Registered Nurse Salary in Tempe, AZ: Median $86,748 in 2026
Tempe (AZ) · COL index 105 · Unemployment 3.5% · Metro pop 185,000 · Rank #103 of 283 for Registered Nurse salary
A Registered Nurse in Tempe earns an estimated median of $86,748 per year. That figure starts from the Arizona state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($83,230) and scales it by Tempe's composite cost-of-living index of 105 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $42,024; the 90th percentile reaches $167,315. After federal, Arizona state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Registered Nurse takes home approximately $67,785/year — about $5,649/month or $2,607 every other week.
Compared to the national Registered Nurse median of $86,070, Tempe pays +0.8%. Relative to the Tempe median household income of $65,200, a Registered Nursesalary runs +33.0%. Local unemployment is 3.5%[3], with an estimated 274 annual Registered Nurse openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (3,310,800).
Registered Nurse Snapshot — Tempe (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Tempe | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse median salary | $86,748 | $86,070 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $42,024 | $68,890 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $167,315 | $132,680 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $67,785 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $420,000 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $1,550/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $1,425/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $65,200 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 105.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | — | [3] |
How Registered Nurse Salaries Work in Tempe
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the Arizona state-level OEWS median ($83,230) and scaling by Tempe's composite cost-of-living index (105)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and Arizona state income tax at a 2.1% effective rate ($1,794/yr on the $86,748 median)[10].
Tempe also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. A tight labor market (unemployment below 4%) gives candidates pricing power in negotiations. Median household income in the metro is $65,200, which frames what "a good Registered Nurse salary" means locally: a $$86,748 wage pays about 133% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Tempe
Estimated annual expense shares on a $67,785 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Tempe's COL index of 105. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Tempe's COL index of 105[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $1,550/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Tempe
Renting
Buying
At $5,649/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $1,695/mo. Tempe's typical 1–2BR rent runs $1,550/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $1,425/mo), making rent very affordable on a median Registered Nurse salary. For homebuyers, the 4.8× price-to-income ratio is workable with a strong credit profile and manageable other debts.
How Tempe Stacks Up for Registered Nurses
Against 283 major US cities: Tempe ranks #103 for nominal Registered Nurse salary, #217 for rent affordability, and #179 for overall purchasing power. High cost of living absorbs much of Tempe's nominal wage premium. Registered Nurses here often trade pay for lifestyle, proximity to employers, or family roots — consider nearby metros on a salary-to-COL basis.
Nearby Cities — Registered Nurse Salary Comparison
Tempe's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs AZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tempe, AZ ★ | $86,748 | 105 | $1,550 | — |
| Phoenix, AZ | $91,234 | 106 | $1,150 | +5.2% |
| Tucson, AZ | $78,324 | 91 | $868 | -9.7% |
| Scottsdale, AZ | $101,563 | 118 | $2,100 | +17.1% |
| Gilbert, AZ | $92,956 | 108 | $1,750 | +7.2% |
| Chandler, AZ | $91,234 | 106 | $1,700 | +5.2% |
Registered Nurse Job Market in Tempe
Tempe has an estimated 274 annual Registered Nurseopenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 3,310,800 national Registered Nurses[1]. The 3.5% unemployment rate[3] signals a competitive labor market where skilled professionals can push for top-of-band offers.
About the profession: Registered nurses provide patient care, education, and emotional support in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings. They are the largest healthcare occupation in the US. Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree (bsn) or associate's degree. Projected growth through 2034: 6%[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Tempe
Early-career Registered Nurses in Tempe start around $42,024, reach the city median ($86,748) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($167,315) at senior / specialized levels.
Related healthcare professions in Tempe
Calculators for Registered Nurses in Tempe
Other professions in Tempe
Frequently Asked Questions — Registered Nurse in Tempe
How much does a Registered Nurse make in Tempe, AZ?
The estimated median salary for a Registered Nurse in Tempe is $86,748/year, scaled from the BLS OEWS Arizona state median ($83,230) by Tempe's composite cost-of-living index of 105 (US = 100). After federal, Arizona state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $67,785/year or $5,649/month.
Can a Registered Nurse afford to live in Tempe?
On $5,649/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $1,695/month. Tempe's Zillow ZORI median rent is $1,550/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $1,425/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 21.4%, making housing very affordable for a Registered Nurse at the local median. Home-buyers face 4.8× price-to-income, needing roughly 4.8 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Registered Nurse pay in Tempe?
On $86,748 gross, a Registered Nurse in Tempe pays approximately $10,533 in federal income tax (12.1% effective), $1,794 in Arizona state income tax (2.1% effective), and $6,636 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 21.9%. Some Arizona cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Tempe rank for Registered Nurse salaries vs other cities?
Tempe ranks #103 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Registered Nurse salary, #217 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #179 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Registered Nurse in Tempe?
On $67,785 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Tempe looks like: housing $18,600/yr (27.4%); food $8,378/yr; transportation $6,914/yr; healthcare $4,816/yr; utilities $3,474/yr; savings + discretionary $25,603/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Tempe's COL index of 105 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Registered Nurse job market like in Tempe?
Tempe's unemployment rate is 3.5% across the metro of 185,000. Estimated annual Registered Nurse openings: ~274 (extrapolated from 3,310,800 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The tight labor market favors candidates in salary negotiations.
Do Tempe employers pay above or below the Arizona median for Registered Nurses?
Yes — Tempe's estimated Registered Nurse median of $86,748 is 0.8% above the national median. Higher nominal pay in this city partially offsets the higher cost of living; the real picture depends on housing costs and state taxes.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Tempe median is derived from the Arizona state-level BLS OEWS median ($83,230), scaled by Tempe's composite cost-of-living index of 105. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Registered Nursemedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses Arizona's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 105index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 100.7(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Arizona Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
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