How Much Does an RN Make in Ohio in 2026?

A typical registered nurse in Ohio earns about $39.67 per hour, which works out to $82,510 per year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That breaks down to roughly $6,876 a month and $1,587 a week, both figures calculated from the annual figure. These numbers describe pay before taxes or benefits. Actual paychecks vary by employer, shift, and years on the job.

That pay sits 15% below the national figure of $97,550 for registered nurses, and Ohio ranks 38th out of 51 states and territories on this measure. Lower pay in Ohio tends to track a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying coastal states. Around 143,730 registered nurses work across the state, giving a sense of the scale of the profession here.

Entry-level positions in Ohio typically offer around $32.20 an hour, or about $66,980 a year, for registered nurses just starting out. Pay tends to move toward the state's typical figure of $82,510 within the first few years on the job. New graduates often start in this lower range while completing orientation and building clinical hours. Raises usually follow certifications, added shifts, or a move into specialty units.

Experienced registered nurses in Ohio often earn upwards of $99,030 a year, and the top 10% of earners make over $105,290, or more than $50.62 an hour. That leaves a spread of $38,310 between entry-level and top pay in the state. Setting, years of experience, and city all play a part in where an individual nurse lands within that range.

Ohio's typical RN pay has climbed from $61,280 in 2015 to $82,510 in 2025, a gain of $21,230 over the decade. That works out to a 35% rise in typical annual pay over ten years. The increase has been steady rather than sudden, with pay rising most sharply between 2020 and 2022. Each year in the data shows a higher figure than the one before it.

Nationally, RN pay rose 45% over the same ten years, a faster pace than Ohio's climb. Ohio nurses have still seen real gains, even if the state's pace trailed the country as a whole. For someone starting a nursing career in Ohio now, the record shows pay has moved up steadily in recent years. Past growth does not guarantee future increases, but the decade-long trend has been upward.

Cleveland pays Ohio's registered nurses the most, with a typical $83,940 a year ($40.36 an hour) across its full metro area, about 2% above the state figure. Columbus and Cincinnati follow closely, at $83,900 and $83,650 a year. All three of Ohio's largest metro areas offer RN pay within a few hundred dollars of the top figure. That leaves comparatively little difference between working in Ohio's biggest cities.

Steubenville pays the least among Ohio's tracked cities, with a typical $77,400 a year ($37.21 an hour), putting the city spread at $6,540 between the highest and lowest metro areas. Columbus holds the state's largest RN workforce, with 30,510 nurses on the job there. City figures reflect each metro area as a whole, not just the downtown core. Lower pay in smaller cities like Steubenville usually lines up with a lower cost of living.

Ohio's neighbors show a mixed picture. Pennsylvania pays registered nurses $96,430 a year, about 17% more than Ohio, while West Virginia pays $80,130, about 3% less. Michigan and Indiana also list higher pay than Ohio, at $94,300 and $83,500. Kentucky pays slightly less, at $81,040. Nursing licenses can often be transferred or endorsed into a neighboring state, which makes comparing pay across the border a practical exercise for nurses near state lines.

Registered nurses in Ohio typically earn $82,510 a year, a figure that has grown 35% over the past decade. That pay sits below the national figure but has moved up steadily in recent years across the state. Nurses considering Ohio can check the state board of nursing's licensing requirements before applying for jobs. City-level pages offer more detail on how pay differs between Cleveland, Columbus, and other Ohio metro areas.