How Much Does an RN Make in Albany, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for RNs in Albany, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Albany · Schenectady · Troy metro area
A typical RN in Albany, New York earns $48.06 per hour, or $99,970 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $8,331 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $77,150, and the top 10% of earners make over $130,970.
That pay is 9% below the New York figure of $109,440 and 2% above the national figure of $97,550. Albany ranks 7th of 13 metro areas in New York for RN pay. About 10,230 RNs work in the Albany · Schenectady · Troy area. Albany is part of the Albany · Schenectady · Troy metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Schenectady and Troy share these figures.
RN pay in Albany at a glance
- Typical pay is $48.06 an hour, or $99,970 a year.
- That is 9% below the New York figure, ranking 7th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $77,150; the top 10% make over $130,970.
- Typical pay rose +62% from 2015 to 2025, against +40% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does an RN make in Albany?
Pay in Albany runs from entry-level positions at around $37.09 an hour to more than $62.97 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the New York and national figures.
RN pay by career stage in Albany
| Career stage | Albany | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $77,150$37.09 an hour | $79,760$38.35 an hour | $68,940$33.14 an hour |
| First years | $82,750$39.78 an hour | $94,840$45.60 an hour | $80,330$38.62 an hour |
| Typical RN | $99,970$48.06 an hour | $109,440$52.62 an hour | $97,550$46.90 an hour |
| Experienced | $103,620$49.82 an hour | $129,660$62.34 an hour | $112,350$54.02 an hour |
| Top 10% | $130,970$62.97 an hour | $157,090$75.52 an hour | $137,470$66.09 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Albany · Schenectady · Troy area as BLS defines it
RN pay growth in Albany
Typical (median) annual wage for RNs in the Albany · Schenectady · Troy area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical RN pay in Albany was $61,640 a year. By 2025 it had reached $99,970, a change of +62%, compared with +40% for New York over the same years.
How Albany compares with other New York cities
New York pays RNs the most in New York at $119,720 a year, $19,750 more than Albany. The lowest-paying area in the state is Elmira at $82,820.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Albany | RNs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $119,720 | $57.56 | +20% | 197,740 |
| 2 | Glens Falls | $104,000 | $50.00 | +4% | 1,030 |
| 3 | Kiryas Joel metro incl. Newburgh · Poughkeepsie | $102,890 | $49.47 | +3% | 5,760 |
| 4 | Binghamton | $101,720 | $48.90 | +2% | 2,570 |
| 5 | Kingston | $101,030 | $48.57 | +1% | 1,000 |
| 6 | Ithaca | $100,320 | $48.23 | 0% | 940 |
| 7 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $99,970 | $48.06 | this city | 10,230 |
| 8 | Cheektowaga metro incl. Buffalo | $99,060 | $47.63 | -1% | 13,830 |
| 9 | Fort Drum metro incl. Watertown | $96,070 | $46.19 | -4% | 900 |
| 10 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $94,300 | $45.34 | -6% | 2,600 |
| 11 | Syracuse | $86,960 | $41.81 | -13% | 8,180 |
| 12 | Rochester | $86,570 | $41.62 | -13% | 12,340 |
| 13 | Elmira | $82,820 | $39.82 | -17% | 730 |
Every metro area in New York with RN wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $109,440
Is Albany a good place to work as an RN?
RN pay in Albany sits close to the national figure: $99,970 a year, 2% above the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Albany · Schenectady · Troy area, about 23 are RN positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 22. RN jobs make up about the same share of the job market as they do across the country.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an RN make in Albany, NY?
- A typical RN in Albany earns $99,970 a year, or $48.06 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $77,150 and the top 10% earn over $130,970.
- How much does an RN make an hour in Albany?
- Typical hourly pay for RNs in Albany is $48.06. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $37.09, and the top 10% earn over $62.97 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for an RN in Albany?
- Entry-level RN positions in Albany typically offer around $37.09 an hour, or $77,150 a year.
- Is RN pay in Albany higher than in the rest of New York?
- Albany pay is 9% below the New York figure of $109,440 a year, ranking 7th of 13 metro areas in the state. New York pays the most in New York at $119,720.