How Much Does an RN Make in Kansas in 2026?

A typical registered nurse in Kansas earns about $38.14 per hour, or $79,320 per year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $6,610 a month and $1,525 a week, based on the annual figure. These numbers describe typical pay across the state, covering nurses at all experience levels and practice settings. Kansas hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities all factor into this figure.

This is 19% below typical national pay of $97,550 a year, placing Kansas 46th among the 51 states and territories tracked. The state's 33,800 registered nurses make up a sizable share of the local health care workforce. Pay in Kansas tends to run lower than the national figure, which often lines up with a lower cost of living in the state.

Entry-level positions in Kansas typically offer around $63,180 a year, or about $30.37 an hour, for registered nurses just starting out. Pay tends to rise from there as nurses gain experience, moving toward the statewide typical figure of $79,320 within the first several years on the job. New graduates in hospital settings often see faster movement than those in smaller clinics. Additional certifications and specialized training can also speed up that climb.

Experienced registered nurses in Kansas often earn upwards of $94,700 a year, and the top 10% of earners make over $100,840 ($48.48 an hour). That leaves a spread of $37,660 between entry-level and top pay in the state. Setting plays a role in that gap: hospital intensive care and specialty units tend to pay more than general clinics. Experience and city also shape where a nurse lands on that scale.

Registered nurse pay in Kansas has climbed steadily over the past decade, from $56,320 in 2015 to $79,320 in 2025. That's a gain of $23,000, or 41%, over ten years. The increase wasn't perfectly even: pay rose gradually through the late 2010s, dipped slightly in 2021, then jumped sharply in 2023 as wages across health care adjusted. By 2025, typical pay had settled well above where it stood a decade earlier.

Nationally, RN pay rose 45% over the same ten years, a slightly faster pace than Kansas saw. That means Kansas nurses gained ground in dollar terms but grew a bit more slowly than the country as a whole. For someone starting a nursing career in Kansas now, the decade of data shows pay has moved up consistently, though it makes no promises about the years ahead.

Pay runs highest in Topeka, where registered nurses typically earn $81,820 a year ($39.34 an hour), about 3% above the statewide figure. These figures cover each city's full metro area, not just the city itself. Manhattan and Lawrence follow, with typical pay of $78,960 and $78,020 a year, both close to the statewide figure of $79,320.

Wichita pays the least among the four Kansas metro areas tracked, with typical pay of $76,540 a year, though it's also home to the state's largest RN workforce at 7,460 nurses. That's a spread of $5,280 between the highest- and lowest-paying cities in Kansas. Wichita's lower pay likely tracks a lower cost of living compared with Topeka, a pattern common between larger and smaller metro areas.

Kansas pay compares unevenly with its neighbors. Colorado pays the most, with RNs there earning $100,260 a year, 26% above the Kansas figure. Nebraska and Oklahoma also pay more, at $84,730 and $82,920, while Missouri runs closer to Kansas at $81,780, about 3% higher. Nursing licenses can often be transferred or endorsed from one state to a neighboring one, which makes crossing state lines for higher pay a realistic option for many Kansas nurses.

Registered nurses in Kansas typically earn $79,320 a year, a figure that has climbed 41% over the past decade. Pay varies somewhat by city and experience level, but the overall trend has been upward. Readers considering a nursing career in Kansas can check the Kansas State Board of Nursing site for licensing requirements, and the city pages on this site for local pay figures in Topeka, Wichita, and beyond.