How do Alabama nurse salaries compare to other states? Not well

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We are taking a closer look at average nursing salaries in nearby states after dozens of UAB nurses refused to clock in earlier this week.

Alabama ranks 49th in the country and that’s by a slim margin, slightly beating Mississippi.

The data is from the US Bureau of Labor and statistics, compiled by nurses.org. Ranking 50th, Mississippi with an average nursing salary of $59,750. Alabama comes in right behind at an average nursing salary of $60,230, about a $500 difference.

If you look just to the east, Georgia is ranked 28th with an average salary of $69,590... just over $9,000 more, one state away.

Nurses at UAB told us that being underpaid was a point of contention, and hope talks with administration will begin to fix that gap, and they are not looking to make as much as travel nurses do.

“Knowing they are the lowest paid amongst our surrounding states, they want an increase in base salary, but no, not necessarily the money that the travel nurses make,” said Dr. Lindsey Harris, president of the Alabama Nursing Association.

A number that Harris suggested following the protest was an 8 percent salary increase.

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