Registered Nurse Salary in Wisconsin (2026)
The average Registered Nurse in Wisconsin earns around $86,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $66,116/year ($5,510/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $66,116 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $5,510 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,543 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $32/hr |
Federal Tax | $10,090 |
State Tax | $3,215 |
FICA Taxes | $6,579 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 23.12% |
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Registered Nurse Salary Ranges in Wisconsin
Not all Registered Nurses earn the same — not even close
Wisconsin's nurse market is anchored by Aurora Advocate Health (~28K WI employees + ~46K IL, the country's 9th-largest non-profit health system post-2018 merger), Froedtert + Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee (~24K Froedtert + 9K MCW employees), Marshfield Clinic Health System (~13K employees with rural multi-specialty practice), UW Health Madison (~24K employees + UW School of Nursing pipeline), Children's Wisconsin Milwaukee (pediatric Magnet), ThedaCare Appleton (~7K), Bellin Health Green Bay, plus Aspirus Wausau + SSM Health regional.
Senior CRNA (Anesthesia)
$225,000–$345,000
Aurora + Froedtert + UW Health + Marshfield CRNA · WI Limited Prescriptive Authority · highest non-MD pay
Senior Nurse Practitioner (Specialty)
$125,000–$200,000
Cardiology + oncology + transplant NP · Froedtert + UW · WI Full Practice Authority since 2024 (Act 84)
Senior Nurse Anesthetist Manager
$195,000–$305,000
CRNA team lead at academic medical centers · senior CRNA leadership
Senior ICU / Critical Care RN
$98,000–$148,000
Froedtert + UW Health + Aurora St. Luke's ICU · Level 1 trauma + transplant ICU senior
Senior OR Circulating / Scrub RN
$95,000–$138,000
Froedtert + UW Health OR · transplant + cardiothoracic + neuro OR specialty
Senior ED RN (Level 1 Trauma)
$95,000–$138,000
Froedtert Level 1 trauma · Children's WI Level 1 pediatric · trauma + stroke + STEMI center
Senior Medical-Surgical RN
$85,000–$118,000
Med-surg unit RN at WI Magnet hospitals · senior staff band
Senior Pediatric / NICU RN
$92,000–$128,000
Children's Wisconsin · American Family Children's · MCW NICU · pediatric + neonatal specialty
Mid-Career RN (3-7 yrs)
$75,000–$98,000
Functional staff RN at WI Magnet hospital · transitioning to senior band
New Grad RN (0-2 yrs)
$65,000–$82,000
UW-Madison School of Nursing + Marquette + UWM + Concordia + Edgewood nursing pipeline
Worth knowing: Wisconsin granted Nurse Practitioners Full Practice Authority in 2024 via Act 84 — among the most recent US states to grant FPA — and a feature most national nursing-career surveys understate for WI. WI Act 84 (signed by Governor Evers December 2023, effective 2024) ended the requirement for collaborative agreements with physicians for licensed nurse practitioners with 3,840+ post-licensure hours, supporting substantial NP-led primary care + specialty practice expansion across WI especially in rural counties where ThedaCare + Marshfield + Aspirus + Bellin operate substantial NP-led clinics. Aurora Advocate Health is the country's 9th-largest non-profit health system post-2018 Aurora + Advocate merger and the largest single nurse employer in WI (~28K WI + ~46K IL combined ~74K total). Marshfield Clinic Health System (~13K employees, founded 1916 as one of the country's earliest multi-specialty group practices) operates substantial rural-WI integrated nursing practice. Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA, ~6K active members, ANA affiliate) is the state's primary nursing professional organization. WI's 2015 Right-to-Work via Act 1 is distinctive vs MN/MI — WI nursing union density has declined post-Act 1 (down from ~13% in 2014 to ~9% in 2024). The 2011 Act 10 public-sector bargaining limitations affect public-sector nursing (county + UW Health). WI's 7.65% top bracket catches CRNA + senior NP comp at $200K+ TC but is substantially lower than MN's 9.85% top.
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More on Wisconsin
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Wisconsin in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Wisconsin in 2026.
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