The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Chicago is 84,038 $ per year on a 40-hour full-time equivalent, or 7,003 $ gross per month and 40.40 $ gross per hour. The reported full-time salary range is 44,750 $ to 125,000 $. The analysis is based on 53 salary reports from workers and employers in Chicago. Part-time salaries are proportionally converted to 40 weekly hours so the values are comparable.
| Date | Job title | Weekly hours | Reported gross/year | Normalized to 40h/year | Gross/month 40h | Gross/hour 40h | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/10/2026 | Per Diem Registered Nurse - Psychiatric | 20.0 h | 48,000 $ | 96,000 $ | 8,000 $ | 46.15 $ | In 2026 I worked per-diem psychiatric shifts averaging 20 hours/week; the hourly rate is competitive but the irregular schedule keeps annualized pay lower than full-time. |
| 03/29/2026 | Registered Nurse - ICU | 40.0 h | 99,000 $ | 99,000 $ | 8,250 $ | 47.60 $ | I accepted a clinical lead ICU position in early 2026 with a retention incentive and a higher base rate due to ongoing recruitment challenges. |
| 01/18/2026 | Nurse Director | 45.0 h | 132,000 $ | 117,333 $ | 9,778 $ | 56.41 $ | I served as a nurse director in 2026 for a large specialty department overseeing multiple units and managers; the role involved strategic leadership and extended hours. |
| 10/02/2025 | Registered Nurse - Community Clinic (Part-time) | 24.0 h | 42,000 $ | 70,000 $ | 5,833 $ | 33.65 $ | I worked part-time at a community health clinic in 2025 managing chronic disease panels and vaccination clinics while attending grad school. |
| 06/21/2025 | Clinical Nurse Specialist (RN) | 40.0 h | 108,000 $ | 108,000 $ | 9,000 $ | 51.92 $ | I hold a clinical specialist role in 2025 focusing on protocol development and staff training within a specialty program; this senior clinical position pays above staff RN rates. |
| 03/10/2025 | Registered Nurse - Home Infusion | 38.0 h | 78,000 $ | 82,105 $ | 6,842 $ | 39.47 $ | I work full-time in home infusion nursing in 2025 administering complex infusions and educating patients; the role requires clinical autonomy and travel during the day. |
| 02/08/2025 | Nurse Practitioner (RN title used for reporting) | 40.0 h | 125,000 $ | 125,000 $ | 10,417 $ | 60.10 $ | I report under RN profession for this entry but function in an advanced clinical role with prescriptive authority in 2025; compensation reflects advanced practice responsibilities. |
| 11/30/2024 | Travel Nurse - Cardiac ICU | 40.0 h | 124,000 $ | 124,000 $ | 10,333 $ | 59.62 $ | In 2024 I worked multiple high-pay travel assignments in cardiac ICUs. Between higher hourly rates and stipends my gross annual came in higher than staff RN roles. |
| 08/13/2024 | Registered Nurse - Telemetry (Part-time) | 30.0 h | 46,000 $ | 61,333 $ | 5,111 $ | 29.49 $ | I took a part-time telemetry position in 2024 to balance family obligations; I have senior experience but chose reduced hours and received pro-rated compensation. |
| 05/27/2024 | Nurse Manager - Outpatient Services | 43.0 h | 110,000 $ | 102,326 $ | 8,527 $ | 49.19 $ | I manage outpatient services for a multi-site clinic in 2024; my duties include operations, HR oversight, and strategic planning which requires longer managerial hours. |
| 04/06/2024 | Registered Nurse - Oncology Infusion | 40.0 h | 92,000 $ | 92,000 $ | 7,667 $ | 44.23 $ | I am an oncology infusion RN in 2024-2026 with specialized certification; infusion experience and patient acuity in Chicago clinics contributed to higher compensation. |
| 02/14/2024 | Registered Nurse - Emergency Department | 40.0 h | 94,000 $ | 94,000 $ | 7,833 $ | 45.19 $ | I moved to a high-acuity downtown ED in 2024 where demand pushed salaries up; I have senior emergency experience and took a full-time role with leadership charge responsibilities occasionally. |
| 12/08/2023 | Per Diem Operating Room RN | 22.0 h | 56,000 $ | 101,818 $ | 8,485 $ | 48.95 $ | I worked per-diem in the OR through 2023, averaging about 22 hours a week; the hourly pay was good but inconsistent assignment frequency kept annual earnings lower. |
| 10/29/2023 | ICU Registered Nurse - Night Shift | 40.0 h | 90,000 $ | 90,000 $ | 7,500 $ | 43.27 $ | I took a permanent night-shift role in the ICU in 2023; the hospital offered a night differential and retention bonus which raised my total compensation. |
| 08/16/2023 | Registered Nurse - Burn Unit | 40.0 h | 93,000 $ | 93,000 $ | 7,750 $ | 44.71 $ | I worked on a specialized burn unit in 2023 with advanced wound care responsibilities and higher acuity patients, which was reflected in pay. |
| 07/22/2023 | Assistant Nurse Manager | 42.0 h | 98,000 $ | 93,333 $ | 7,778 $ | 44.87 $ | In 2023 I served as an assistant nurse manager for a high-volume surgical unit, handling staffing logistics, performance reviews, and some budget duties. |
| 04/05/2023 | Registered Nurse - Behavioral Health | 38.0 h | 67,000 $ | 70,526 $ | 5,877 $ | 33.91 $ | I am a behavioral health RN in 2023 with five years' experience. My schedule is a standard full-time 38 hours with occasional on-call shifts. |
| 03/02/2023 | Lead Registered Nurse - Specialty Clinic | 40.0 h | 97,000 $ | 97,000 $ | 8,083 $ | 46.63 $ | I worked as the lead RN in a specialty outpatient clinic in 2023 overseeing clinical protocols, training, and quality improvement initiatives. |
| 01/19/2023 | Nurse Educator - Community Health | 40.0 h | 86,000 $ | 86,000 $ | 7,167 $ | 41.35 $ | I worked as a community health nurse educator in 2023 developing outreach programs and training community partners; this was a full-time role at a medium-sized public health organization. |
| 11/03/2022 | Registered Nurse - Pediatric Unit (Part-time) | 28.0 h | 42,000 $ | 60,000 $ | 5,000 $ | 28.85 $ | I worked part-time on a pediatric floor in 2022 while taking graduate classes; my clinical responsibilities included patient assessment and family education. |
| 09/26/2022 | Registered Nurse - Surgical Stepdown | 40.0 h | 82,000 $ | 82,000 $ | 6,833 $ | 39.42 $ | I worked full-time in surgical stepdown in 2022 with responsibility for advanced monitoring and mentoring new hires; I had about eight years' clinical experience. |
| 08/07/2022 | Travel Registered Nurse - ICU | 40.0 h | 118,000 $ | 118,000 $ | 9,833 $ | 56.73 $ | I accepted multiple travel contracts in 2022 primarily in ICUs; combined higher hourly pay and stipends bumped my annual gross above typical staff RN salaries. |
| 05/11/2022 | Clinical Resource Nurse | 40.0 h | 83,000 $ | 83,000 $ | 6,917 $ | 39.90 $ | I acted as a clinical resource nurse in 2022, floating between units to provide skills support and immediate troubleshooting for staff; I'm considered senior clinical staff. |
| 03/15/2022 | Registered Nurse - Case Manager | 40.0 h | 87,000 $ | 87,000 $ | 7,250 $ | 41.83 $ | I transitioned into RN case management in 2022, handling discharge planning and utilization review for a large hospital network which increased my compensation. |
| 02/20/2022 | Registered Nurse - Home Health | 36.0 h | 62,000 $ | 68,889 $ | 5,741 $ | 33.12 $ | I transitioned to home health nursing in 2022, doing visits for complex chronic patients. My full-time schedule averaged 36 hours with travel time between clients. |
| 10/31/2021 | Senior Registered Nurse - Cardiac Stepdown | 40.0 h | 88,000 $ | 88,000 $ | 7,333 $ | 42.31 $ | I worked as a senior RN in cardiac stepdown in 2021 with responsibilities for mentoring and advanced hemodynamic monitoring; I had roughly nine years' experience. |
| 08/03/2021 | Registered Nurse - Case Management (Part-time) | 30.0 h | 54,000 $ | 72,000 $ | 6,000 $ | 34.62 $ | I worked part-time in case management in 2021 handling complex discharges; the role paid well for reduced hours while allowing clinical continuity. |
| 07/14/2021 | Registered Nurse - Skilled Nursing Facility (Part-time) | 20.0 h | 30,000 $ | 60,000 $ | 5,000 $ | 28.85 $ | I worked part-time at a skilled nursing facility in 2021 while finishing school; duties were med passes, wound care, and documentation with about 20 hours weekly. |
| 03/09/2021 | Nurse Manager - Surgical Services | 44.0 h | 105,000 $ | 95,455 $ | 7,955 $ | 45.89 $ | In 2021 I was a nurse manager overseeing perioperative services at a large hospital. My role included staffing, credentialing, and departmental budgeting. |
| 01/26/2021 | Clinical Coordinator (RN) | 40.0 h | 101,000 $ | 101,000 $ | 8,417 $ | 48.56 $ | I coordinated clinical operations for a specialty program in 2021, overseeing workflows and quality metrics; the role paid above staff RN levels due to administrative duties. |
| 11/25/2020 | Per Diem Critical Care RN | 22.0 h | 53,000 $ | 96,364 $ | 8,030 $ | 46.33 $ | I picked up per-diem critical care shifts during 2020; although hourly rates were high for crisis staffing, the irregular hours averaged about 22/week for the year. |
| 10/04/2020 | Registered Nurse - Oncology (Weekend Schedule) | 20.0 h | 51,000 $ | 102,000 $ | 8,500 $ | 49.04 $ | I pick up a weekend oncology RN role part-time (20 hours/week) in 2020 while keeping a daytime nonclinical job; weekends pay a bit more per hour but hours are limited. |
| 09/12/2020 | Registered Nurse - Emergency Department | 36.0 h | 68,000 $ | 75,556 $ | 6,296 $ | 36.32 $ | I worked ED nights through 2020 as a mid-level RN; patient volumes fluctuated and I had about six years of experience at the time. |
| 06/30/2020 | Charge Nurse - COVID Unit | 44.0 h | 92,000 $ | 83,636 $ | 6,970 $ | 40.21 $ | I served as charge nurse on a COVID unit in 2020 at a large hospital system; extended shifts and premium pay for pandemic staffing increased yearly earnings. |
| 03/18/2020 | Registered Nurse - ICU (Night Shift) | 40.0 h | 77,000 $ | 77,000 $ | 6,417 $ | 37.02 $ | In 2020 during the early COVID response I was an ICU night-shift RN with overtime and hazard differentials that increased gross pay relative to prior years. |
| 12/22/2019 | Registered Nurse - Behavioral Health (Part-time) | 25.0 h | 36,000 $ | 57,600 $ | 4,800 $ | 27.69 $ | I worked part-time in behavioral health in 2019, doing intake assessments and group facilitation; my hours averaged about 25 per week. |
| 09/04/2019 | Clinical Nurse Educator | 40.0 h | 84,000 $ | 84,000 $ | 7,000 $ | 40.38 $ | I worked as a clinical nurse educator in 2019 for a hospital system training new grads and running competency programs; I had senior-level responsibilities but no direct reports. |
| 06/06/2019 | Registered Nurse - Float Pool (Part-time) | 30.0 h | 44,000 $ | 58,667 $ | 4,889 $ | 28.21 $ | I worked part-time in the float pool through 2019, covering multiple units based on staffing needs; the variable schedule averaged to about 30 hours a week. |
| 05/16/2019 | Registered Nurse - Labor & Delivery | 38.0 h | 70,000 $ | 73,684 $ | 6,140 $ | 35.43 $ | I was a labor & delivery RN in 2019 with about seven years' experience. My schedule was typically 38-hour full-time rotating shifts with some call responsibilities. |
| 02/27/2019 | Travel Nurse (Registered Nurse) | 40.0 h | 98,000 $ | 98,000 $ | 8,167 $ | 47.12 $ | I took a 13-week travel contract in 2019 that paid a higher hourly rate; I worked full time on nights in a downtown hospital and grossed this amount for the year including housing stipends. |
| 11/13/2018 | Senior Registered Nurse - Oncology | 40.0 h | 78,000 $ | 78,000 $ | 6,500 $ | 37.50 $ | In 2018 I was a senior oncology RN with advanced chemotherapy certification and responsibility for training new nurses at a mid-sized cancer center. |
| 10/24/2018 | Registered Nurse - Geriatrics | 40.0 h | 64,000 $ | 64,000 $ | 5,333 $ | 30.77 $ | I was a geriatric RN on a hospital unit in 2018 providing complex elderly care; salary reflected standard staff RN rates for that region and time. |
| 08/29/2018 | ICU Registered Nurse | 36.0 h | 72,000 $ | 80,000 $ | 6,667 $ | 38.46 $ | I was an ICU RN at a tertiary hospital in 2018 with five years of critical care experience and consistent evening shift differentials contributing to the pay. |
| 06/07/2018 | Registered Nurse - Skilled Nursing (Night Shift) | 36.0 h | 56,000 $ | 62,222 $ | 5,185 $ | 29.91 $ | I worked night shifts at a skilled nursing facility in 2018 with responsibilities for med administration and wound care; this was steady full-time work. |
| 04/18/2018 | Registered Nurse - Home Health (Part-time) | 24.0 h | 33,000 $ | 55,000 $ | 4,583 $ | 26.44 $ | I provided home health nursing part-time in 2018, doing wound care and med management. I had three years of experience and scheduled visits averaged 24 hours a week. |
| 11/02/2017 | Per Diem Registered Nurse | 20.0 h | 41,000 $ | 82,000 $ | 6,833 $ | 39.42 $ | I worked per-diem in 2017 covering nights at several hospitals; hours averaged 20/week and the annualized gross was around this number since I didn't have steady full-time benefits. |
| 10/19/2017 | Registered Nurse - Post-Anesthesia Care Unit | 38.0 h | 76,000 $ | 80,000 $ | 6,667 $ | 38.46 $ | I worked PACU full-time in 2017 with several years of perioperative experience; my schedule was typically 38 hours with some weekend coverage. |
| 07/11/2017 | Charge Nurse - Emergency Department | 40.0 h | 72,000 $ | 72,000 $ | 6,000 $ | 34.62 $ | In 2017 I was the evening charge nurse in a busy urban ED with six years' experience; I coordinated staffing and triage but didn't have formal executive duties. |
| 03/21/2017 | Registered Nurse - Telemetry | 36.5 h | 60,000 $ | 65,753 $ | 5,479 $ | 31.61 $ | I work telemetry full-time at a suburban hospital. In 2017 I had about four years of experience and received modest annual raises prior to hiring freezes. |
| 12/05/2016 | Nurse Manager | 42.0 h | 85,000 $ | 80,952 $ | 6,746 $ | 38.92 $ | I'm the nurse manager for a 30-bed unit at a midsize hospital. In 2016 I handled staffing, budgeting, and clinical oversight and put in longer managerial hours. |
| 09/30/2016 | Registered Nurse - Outpatient Clinic (Part-time) | 32.0 h | 35,800 $ | 44,750 $ | 3,729 $ | 21.51 $ | I work part time in an outpatient clinic doing triage and simple procedures; I've been here three years and I pick up extra shifts occasionally. |
| 07/08/2016 | Per Diem Registered Nurse - Labor & Delivery | 18.0 h | 49,000 $ | 108,889 $ | 9,074 $ | 52.35 $ | I worked per-diem in labor & delivery in 2016, picking up night and weekend calls that averaged to about 18 hours weekly across the year. |
| 02/14/2016 | Registered Nurse - Med/Surg | 40.0 h | 55,800 $ | 55,800 $ | 4,650 $ | 26.83 $ | I'm an early-career RN on a med/surg floor at a small community hospital. I started here after nursing school and have worked full time for about a year; responsibilities are basic patient care and meds. |
Chicago, Illinois is one of the nation’s largest healthcare hubs, anchored by academic medical centers, a wide network of community hospitals, and extensive outpatient and home-based services. Registered Nurses (RNs) in Chicago typically find steady demand across inpatient units, ambulatory clinics, surgical services, rehabilitation, behavioral health, and community settings. The city’s diverse population, the prevalence of chronic conditions, and the complexity of tertiary and quaternary care delivered here all contribute to ongoing hiring needs for skilled RNs.
Employers in the Chicago area often look for strong clinical judgment, experience with electronic health records, and the ability to serve patients from many cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Many hospitals prefer or encourage a BSN, and new graduates commonly enter nurse residency programs to transition into specialty areas. Licensing is handled by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), and most roles require current BLS certification, with ACLS, PALS, and specialty credentials frequently requested for critical care, emergency, pediatrics, and perioperative positions.
The local labor market for Registered Nurses in Chicago is generally robust. Large hospital systems operate 24/7 and report recurring openings in medical-surgical units, critical care, emergency departments, operating rooms, and maternal-child health. Outpatient growth has been notable as procedures shift to ambulatory surgery centers and hospital-based clinics, creating additional RN positions in care coordination, infusion therapy, oncology, cardiology, and specialty practices. Home health and hospice providers also hire actively as organizations aim to reduce readmissions and support aging-in-place.
Workforce factors such as retirements, evolving staffing models, and patient acuity continue to shape demand. Many employers emphasize flexibility (evening, night, weekend, and holiday coverage), cross-training, and float pools to stabilize staffing. Several Chicago hospitals hold Magnet recognition, which can signal a focus on professional practice, shared governance, and nurse-led quality improvement—features that often attract career-minded RNs. Familiarity with widely used electronic record systems—many major hospitals in Chicago utilize Epic—can be an advantage for applicants.
Regional characteristics also influence hiring. Bilingual skills (particularly Spanish or Polish) are valued in numerous neighborhoods and clinics. Safety-net and community hospitals on the South and West Sides often prioritize nurses with strong community health perspectives, trauma-informed care skills, and experience addressing health equity. Easy access to public transportation allows many RNs to consider opportunities across the city and nearby suburbs within the larger Chicago–Naperville–Elgin metropolitan area.
RNs in Chicago can pursue roles with a range of well-known health systems, academic centers, public-sector providers, and community organizations. Examples include:
Chicago offers a broad clinical ladder for RNs. Early-career nurses often start in medical-surgical or telemetry units before moving into intensive care, emergency nursing, perioperative services, labor and delivery, pediatrics, oncology, or cardiology. Specialty certifications (such as CCRN, CEN, CNOR, or OCN) may enhance advancement potential. Many hospitals support preceptor and charge nurse tracks, clinical educator roles, and opportunities in case management, infection prevention, quality and patient safety, and informatics.
Beyond acute care, RNs can build careers in ambulatory surgery centers, infusion clinics, school health, public health, home health and hospice, rehabilitation, behavioral health, and research nursing within academic institutions. Chicago’s universities—such as the University of Illinois Chicago, Rush University, Loyola University Chicago, and DePaul University—host nursing programs and research centers that often collaborate with local hospitals, providing clinical rotations and pathways into residency or specialty training.
For experienced nurses, leadership positions in unit management, clinical operations, and service line coordination are common across large systems. Many employers also encourage continuing education and participation in evidence-based practice projects. With its concentration of teaching hospitals, integrated delivery networks, and community-based providers, Chicago typically offers RNs a wide spectrum of roles and settings to match evolving interests and skills.
The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Chicago is 84,038 $ per year on a 40-hour basis, or 7,003 $ gross per month.
Part-time and full-time reports are normalized to a 40-hour workweek so salary reports can be compared fairly.
You can find more comparisons on the profession overview for Registered Nurse and the city overview for Chicago. They show reported cities or jobs with their difference from the average.
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