Registered Nurses salary in Salem, OR

Median pay for registered nurses in Salem, OR: $107,080/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $85,440 – $127,640 · about 4,150 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($80,810) by +$26,270 (+33%).

What it's really worth in Salem

With Salem's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $107,080 has the buying power of about $104,510 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $72,154 · median home $454,689 · median rent $1,628/mo.

Full Salem cost of living & taxes →

How Salem ranks for this job

On raw pay, Salem, OR is 24th of the 187 metros we hold registered nurses wages for. Once Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 22nd.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Salem sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Salem

A median home in Salem, OR costs $454,689 — about 4.2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,628/mo works out at 18% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where registered nurses earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Salem.

Metro	Median pay	vs Salem	Rent vs Salem
Vallejo, CA	$187,080	+75%	1.5×
San Francisco, CA	$181,240	+69%	2×
San Jose, CA	$179,210	+67%	2.2×
Sacramento, CA	$157,810	+47%	1.4×

Same job elsewhere in OR

Metro	Median pay	vs Salem	Rent vs Salem
Portland, OR	$116,850	+9%	1.1×
Eugene, OR	$100,780	−6%	1.1×

Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires registered nurses around Salem

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• State of Oregon · Government
• Salem Health · Healthcare
• Salem Hospital · Healthcare
• Willamette University · Education

Other jobs in Salem