What the data says about registered nurse pay in Seattle
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$9,100; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$128,300.
How Seattle compares with United States and WA
On a United States league table of 21 metros, Seattle comes 6th. One place higher is Portland at US$130,310, one lower is New York at US$119,720, and San Jose tops the list.
With Seattle as the sole WA entry for registered nurses, the useful benchmarks are national: 6th of 21, +31% vs the median.
Take-home, rent and buying power for Seattle registered nurses
With a COL index of 100, there is little difference between headline pay and price-adjusted pay (US$128,300).
Its place holds after a cost-of-living adjustment — 6th of 21 either way.
Take-home on the median comes to roughly US$9,100 monthly (15% effective tax in our simplified model). Rent for a modeled 1-bedroom is 18% of it, and the single-adult budget ends about US$5,560 in the black.
If you compared Seattle with similarly priced cities
New York (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$119,720, 7% less than Seattle; modeled monthly leftover is US$540 lower.
A registered nurse moving from Seattle to Los Angeles (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 6% to US$135,560, with US$470 more left over monthly in our model.
Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$100,490, 22% less than Seattle; modeled monthly leftover is US$1,790 lower.
Other Seattle jobs compared with registered nurse
Registered Nurse ranks 6th of 9 occupations with observed Seattle data. Software Engineer leads the city at US$167,280.
Closest neighbours in the Seattle list: Project Manager at US$130,380 (+2%) and Mechanical Engineer at US$126,590 (-1%).
How Seattle ranks at the low and high end
Entry-level registered nurses fare better here (5th of 21 at the 10th percentile, US$99,020) than senior ones (6th at the 90th, US$163,890).
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$235,190 at the 90th percentile, +44% against Seattle.
Spread between low and high registered nurse pay in Seattle
The band is fairly compact — US$99,020 to US$163,890, 1.7× from the 10th to the 90th percentile — so most offers cluster near the median.