RN Salary in Pennsylvania (2026): The Complete BLS-Anchored Guide
Last verified: April 23, 2026 — all pay figures anchored to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 29-1141 Registered Nurses, May 2024 release; Pennsylvania hospital-staffing context from Act 52 of 2022 (Pennsylvania Patient Safety Trust Fund) and Act 35 of 2020; union context from PASNAP (Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals) and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania collective-bargaining agreements; NLC status per NCSBN.
Pennsylvania has the fifth-largest U.S. state RN workforce (~147,000 RNs) concentrated across two major metros: Philadelphia in the east and Pittsburgh in the west. BLS OEWS 29-1141 May 2024 reports a Pennsylvania state RN median annual wage of $82,7801 — approximately 4% below the national RN median of $86,070 but with meaningful metro-level variation. Philadelphia hosts one of the densest academic medical center clusters outside Boston and New York (Penn Medicine, Thomas Jefferson, Temple Health, CHOP, Fox Chase, Einstein); Pittsburgh is dominated by UPMC — the largest single employer of RNs in Pennsylvania and one of the largest non-profit health systems in the U.S. Pennsylvania remains a non-compact state, and its staffing-regulation framework (Act 52 and Act 35) is more transparency-based than California's ratios. This guide is the complete Pennsylvania RN salary picture in 2026.
The Headline — Pennsylvania RN Pay in One Chart
BLS OEWS 29-1141 Registered Nurses, Pennsylvania state, May 2024 release:1
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. median | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median (50th percentile) annual | $82,780 | $86,070 | -4% |
| Mean annual | $86,330 | $94,480 | -9% |
| 10th percentile annual | $61,210 | $61,250 | 0% |
| 25th percentile annual | $71,140 | $72,800 | -2% |
| 75th percentile annual | $95,760 | $107,380 | -11% |
| 90th percentile annual | $107,100 | $132,680 | -19% |
| Median hourly | $39.80 | $41.38 | -4% |
| Employment | ~147,000 | ~3.3M | — |
Pennsylvania pay sits near the national median at the bottom and middle of the distribution but the 90th-percentile ceiling is meaningfully below the national 90th. Translation: broad middle-of-market RN compensation, with less upward spread into high-end coastal-metro-level wages.
Why Pennsylvania Pays What It Does — The Structural Drivers
1. Two-metro concentration: Philadelphia + Pittsburgh. Roughly 55% of Pennsylvania RN employment is concentrated in the Philadelphia metro (including Delaware and South Jersey suburbs within the MSA) and the Pittsburgh metro. Central and northern Pennsylvania (Harrisburg, Allentown, Scranton, Erie, State College) account for the remainder. The two anchor metros have different competitive dynamics — Philadelphia has academic-medical-center density and multi-system competition; Pittsburgh is UPMC-dominated.
2. UPMC scale — Pittsburgh's single-payer employer dynamic. UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) is the largest non-government employer in Pennsylvania and operates 40+ hospitals across western and central Pennsylvania, plus health insurance operations (UPMC Health Plan).2 UPMC's sheer scale means Pittsburgh-metro RN pay is effectively set by UPMC's internal labor-market decisions rather than inter-system competition. UPMC is non-union at most facilities.
3. Penn Medicine + Jefferson + Temple + CHOP + Einstein — Philadelphia academic density.
- Penn Medicine (University of Pennsylvania Health System) — flagship academic medical center. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Presbyterian, Pennsylvania Hospital (oldest in the U.S.), Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health.
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (Jefferson Health) — academic medical center; expanded through Abington, Aria, Kennedy, and other acquisitions.
- Temple University Hospital + Temple Health — academic safety-net.
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) — leading pediatric academic medical center.
- Fox Chase Cancer Center — NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (Temple Health-affiliated).
- Einstein Healthcare Network (now part of Jefferson Health since 2021 merger).
- Main Line Health — non-profit suburban Philadelphia.
- Independence Health Group / Tower Health — multi-hospital system.
- St. Luke's University Health Network (Bethlehem / Easton / Lehigh Valley).
- Lehigh Valley Health Network (Allentown).
Philadelphia metro academic-medical-center density creates competitive RN labor dynamics — hospitals compete for nurses through clinical-ladder investment, benefits, and at union facilities, bargained scale improvements.
4. PASNAP and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania union density. PASNAP represents RNs at Temple University Hospital, Einstein Medical Center, Tower Health hospitals (post-Reading merger), St. Mary Medical Center (Langhorne), and others — approximately 8,500 RNs.3 SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania represents additional nurses and healthcare workers at various facilities. Overall PA union density is below California, New York, or Washington but meaningful — covered facilities typically pay 5–12% above non-union equivalents at similar acuity.
5. Geisinger rural/central Pennsylvania scale. Geisinger Health System (headquartered Danville, central PA) operates 10 hospital campuses and Geisinger Health Plan across central, northeastern, and northwestern Pennsylvania. Rural PA employer scale.
6. Act 52 of 2022 and Act 35 of 2020 — Pennsylvania hospital-staffing transparency. Pennsylvania's Patient Safety Authority operates under Act 52 of 2022 with enhanced hospital-incident and staffing reporting requirements.4 Act 35 of 2020 requires hospitals to publicly post nurse-to-patient ratios by unit type. These are transparency-focused frameworks — not statutory ratios like California. Staffing-safety advocacy remains a major policy issue in Pennsylvania; the Patient Safety Act (HB 106 of 2021 sessions) has been reintroduced repeatedly to establish committee-driven staffing plans similar to NY and WA.
7. Cost of living. Pennsylvania cost of living is substantially below coastal metros. Philadelphia housing is meaningfully below NYC and Boston; Pittsburgh is among the most affordable large metros in the U.S. Net real RN purchasing power in Pennsylvania is strong relative to nominal wages.
Metro Breakdown — All BLS-Reported Pennsylvania Areas
Pennsylvania metros with BLS OEWS 29-1141 published data (May 2024):1
| Metro | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington (PA–NJ–DE–MD MSA, PA portion) | $43.86 | $91,230 | ~68,000 | Penn Medicine + Jefferson + Temple + CHOP + Fox Chase + Main Line + Einstein + St. Christopher's Children's. Highest PA metro. |
| Pittsburgh | $39.62 | $82,400 | ~40,000 | UPMC-dominated. Allegheny Health Network (AHN) is the competing secondary system. |
| Lancaster | $38.85 | $80,810 | ~6,500 | Penn Medicine Lancaster General + Lancaster Regional + WellSpan Ephrata. |
| Harrisburg–Carlisle | $38.54 | $80,150 | ~7,000 | Penn State Health (Hershey Medical Center + Hampden) + UPMC Harrisburg + Geisinger Holy Spirit + WellSpan. |
| Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton (PA portion) | $40.35 | $83,930 | ~8,500 | Lehigh Valley Health Network + St. Luke's University Health Network. |
| Scranton–Wilkes-Barre | $38.50 | $80,070 | ~6,500 | Geisinger + Commonwealth Health + Wayne Memorial. |
| Reading | $38.49 | $80,050 | ~4,500 | Tower Health + Penn State Health St. Joseph. |
| York–Hanover | $37.81 | $78,660 | ~4,500 | WellSpan Health. |
| State College | $37.85 | $78,730 | ~1,500 | Mount Nittany Medical Center + Geisinger. |
| Erie | $37.01 | $76,970 | ~3,500 | UPMC Hamot + Saint Vincent (Highmark / AHN). |
| Altoona | $35.79 | $74,440 | ~1,500 | UPMC Altoona + Penn Highlands. |
| Johnstown | $35.14 | $73,090 | ~1,500 | Conemaugh Memorial (Duke LifePoint) + UPMC Somerset. |
| Williamsport | $36.91 | $76,780 | ~2,000 | UPMC Williamsport. |
| East Stroudsburg | $37.45 | $77,890 | ~1,500 | Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono + Geisinger. |
The Philadelphia metro dominates PA RN employment (~46%) and pay. Pittsburgh metro is the second-largest cluster. Central and eastern PA secondary metros cluster in the $75,000–$85,000 range.
Pennsylvania Pay by Care Setting
Base pay varies by care setting on top of the state BLS median. Typical 2026 Pennsylvania base ranges (before differentials), Philadelphia metro:
| Care setting | Typical 2026 PA base (Philadelphia metro) | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| Acute care med-surg / stepdown | $72,000–$100,000 | Hub F acute |
| ICU | $82,000–$120,000 | Hub F ICU |
| ED | $78,000–$115,000 | Hub F ED |
| OR / perioperative | $78,000–$110,000 | Hub F OR |
| L&D | $80,000–$115,000 | Hub F L&D |
| Pediatric specialty | $82,000–$125,000 | Hub F pediatric |
| Ambulatory | $68,000–$90,000 | Hub F ambulatory |
| Home health | $72,000–$98,000 | Hub F home health |
| Hospice | $70,000–$92,000 | Hub F hospice |
| School nursing | $52,000–$82,000 (10-month contract) | Hub F school |
Shift differentials typical at PA union-represented facilities: night +$3–$7/hour, weekend +$2–$5/hour, charge +$1–$4/hour, specialty-cert stipend codified at PASNAP facilities. Pittsburgh metro pay typically runs 5–10% below Philadelphia metro; central PA runs 10–15% below Philadelphia.
Top Pennsylvania Employers — 2026 Pay Landscape
UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) — largest PA non-government employer; 40+ hospitals. UPMC Presbyterian (Pittsburgh flagship) + UPMC Shadyside + UPMC Mercy + UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh + UPMC Magee-Womens + UPMC Passavant + UPMC St. Margaret + UPMC Harrisburg + UPMC Hamot Erie + UPMC Altoona + UPMC Williamsport + more. Integrated with UPMC Health Plan. Non-union at most facilities.
Penn Medicine (University of Pennsylvania Health System) — academic flagship. HUP + Penn Presbyterian + Pennsylvania Hospital + Chester County + Lancaster General + Princeton Medical Center (NJ). Strong Magnet designation.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (Jefferson Health) — academic. Post-Abington, Aria, Kennedy, Einstein merger expansions make Jefferson one of the largest PA systems.
Temple University Hospital + Temple Health — academic; PASNAP-represented.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) — leading pediatric academic.
Fox Chase Cancer Center — NCI-designated cancer center (Temple Health).
Main Line Health — non-profit suburban Philadelphia (Lankenau + Paoli + Riddle + Bryn Mawr + Main Line Hospital Crozer).
Tower Health — multi-hospital system; PASNAP-represented at Reading facilities.
St. Luke's University Health Network — Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem + Easton + more) + expanding into NJ.
Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) — Allentown anchor system.
Geisinger Health System — central / northeastern PA; Danville flagship. Integrated system with Geisinger Health Plan.
Penn State Health — Hershey Medical Center + Hampden Medical Center + St. Joseph Medical Center + Holy Spirit + Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
WellSpan Health — York / Ephrata / Gettysburg / Lancaster region.
Allegheny Health Network (AHN) — Pittsburgh secondary system; Highmark-aligned. Allegheny General Hospital + West Penn + Forbes + Jefferson Hospital (Pittsburgh) + Saint Vincent Erie.
Independence Health System — Allegheny County / Butler / Armstrong.
Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware (Wilmington, within Philadelphia MSA) — pediatric academic, Nemours system.
VA Medical Centers (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Altoona, Butler, Coatesville, Lebanon, Wilkes-Barre) — federal pay scale + federal pension.
Compare specific facilities at Hospital Pay Band Comparator.
Specialty Certifications — What They Stack on Pennsylvania Base
PASNAP-represented facilities (Temple, Tower Health, Einstein, etc.) codify specialty-cert differentials in collective agreements. Non-union PA facilities typically pay modest differentials to stay competitive; UPMC and Penn Medicine use ladder-linked advancement tied to certification.
- CCRN — AACN; PA differential typically $1–$2/hour + clinical-ladder step at Magnet facilities.
- CEN — BCEN; PA differential typically $1–$1.75/hour.
- OCN — ONCC; PA differential typically $1–$2/hour at Fox Chase / Penn / Jefferson / UPMC Hillman Cancer Center programs.
- CNOR — CCI; PA differential typically $1–$2/hour + RNFA pathway.
- PCCN — AACN; PA differential typically $0.75–$1.75/hour.
- CMSRN — MSNCB; PA differential typically $0.50–$1.50/hour.
- RNC-OB / C-EFM / RNC-NIC / CPN / TCRN / CPEN / CHPN — codified at union facilities and Magnet-designated hospitals.
Model at Specialty Cert Worth-It.
Travel Nurse Baseline — Pennsylvania Comparison
Pennsylvania is a mid-rate travel nursing market. Philadelphia metro contracts benefit from academic-center acuity; Pittsburgh contracts benefit from UPMC volume.
Typical 2026 weekly gross for experienced travelers on Pennsylvania contracts (Philadelphia metro):
| Specialty | Weekly gross (typical) | Weekly gross (crisis rate) |
|---|---|---|
| Med-surg | $1,700–$2,200 | $2,500–$2,900 |
| Telemetry/PCU | $1,900–$2,400 | $2,700–$3,100 |
| ED | $2,000–$2,600 | $2,900–$3,300 |
| ICU | $2,100–$2,700 | $3,000–$3,500 |
| CVICU/NICU/PICU | $2,300–$3,000 | $3,200–$3,700 |
| L&D | $1,900–$2,500 | $2,700–$3,100 |
| OR | $2,000–$2,700 | $2,900–$3,400 |
Pittsburgh contracts typically run 5–10% below Philadelphia; central and western PA contracts run 10–15% below Philadelphia.
Important: Pennsylvania is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).5 Travel RNs assigned to Pennsylvania need a Pennsylvania-issued single-state license; PA State Board of Nursing processing is typically 4–10 weeks. Agencies reimburse licensing costs.
Real take-home after IRS Publication 463 tax-home compliance, Philadelphia / Pittsburgh housing (much more affordable than coastal metros), and contract-specific terms typically runs 15–25% below headline. Run at Travel Nurse Contract Analyzer.
Pennsylvania RN Licensing — Non-Compact State
Pennsylvania is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state. The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing issues single-state RN licenses.5 Practical implications:
- Out-of-state RNs moving to Pennsylvania or accepting PA travel contracts must obtain a Pennsylvania RN license by endorsement — typically 4–10 weeks processing.
- Pennsylvania RNs cannot practice in NLC states on their PA license; need separate state licenses or compact-state residency.
Pennsylvania compact-membership legislation has been introduced repeatedly in the General Assembly but has not passed as of April 2026.
Full Pennsylvania licensing detail: Pennsylvania Nurse Licensing Guide.
Career Lattice — How Pennsylvania RNs Grow Pay
Clinical ladder (typical Magnet / academic hospital structure): Clinical Nurse I → II → III → IV → V. BSN + specialty cert + professional activity required for ladder advancement. Philadelphia Magnet hospitals (HUP, Jefferson, CHOP, Main Line, Einstein) and Pittsburgh Magnet hospitals (UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Children's) have competitive ladder structures.
UPMC-specific ladder — UPMC operates a system-wide Professional Advancement Model (PAM) across 40+ hospitals; ladder advancement uses consistent criteria across the system.
APRN track — MSN/DNP → FNP / AGPCNP / AGACNP / PMHNP / CNM / CRNA / PNP. Pennsylvania grants APRN prescriptive authority under a collaborative agreement framework. Full practice authority has been proposed repeatedly but not yet enacted as of 2026.
Geisinger / Penn State Health / WellSpan rural-metro pathway — central Pennsylvania systems offer stable career lattices outside the Philadelphia / Pittsburgh metros, often with lower cost of living offsetting modestly lower nominal pay.
Model educational investment ROI at BSN-to-MSN ROI.
Regional Realities — Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Pennsylvania has one of the more favorable cost-of-living-to-RN-pay ratios among large-population states:
- Philadelphia metro: Highest absolute wages in PA; housing meaningfully below NYC and Boston.
- Philadelphia suburbs (Main Line / Chester County / Bucks / Montgomery): Strong pay + accessible housing. Often best net real purchasing power in PA.
- Pittsburgh metro: Second-highest PA wages; housing among the most affordable of any large U.S. metro. Net purchasing power typically strong.
- Central PA (Harrisburg / Lancaster / York / Hershey): Pay 10–15% below Philadelphia; housing substantially cheaper. Strong net purchasing power.
- Rural PA (State College / Johnstown / Altoona / Williamsport): Pay $73,000–$80,000; housing very affordable.
Model net purchasing power at RN Salary by State with a Pennsylvania cost-of-living overlay.
FAQ
What's the median RN salary in Pennsylvania in 2026? BLS OEWS 29-1141 May 2024 release: $82,780 median Pennsylvania RN annual wage.1 Mean: $86,330. 90th percentile: $107,100.
Which Pennsylvania metro pays the most? Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington: $91,230 median annual (highest PA metro). Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton: $83,930. Pittsburgh: $82,400.
Is Pennsylvania in the Nurse Licensure Compact? No. Pennsylvania is non-compact. Out-of-state RNs need PA license by endorsement (4–10 week processing). PA RNs need separate state licenses or compact-state residency to practice outside PA. Compact legislation has been repeatedly introduced but not enacted.5
How does UPMC scale affect Pittsburgh RN pay? UPMC is the largest PA non-government employer and operates 40+ hospitals in western and central PA. Pittsburgh-metro RN pay is effectively set by UPMC's internal labor market rather than inter-system competition. UPMC is non-union at most facilities.
How does PASNAP affect Philadelphia RN pay? PASNAP represents ~8,500 PA RNs including Temple, Tower Health, Einstein, St. Mary (Langhorne), and others. Union-facility pay typically 5–12% above non-union equivalents at similar acuity. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania adds additional union coverage.3
What's the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority framework? Established under Act 13 of 2002 with expansion under Act 52 of 2022; hospitals must report serious events and infrastructure-failure incidents. Act 35 of 2020 requires nurse-to-patient ratio public posting by unit type.4 Transparency-based framework; not statutory ratios.
How much do Pennsylvania travel nurses earn? Philadelphia weekly gross (2026): $1,700 (med-surg) to $3,000 (CVICU/NICU crisis). Pittsburgh 5–10% below; central/western PA 10–15% below. Real take-home typically 15–25% below headline.
Is specialty certification worth it in Pennsylvania? Yes. Union and Magnet facilities codify differentials; UPMC and Penn Medicine use ladder-linked advancement. CCRN / CEN / OCN / CNOR / PCCN / CMSRN / RNC-OB / RNC-NIC all stack.
Are public-sector Pennsylvania RN jobs competitive? Yes. VA (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Altoona, Butler, Coatesville, Lebanon, Wilkes-Barre), state facilities, county hospitals offer federal/state pension access + strong benefits. Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System (SERS) covers state-employer RNs.
What about CRNA pay in Pennsylvania? CRNAs in Pennsylvania typically earn $200,000–$330,000 base in 2026; top academic and independent-practice settings reach $375,000+. Pennsylvania CRNAs practice under physician supervision (PA has not adopted full practice authority for CRNAs as of 2026).
Sources
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), "29-1141 Registered Nurses," May 2024 data release, Pennsylvania state and metro tables. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_pa.htm and https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm ↩↩↩↩
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UPMC Corporate Profile and Financial Disclosures. https://www.upmc.com/about/facts ↩
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Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP). https://www.pasnap.com/ ; SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. https://www.seiuhcpa.org/ ↩↩
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Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System — Act 13 of 2002, Act 52 of 2022, and Act 35 of 2020 (nurse-to-patient ratio disclosure). http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ ↩↩
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NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact — Pennsylvania status. https://www.ncsbn.org/nurse-licensure-compact.htm ; Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/Nursing/ ↩↩↩
