We tabulated the data based on 2,784 usable responses to a questionnaire published in the October issue of Nursing99 and posted on our Web site. The mean age of respondents is 41. See Salaries by Practice Area for more details. Sixty-seven percent of respondents have been in their current positions 5 years or less, highlighting the nursing profession's mobility. Here's what these nurses told us, starting with yearly salaries by geographic region.
Hospitals still pay the most, but home health is a close second.
For years, nurses have wondered about the value of a BSN degree when they don't get raises or differentials for obtaining one. But when we broke down the numbers, we found that overall, nurses with BSN or MSN degrees are faring better than those with an associate degree. The following chart shows how a nurse's education level affects her salary. Of course, many factors other than education also influence salary. For example, older nurses with many years of experience tend to make more money.