Registered Nurse.
Anchorage.
$103,000
median salary, 10% above the national average
$87,000 to $118,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Registered Nurse offer in Anchorage, AK, here is the reality: $87,000 to $118,000, with $103,000 as the midpoint. 10% above the national average. Specialty certification, geographic location, and facility type create the widest salary ranges. Do not accept the first number. 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 Anchorage, 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 $115,290 for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) in the Anchorage, AK metropolitan area, based on 4,990 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$85,840
25th percentile
$97,700
Median
$115,290
75th percentile
$129,100
90th percentile
$155,150
Workers surveyed
4,990
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 Anchorage 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 $93,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$67,000
to $82,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$88,000
to $108,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$113,000
to $134,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$129,000
to $160,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$103,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $134,000
How Anchorage compares.
Anchorage, AK
$103,000
Cost of living: 13% above average
National Average
$94,000
Anchorage is $9,000 above
Registered Nurse salary by city.
Salary by role in Anchorage.
What you should know.
Here is what the Registered Nurse market actually looks like in Anchorage. Anchorage is Alaska's economic center, driven by oil and gas, military spending, and healthcare. The city offers premium pay to offset its remote location and high cost of goods. Federal and state government roles dominate, with growing demand in telehealth and energy technology. 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 Anchorage, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
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: alaska has no state income tax and no state sales tax. Anchorage charges no local income tax either. The result is one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the nation. When someone quotes you $103,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate relocation packages and cost of living adjustments. Anchorage employers expect to pay 10 to 20% premiums over Lower 48 salaries for comparable roles. The range for Registered Nurses in Anchorage runs from $87,000 to $118,000. 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
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Common questions.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Registered Nurse Salary in Anchorage, AK." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/registered-nurse/anchorage
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