Registered Nurses in Athens-Clarke County

BLS metro-level wage data places Registered Nurses pay in Athens-Clarke County, GA at a median of $82,200 per year ($39.52/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $97,550, Athens-Clarke County pays 16% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 2,400 registered nursess are employed across the Athens-Clarke County MSA in SOC 29-1141.

The Athens-Clarke County pay distribution spans from $69,310 at the 10th percentile to $101,260 at the 90th, a 1.5× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $78,990 and the 75th at $99,810, so half of Athens-Clarke County-based registered nursess earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live, which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Athens-Clarke County, GA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide GA data, and peer-metro comparisons, a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.