Registered Nurse Salary Range. The CareerBuilder salary calculator lists an average yearly salary of $74,317 for registered nurses, while the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the average a little lower, at $68,910 a year as of 2013.oth figures are well above the 2012 average of $34,750 a year for all occupations in the U.S. The BLS reports that the lowest 10 percent of RNs earn an annual average of $45,630, while the top 10 percent earn $96,320.