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Hire a Registered Nurse in Madison, WI
A clinic that copies a national midpoint will lose a nurse who can already take a full assignment. Use the median when you can train, and the 75th when you need someone on the schedule in week one. The nearest metro with its own page for this role is Janesville, WI.
What to offer
Price the offer from this metro's row, not from a national midpoint you pasted into the posting. The 75th is what experienced nurses already clear here. If you need someone who can take patients on week one, the median is the wrong anchor.
| Percentile | Metro | WI | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $87,270 | $81,920 | $80,330 |
| Median | $101,190 | $95,530 | $97,550 |
| 75th | $103,150 | $102,610 | $112,350 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
How hard this is to fill
For one manager
You are filling one chair in one clinic, one home-health team, or one nursing home. Ask for a license in this state, or a multistate license where the compact is actually on, and ask what they did on a shift like yours.
Look for a license in good standing, the setting they just left, and whether they have given the medications your patients actually take. Say out loud if you want a bachelor's degree. The degree does not replace the license.
License and training
Wisconsin's multistate privilege dates to January 19, 2018. This board did not report a continued-competency rule, which is a different answer from the brackets published for Illinois and for Iowa.
Sources: Nurse Licensure Compact, participating jurisdictions and the 60-day move rule NLC implementation dates by jurisdiction NCSBN 2024 licensure survey, continued competency questions 95 through 103 BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, registered nurses, duties and licensure path New York State Education Department, BSN in 10 law North Dakota Board of Nursing, licensure by examination and the 90-day graduate work authorization
Nearby metros
- Janesville, WI · 35 miles
- Rockford, IL · 60 miles
- Fond du Lac, WI · 69 miles
- Milwaukee, WI · 74 miles
Related roles
- Hire a CNA in Madison
- Hire a Medical Assistant in Madison
- Hire a Pharmacy Technician in Madison
- Hire a Phlebotomist in Madison
Job seekers: Registered Nurse jobs in Madison.
Registered Nurses hiring pages Hiring difficulty for Registered Nurses in Madison
Questions
What do registered nurses earn in Madison, WI?
In Madison, the May 2025 median is about $101.2K, 4% over the U.S. median. The state's own median is about $95.5K. Read the 25th and the 75th on the table before you treat the middle as the offer.
Who hires registered nurses in Madison?
That list is the provider extract, not every door in Madison. A one-site clinic is still hiring against the hospital's schedule.
What license do I need to work in Wisconsin?
You need a Wisconsin license, or a multistate license if Wisconsin has implemented the compact and that license is your home-state license. The state section on this page is the sourced rule. Confirm it with the board before you book a start date in Madison.
Should a small clinic in Madison offer the median?
Offer the median when you want the middle of the Madison workforce and you can train. If you need someone who already carries a full assignment, look at $103.2K, the 75th on this page. National growth for registered nurses is 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 180.8 thousand openings a year, and that figure is the country, not Madison.