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Best states for a clinical nurse specialist
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and healthcare practitioner and technical careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to clinical nurse specialist jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for clinical nurse specialists.We wanted to look at the best states for clinical nurse specialists -- where there are plenty of clinical nurse specialist jobs to go around and clinical nurse specialists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
We figured that the best places for clinical nurse specialist jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that the South is best for clinical nurse specialists, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for clinical nurse specialist jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for clinical nurse specialists in 2025
1. California
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 4,540 Average annual salary: $113,258 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
2. Oregon
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 541 Average annual salary: $111,335 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
3. North Dakota
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 121 Average annual salary: $92,396 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
4. Washington
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 903 Average annual salary: $98,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
5. Minnesota
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 665 Average annual salary: $104,521 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
6. Maine
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 270 Average annual salary: $85,244 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.73
7. Wyoming
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 47 Average annual salary: $104,998 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
8. Wisconsin
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 554 Average annual salary: $93,333 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
9. Pennsylvania
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 1,369 Average annual salary: $86,730 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1
10. Vermont
Total clinical nurse specialist jobs: 77 Average annual salary: $93,229 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
Clinical nurse specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a clinical nurse specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a clinical nurse specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,258 | $76,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,540 |
| 2 | Oregon | $111,335 | $75,000 | 4,142,776 | 541 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $92,396 | $61,000 | 755,393 | 121 |
| 4 | Washington | $98,536 | $66,000 | 7,405,743 | 903 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $104,521 | $69,000 | 5,576,606 | 665 |
| 6 | Maine | $85,244 | $59,000 | 1,335,907 | 270 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $104,998 | $71,000 | 579,315 | 47 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $93,333 | $62,000 | 5,795,483 | 554 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $86,730 | $59,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,369 |
| 10 | Vermont | $93,229 | $63,000 | 623,657 | 77 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $91,827 | $62,000 | 1,815,857 | 140 |
| 12 | Arizona | $85,924 | $58,000 | 7,016,270 | 747 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $85,817 | $59,000 | 3,588,184 | 469 |
| 14 | Idaho | $95,936 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 139 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $80,894 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,632 |
| 16 | Nevada | $87,114 | $58,000 | 2,998,039 | 228 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $99,436 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 532 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $80,789 | $55,000 | 1,342,795 | 240 |
| 19 | New York | $84,297 | $57,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,120 |
| 20 | Colorado | $88,704 | $60,000 | 5,607,154 | 587 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $83,636 | $56,000 | 2,088,070 | 222 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $84,974 | $58,000 | 693,972 | 308 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $78,692 | $54,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,055 |
| 24 | Virginia | $86,890 | $59,000 | 8,470,020 | 727 |
| 25 | Delaware | $72,894 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 182 |
| 26 | Michigan | $76,748 | $51,000 | 9,962,311 | 706 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $70,915 | $49,000 | 1,059,639 | 154 |
| 28 | Texas | $73,350 | $48,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,038 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $71,243 | $47,000 | 3,930,864 | 321 |
| 30 | Maryland | $72,701 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 804 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $73,685 | $49,000 | 3,004,279 | 202 |
| 32 | Indiana | $69,918 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 733 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $75,322 | $49,000 | 2,984,100 | 142 |
| 34 | Alaska | $78,217 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 43 |
| 35 | Missouri | $72,173 | $49,000 | 6,113,532 | 568 |
| 36 | Kansas | $67,538 | $46,000 | 2,913,123 | 338 |
| 37 | Georgia | $70,763 | $46,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,008 |
| 38 | Illinois | $70,985 | $48,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,208 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $64,459 | $43,000 | 6,715,984 | 624 |
| 40 | Alabama | $70,454 | $46,000 | 4,874,747 | 217 |
| 41 | Florida | $57,508 | $38,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,955 |
| 42 | Montana | $62,226 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 134 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $58,582 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 130 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $59,143 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 103 |
| 45 | Utah | $67,300 | $45,000 | 3,101,833 | 281 |
| 46 | Ohio | $62,036 | $42,000 | 11,658,609 | 989 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $65,934 | $45,000 | 1,920,076 | 170 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $55,813 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 363 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $58,663 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 314 |
| 50 | Iowa | $58,752 | $40,000 | 3,145,711 | 284 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $56,133 | $37,000 | 5,024,369 | 351 |
Highest paying states for clinical nurse specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Clinical Nurse Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $113,258 |
| 2 | Oregon | $111,335 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $92,396 |
| 4 | Washington | $98,536 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $104,521 |
| 6 | Maine | $85,244 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $104,998 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $93,333 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $86,730 |
| 10 | Vermont | $93,229 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $91,827 |
| 12 | Arizona | $85,924 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $85,817 |
| 14 | Idaho | $95,936 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $80,894 |
| 16 | Nevada | $87,114 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $99,436 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $80,789 |
| 19 | New York | $84,297 |
| 20 | Colorado | $88,704 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $83,636 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $84,974 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $78,692 |
| 24 | Virginia | $86,890 |
| 25 | Delaware | $72,894 |
| 26 | Michigan | $76,748 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $70,915 |
| 28 | Texas | $73,350 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $71,243 |
| 30 | Maryland | $72,701 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $73,685 |
| 32 | Indiana | $69,918 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $75,322 |
| 34 | Alaska | $78,217 |
| 35 | Missouri | $72,173 |
| 36 | Kansas | $67,538 |
| 37 | Georgia | $70,763 |
| 38 | Illinois | $70,985 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $64,459 |
| 40 | Alabama | $70,454 |
| 41 | Florida | $57,508 |
| 42 | Montana | $62,226 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $58,582 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $59,143 |
| 45 | Utah | $67,300 |
| 46 | Ohio | $62,036 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $65,934 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $55,813 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $58,663 |
| 50 | Iowa | $58,752 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $56,133 |
Clinical nurse specialist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025