Registered Nurse.
Little Rock.
$74,000
median salary, 21% below the national average
$62,000 to $85,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Registered Nurse pay in Little Rock ranges from $62,000 to $85,000 in 2026. The median is $74,000, 21% below the national average. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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 Little Rock, 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 $81,070 for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area, based on 11,550 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$60,270
25th percentile
$74,770
Median
$81,070
75th percentile
$94,840
90th percentile
$114,190
Workers surveyed
11,550
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 Little Rock 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 $67,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$48,000
to $59,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$63,000
to $78,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$81,000
to $96,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$93,000
to $115,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $22,000 to the total package.
Base
$74,000
Equity
$13,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $96,000
How Little Rock compares.
Little Rock, AR
$74,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$94,000
Little Rock is $20,000 below
Registered Nurse salary by city.
Salary by role in Little Rock.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Registered Nurse roles in Little Rock, here is what you are walking into. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. The metro's extremely low cost of living means even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power. Tech jobs are growing as companies seek affordable alternatives to major metros. 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 Little Rock, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% 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: arkansas has a top income tax rate of 4.4%. Little Rock has no city income tax. The combination of low taxes and very affordable housing creates one of the best net pay environments in the country. When someone quotes you $74,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the Walmart and Tyson ecosystem when negotiating. Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock employers benchmark against national corporate pay scales. The range for Registered Nurses in Little Rock runs from $62,000 to $85,000. 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 Little Rock, AR." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/registered-nurse/little-rock
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