Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
7 metro areas in Arizona publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 70,390 jobs. The three largest employers of registered nurses are Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler (53,700 jobs), Tucson (10,120 jobs), Yuma (1,640 jobs), which hold 93.0% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $85,380 to $104,980 a year, against $99,500 for the whole state and $97,550 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $97,550 a year for registered nurses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $68,940 and the highest-paid tenth over $137,470). Employment is projected to change by +5.6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Registered nurses in Arizona: the highest median pay is in the Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ area ($104,980 a year); the most jobs are in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area (53,700). Statewide the median is $99,500 with 73,150 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 1,510 | $104,980 | $78,570 | $139,150 | 0.96 | 15% | 98.3 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 53,700 | $100,830 | $70,730 | $130,930 | 1.04 | 20% | 103.3 |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 1,570 | $100,780 | $77,950 | $120,060 | 1.09 | 18% | 100.3 |
| Yuma, AZ | 1,640 | $94,320 | $66,620 | $116,750 | 1.10 | 13% | 92.7 |
| Tucson, AZ | 10,120 | $94,110 | $65,880 | $128,540 | 1.19 | 15% | 96.9 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 1,290 | $93,990 | $74,610 | $112,860 | 1.05 | 14% | 94.1 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 560 | $85,380 | $72,890 | $112,910 | 0.76 | 14% | 89.2 |
National page: Registered nurses →Cities of Arizona
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ area, with a median of $104,980 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ area, with 53,700 jobs.