. Taking on this challenge could also give you a leg up if you decide to apply for a promotion.
Share your nursing knowledge. If you love helping your people achieve their health goals, consider taking on a side gig that involves communicating with the public. Whether it's freelance nurse writing or another type of content creation, your passion for health and wellness could help others while bringing in extra money.

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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 Kansas 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.

Average Registered Nurse (RN) Salary in Kansas (2026)