Registered Nurse.
Albuquerque.
$82,000
median salary, 13% below the national average
$69,000 to $94,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A Registered Nurse in Albuquerque earns a median of $82,000 in 2026. That is 13% below the national average. The range runs from $69,000 to $94,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Specialty certification, geographic location, and facility type create the widest salary ranges. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Registered Nurse in Albuquerque, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $96,040 for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) in the Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area, based on 10,290 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$80,090
25th percentile
$84,450
Median
$96,040
75th percentile
$105,690
90th percentile
$123,540
Workers surveyed
10,290
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) rather than Registered Nurse specifically. The Albuquerque range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1141Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $74,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$53,000
to $66,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$70,000
to $86,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$90,000
to $107,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$103,000
to $127,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $25,000 to the total package.
Base
$82,000
Equity
$14,000
Bonus
$9,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $107,000
How Albuquerque compares.
Albuquerque, NM
$82,000
Cost of living: 12% below average
National Average
$94,000
Albuquerque is $12,000 below
Registered Nurse salary by city.
Salary by role in Albuquerque.
What you should know.
The Registered Nurse landscape in Albuquerque is not what most salary sites will tell you. Albuquerque's economy is driven by Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and a growing film production industry. The city offers affordable living and a strong pipeline of research and engineering jobs tied to national defense and energy programs. Specialty certification, geographic location, and facility type create the widest salary ranges. ICU, OR, and emergency nurses earn premiums over med surg nurses. Travel nursing contracts can pay 50 to 100% more than permanent positions. Union representation and shift differentials for nights and weekends also impact total pay.
New graduate RNs start at $58,000 to $72,000, with experienced RNs reaching $80,000 to $100,000 after five years. Nurse practitioners earn $110,000 to $140,000, and CRNAs (nurse anesthetists) can earn $180,000 to $220,000. Nursing management roles offer $95,000 to $140,000 with administrative responsibilities. In Albuquerque, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 12% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Benefits are a major component, typically including health insurance, pension or 403(b) matching, tuition reimbursement, and continuing education credits. Shift differentials add $3 to $8 per hour for nights and weekends. Signing bonuses of $5,000 to $20,000 are common in high demand specialties. And on the tax side: new Mexico's top income tax rate is 5.9%. Albuquerque has no city income tax. The moderate state rate and affordable housing create reasonable net compensation. When someone quotes you $82,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight security clearance or national lab experience. Sandia and Los Alamos pay nationally competitive salaries with excellent federal benefits packages. The range for Registered Nurses in Albuquerque runs from $69,000 to $94,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An Operations Manager in Albuquerque earns $83,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Albuquerque is CTO at $267,000
Common questions.
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Other salaries in Albuquerque.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Registered Nurse Salary in Albuquerque, NM." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/registered-nurse/albuquerque
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