Methodology & data sources

Where the data comes from

Our baseline is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, the most authoritative public source for U.S. wages. We pair it with role context from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Over time we layer in reviewed nurse submissions and, where appropriate, employer-provided ranges — each clearly labeled.

What each label means

• Verified public wage dataSourced directly from BLS OEWS wage data for a tracked occupation.
• EstimatedModeled from the BLS national baseline using a state or metro wage index.
• Specialty estimateModeled from the relevant BLS occupation for a specialty the BLS doesn’t break out.
• Nurse-submittedAggregated from reviewed nurse submissions above a minimum sample size.
• Employer-submittedProvided by an employer; not independently verified.
• Job-posting rangeDerived from advertised postings — not the same as wages actually paid.

BLS baseline (SOC codes)

We track the core nursing occupations the BLS measures directly. National figures are seeded from published OEWS May 2024 data and labeled Verified public wage data:

National seed values are flagged internally as seed. Running our OEWS importer against the official files replaces them with file_import values and timestamps the import — the admin data audit shows which is which.

State, metro & specialty estimates

The BLS publishes state and metro wages, but until those files are imported we model location figures by applying a wage indexto the national median. Specialties the BLS doesn’t separate (ICU, ER, travel, L&D, nurse manager, and others) are modeled from the relevant base occupation using a differential that reflects commonly reported pay differences. These are always labeled Estimated or Specialty estimate — directional, not precise. Travel nurse “packages” mix taxable wages with non-taxable stipends and are flagged as not equivalent to BLS wages.

All salary figures are gross wages — pay before taxes. Where a state levies no income tax on wages, state pages add a short take-home note, because that affects a nurse’s net pay without changing the gross figure we publish.

User submissions

Nurses can submit their pay anonymously. Submissions are reviewed before they affect anything and are only ever published in aggregate above a minimum sample size. Email and proof links are private and never surfaced.

Employer thresholds

Employer-level pay is gated by sample size: nothing is shown below 3 reviewed submissions, a limited range at 3–4, a median + range at 5–9 (when the profile also becomes indexable), and a deeper breakdown at 10+. We never publish “top-paying hospital” rankings built on thin or scraped data.

Sponsored content

Sponsorships keep the data free. They are always clearly labeled, never placed above the salary answer on core pages, and never influence salary figures or rankings. Paid links use rel="sponsored".

What we don’t claim

• We don’t present modeled estimates as official BLS figures.
• We don’t publish employer salaries without meeting sample thresholds.
• We don’t fabricate travel-nurse or specialty pay.
• We don’t treat advertised job ranges as wages actually paid.
• We don’t let sponsors change the numbers.

Methodology last reviewed June 1, 2025.

How the data gets sharper over time

This database is built to upgrade from modeled to measured as real sources are connected — and every change is visible in the label:

• After official OEWS state & metro files are imported, location figures flip from modeled Estimated to source-backed values, and the seed-vs-file status is shown in the admin data audit.
• After reviewed nurse submissions reach sample size, specialty and employer figures gain a Nurse-submitted layer alongside the BLS baseline.
• We will never relabel an estimate as verified without the underlying source actually being in place.