9. Texas rural counties — $75K – $92K
Texas as a whole is not a shortage state, but its rural counties are. The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies flags more than 130 counties where RN supply falls significantly below demand, mostly in West Texas, the Panhandle, and along the Rio Grande Valley outside McAllen and Brownsville.
Critical access hospitals in these counties routinely run 20 percent RN vacancy rates and lean on travel nurses to keep med-surg and ED units open. Local nursing schools cannot fill the gap fast enough, and many new grads leave for Houston, Dallas, or Austin within two years.
Rural Texas RNs typically earn $75K to $92K once housing stipends and rural retention bonuses are included, per hospital association reporting. Sign-on packages of $10K to $20K are common in critical access facilities, and some counties offer student loan repayment on top for multi-year commitments.
