Nurse Salary in Wisconsin 2026: RN, NP, CRNA & Travel Nurse Pay Guide

By Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN · Unit Manager & MDS Coordinator · Updated June 4, 2026 · BLS May 2025 OEWS + TheCRNA.com 2026 + ZipRecruiter 2026

Wisconsin's RN baseline looks middle-of-the-road at $94,690 — 6.6% below the national mean. Then you see the CRNA number: $281,056, ranked #2 in the country. That gap between a below-average staff RN wage and a near-top-of-nation CRNA wage isn't a data error. It reflects a specific market structure: Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin, UW Health, Marshfield Clinic, and Advocate Aurora collectively run complex academic and rural hospital systems that compete aggressively for a limited CRNA supply. The result is CRNA compensation that sits nearly three times the state RN mean — one of the largest such ratios nationally. On the NP side, Wisconsin just passed the APRN Modernization Act: Governor Evers signed it August 8, 2025, with full independence effective September 1, 2026. NPs who started their supervised hours after August 2025 are now in the transition window. And in real-time labor news: 870 nurses at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Madison vote June 11, 2026 on whether to form the largest private-sector nurse union in recent Wisconsin history — a vote driven by staffing complaints, productivity-grid scheduling, and pay structures that penalize seniority.

RN Salary in Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Madison, and the Rural Gap

The BLS May 2025 OEWS puts Wisconsin's mean RN wage at $94,690/year ($45.52/hr) — 6.6% below the national mean of $101,420. The gap is real but narrow enough that Wisconsin remains competitive for Midwest cost-of-living markets. Milwaukee and Madison anchor the top end; nurses in the Fox Valley (Appleton, Green Bay), Wausau, and western Wisconsin communities anchor the lower tier.

Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee is the state's flagship academic medical center and the primary driver of Milwaukee-area RN wages. Froedtert posts BSN RN wages of approximately $39–$46/hr — with a reported median near $42/hr — for experienced clinical staff. The Froedtert-MCW partnership runs complex cardiac surgery, transplant, neuro, and Level I Trauma services. Shift differentials (typically $4–$6/hr nights, $2–$4 weekends) meaningfully raise effective annual income for 12-hour shift bedside nurses. Children's Wisconsin, co-located in the Milwaukee Medical Complex, posts competitive pediatric RN wages in the same range.

UW Health in Madison is the state's other major academic employer. As the clinical arm of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Health posts wages that compete directly with Froedtert — approximately $38–$46/hr for experienced BSN RNs. UW Health runs Wisconsin's other Level I Trauma Center, as well as significant transplant, cardiac, cancer, and children's specialty programs. The Madison market is tight: UW Health, SSM Health St. Mary's, and Meriter Hospital (UnityPoint Health) all compete for the same Madison-area RN pool, which keeps wages relatively firm for the region.

Advocate Aurora Health — the system formed by the 2018 Advocate-Aurora merger — operates 15+ hospitals across Wisconsin including Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center (Milwaukee's largest hospital), Aurora BayCare Medical Center (Green Bay), and Aurora Medical Center (Oshkosh, Grafton, Kenosha). Advocate Aurora's Wisconsin RN wage scale generally runs $2–$4/hr below the Froedtert academic tier, reflecting community versus academic case mix and the system's scale efficiencies.

Marshfield Clinic Health System anchors the rural Wisconsin market — 50+ locations from Marshfield to Eau Claire, Wausau, and the Upper Peninsula border. Marshfield is one of the largest rural health systems in the Midwest. RN wages in the Marshfield system and in Wisconsin's northern rural communities (Wausau, Rhinelander, Superior) typically run $3–$6/hr below Milwaukee academic rates at equivalent experience levels, while delivering meaningfully lower housing costs. Marshfield's size and geographic spread make it a consistent travel-nurse consumer and one of the largest rural CRNA employers in the region.

Wisconsin has state income tax with graduated rates from 3.54% to 7.65% (top bracket). Unlike Minnesota and Illinois, Wisconsin has no additional local income tax surcharge in Milwaukee or Madison — the state rate is the combined rate. After-tax take-home in Wisconsin is moderately better than Minnesota (state rates up to 9.85%) but meaningfully lower than neighboring Iowa (whose top rate is 6%). Factor this in when comparing cross-border offers or evaluating travel contracts.

Travel Nurse Salary in Wisconsin

Wisconsin travel nurses averaged $102,078/year posted on ZipRecruiter 2026 — modestly above the staff RN mean of $94,690, reflecting a moderate scarcity premium that exists despite Wisconsin's eNLC compact membership. The total package including tax-free housing and M&IE stipends runs approximately $120,000–$130,000/year for full-year contract workers in standard medical/surgical and PCU specialties.

Wisconsin is a compact state, so nurses holding a multistate license from any of the 40+ eNLC member states can activate Wisconsin contracts without a separate license endorsement — typical contract start is 2–4 weeks from credentialing rather than 8–12 weeks for a standalone license. This matters particularly for nurses from high-feeder states like Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania, all of which are compact members.

Rural Wisconsin is where travel premiums are most pronounced. Marshfield Clinic, ThedaCare, Aspirus Health (Wausau and the Northwoods), and the network of critical-access hospitals in northern Wisconsin all rely on travel nurses to cover staffing gaps that permanent recruitment cannot fill. Nurses in these placements should expect higher ICU and ER posted rates — $60–$75/hr all-in for critical care — and less competition for contracts than in the Milwaukee or Madison metro markets.

For Minneapolis-area travel nurses, Wisconsin's compact membership makes Madison and Milwaukee accessible alternatives to Minnesota contracts — worth monitoring for comparative rate advantages, particularly given that Minnesota facilities have faced staffing turmoil following the MNA's July 2025 contract wins.

One travel nurse issue specific to Wisconsin currently: the June 11 St. Mary's Hospital Madison union vote may create short-term contract opportunities nearby if SSM Health responds to unionization pressure by adjusting staffing strategies. Nurses with Madison-area interest should watch for contract postings from SSM Health and UnityPoint (Meriter) in the post-vote period.

Nurse Practitioner Salary and the FPA Transition in Wisconsin

Wisconsin NPs average $130,490/year ($62.74/hr) per BLS May 2025 OEWS — modestly above the national NP mean of $137,300 adjusted for cost of living, though below the nominal national figure. The NP market is in transition: Governor Tony Evers signed the APRN Modernization Act (Assembly Bill 257) on August 8, 2025, making Wisconsin the 29th state to grant full practice authority to APRNs, effective September 1, 2026.

The FPA law eliminates the mandatory physician collaborative agreement after APRNs complete a supervised practice threshold: 3,840 clinical hours of APRN practice in their recognized role, with a physician or dentist immediately available for consultation, over at least 24 months. APRNs who began their supervised practice in September 2025 or earlier will hit the 24-month mark by September 2027. The law also grants direct prescriptive authority — eliminating the prior requirement for a separate certificate to issue prescription orders.

The practical near-term impact on NP pay depends on specialty and setting. Employed NPs at Froedtert, UW Health, Marshfield, and Advocate Aurora are largely shielded from the transition complexity since their employer systems absorb the collaborative obligation. The FPA change matters most for Wisconsin NPs in private or semi-independent practice — particularly in primary care, mental health, and rural communities. For those NPs, September 2026 marks the formal start of truly independent practice, and with it, stronger negotiating leverage on compensation as the collaborative agreement administrative cost disappears.

NPs evaluating Wisconsin positions right now are in a favorable window: the FPA transition is imminent, rural Wisconsin has documented primary care NP shortages, and National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan forgiveness eligibility at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics is available for Wisconsin NPs with significant student loan debt from MSN or DNP programs. Marshfield Clinic Health System and Wisconsin-based FQHCs have historically been reliable NHSC-eligible employers.

CRNA Salary in Wisconsin: Why #2 Nationally Despite Average RN Wages

Wisconsin CRNAs average $281,056/year ($135.12/hr) per TheCRNA.com 2026 data — ranked #2 in the United States, trailing only New Jersey ($287,792). This is the central story in Wisconsin nursing compensation: a state with an unremarkable staff RN baseline produces elite CRNA wages. Understanding why requires looking at market structure rather than just employer count.

Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin is the primary demand anchor. As an academic medical center with high-complexity surgical programs — cardiac surgery, solid organ transplant, liver transplant, pediatric cardiac surgery at Children's Wisconsin — Froedtert competes for CRNAs capable of managing the full spectrum of complex anesthetic cases. That case complexity commands premium wages. UW Health in Madison runs a comparable academic surgical program and competes for the same CRNA talent pool, creating a two-system bidding dynamic at the top end of the state market.

Marshfield Clinic Health System is the structural driver of Wisconsin CRNA scarcity. Marshfield operates 50+ clinic and hospital locations across rural and semi-rural Wisconsin — a footprint that creates consistent CRNA demand in markets where physician anesthesiology coverage is thin or absent. Marshfield's size means it employs a significant number of CRNAs relative to its market, and the rural recruitment premium for those positions pushes the statewide average up. Aspirus Health (Wausau, Rhinelander) and ThedaCare (Fox Valley) add further rural demand pressure.

Advocate Aurora's Wisconsin network (Aurora St. Luke's, Aurora BayCare, and 13 other Wisconsin hospitals) is the volume employer. Aurora St. Luke's — Milwaukee's largest hospital — runs one of the highest surgical volume programs in the state. The combination of Aurora's volume, Froedtert's complexity, Marshfield's geographic breadth, and UW Health's academic status creates demand-supply dynamics that push Wisconsin CRNA pay to the #2 position nationally.

Locum CRNA positions in Wisconsin's rural markets — Marshfield-area coverage, critical access hospitals in the Northwoods — run $140–$175/hr for short-term placements. The Milwaukee metro locum market is tighter, with Froedtert and Aurora absorbing most available CRNA supply through permanent competitive offers. New CRNA graduates evaluating Wisconsin opportunities should note that the Froedtert-MCW academic setting provides complex case experience that accelerates career progression, while Marshfield and rural placements offer faster independent responsibility and schedule variety.

ICU and ER Nurse Salary in Wisconsin

Wisconsin ICU nurses average $117,283/year ($56.39/hr) — a 23.8% premium over the state RN mean, which is one of the larger ICU-to-baseline gaps in the Midwest. The outsized ICU premium reflects both the complexity of Wisconsin's academic ICU programs (Froedtert's CTICU, NSICU, and BICU; UW Health's Level I Trauma ICU and transplant ICUs) and the relatively compressed staff RN baseline, which means the ICU differential has more ground to cover in dollar terms than in higher-wage states.

Wisconsin has no state-mandated nurse staffing ratios for hospitals. ICU staffing at Froedtert and UW Health follows internal policy and AACN guidelines — typically 1:2 for stable patients, 1:1 for post-operative cardiac and unstable patients. The Wisconsin legislature introduced the Nurse Staffing and Patient Protection Act in February 2026, which would establish enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios, ban mandatory overtime, and give nurses greater authority to advocate for patient safety — but as of June 2026, the bill remains in the legislative process, not yet enacted.

ER nurses average $87,548/year ($42.09/hr) in Wisconsin — about 7.5% below the state RN mean. Level I Trauma ER nurses at Froedtert and UW Health earn above the statewide ER average; community ED nurses at Aurora and Marshfield facilities earn closer to or below the state figure. For travel nurses targeting Wisconsin ER contracts, filter for Level I and Level II Trauma designations — Froedtert (Level I Milwaukee), UW Health (Level I Madison), Aurora St. Luke's (Level II Milwaukee), and Aspirus Wausau (Level II) post the highest-paying ER contracts.

Wisconsin's strong ICU premium has a direct implication for nurses considering CRNA school: Wisconsin's complex academic ICUs at Froedtert and UW Health provide the kind of critical care case volume and complexity that CRNA programs prefer to see in applicants. Nurses with 2–3 years in a Wisconsin Level I Trauma or cardiac ICU are competitively positioned for CRNA program applications — and the state's #2 national CRNA salary makes the return on that investment concrete.

Major Hospital Systems in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's hospital market is dominated by five multi-hospital systems, with a significant critical-access hospital network in rural regions served primarily by Marshfield, Aspirus, and ThedaCare.

Ranges based on ZipRecruiter 2026, Indeed employer posting data, and Glassdoor 2026 submissions. BSN RN mid-career rates. New graduates start at the lower bound; experienced specialty-certified nurses reach the higher end. Froedtert and UW Health ranges reflect academic clinical ladder tiers with shift and experience differentials.

Wisconsin Is an eNLC Compact State

Wisconsin is a full member of the enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact. Nurses holding a multistate license from any eNLC member state can practice in Wisconsin without a separate endorsement — no additional state license application required. For travel nurses, this enables contract start within 2–4 weeks of credentialing rather than the 8–12 week wait for a standalone license. Major Wisconsin travel-nurse consumers (Marshfield, Aspirus, ThedaCare rural critical access hospitals) benefit significantly from compact membership given the speed of placement the compact enables.

Wisconsin nurses with a primary Wisconsin residence holding a multistate license can practice in neighboring compact states. Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan are all eNLC members — Michigan joined in 2025 — making the Upper Midwest the most travel-nurse-accessible multi-state region in the country. An experienced Wisconsin ICU nurse can pick up contracts in Minneapolis, Des Moines, or Detroit without separate license applications, vastly expanding the travel market footprint for nurses based in Wisconsin.

Nurses relocating to Wisconsin from non-compact states (California, New York, Massachusetts — common sources for nurses drawn to Froedtert and UW Health academic positions) will apply for a Wisconsin RN license and automatically receive a multistate license upon establishing Wisconsin as their primary state of residence. The process typically takes 4–8 weeks via the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), which administers RN licensure.

2026 Updates: Union Vote, Staffing Bill, and Workforce Outlook

St. Mary's Hospital Union Vote — June 11, 2026: Registered nurses at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Madison are voting on June 11 on whether to join SEIU Wisconsin — the largest private-sector nurse union election in recent Wisconsin history. Of approximately 870 RNs, more than 73% signed union authorization cards. The primary complaints: staffing levels 40% below the Madison Metro average, a productivity-grid scheduling model that staffs based on administrative metrics rather than patient acuity (unlike UW Health and Meriter), uncompetitive pay that penalizes seniority over time, and punitive policies that drive bedside nurses out. If the vote passes, SSM Health is legally required to bargain a union contract. The outcome will affect labor dynamics across Wisconsin hospital systems — a successful union vote at St. Mary's increases organizing pressure at other SSM Health Wisconsin facilities and may accelerate staffing legislation momentum.

Nurse Staffing and Patient Protection Act: Introduced February 25, 2026 with bipartisan support in the Wisconsin Legislature, this bill would establish minimum enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios across Wisconsin hospital units, ban mandatory overtime for RNs, and create enforcement mechanisms giving nurses legal standing to raise patient safety concerns. As of June 2026, the bill is in the legislative process. Wisconsin has no current hospital staffing ratio mandates — nursing home minimum staffing requirements exist but federal minimum standards for long-term care were repealed by CMS effective February 2, 2026, creating further uncertainty in the LTC staffing landscape.

Workforce Shortage Projection: The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development projects a statewide nursing shortage of 9,500–13,800 RNs — a 13–20% supply gap — peaking in the 2040s as baby boomer nurses retire faster than new graduates can fill vacancies. This structural shortage is the underlying force driving travel nurse demand, rural recruitment premiums, and the CRNA wage pressures that have pushed Wisconsin to #2 nationally. Nurses in Wisconsin have genuine long-term market leverage.

Frequently Asked Questions