Las Vegas Is One Of The Best Cities To Be A Nurse
When it comes to the best cities to be a nurse, you might be in one of them, especially if you’re reading this in Nevada. After the events of 2020, we all know how valuable nurses are – But there’s a growing nursing shortage that’s affecting the entire country. Speaking to my friend Esteban, inadequate pay is one of the top reasons why he believes so many people either leave the profession or move on to becoming a travel nurse.
Esteban is an old buddy of mine. We met in 2006 in an online video game lobby and have remained real life friends ever since. He lives near Miami, Florida, but he has traveled across the country because other cities pay better. It’s something he started doing during the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s something he says he isn’t opposed to doing again, simply because it makes financial sense for him to be a travel nurse. And he’s not alone.
The National Average Salary For Nurses
The website MoneyGeek recently ran a study that analyzed the salaries of nurses in over 100 metropolitan areas in the United States. They wanted to determine where the best (and worst) places for nurses to work are around the country. Their study was based of a few key factors such as living costs, location, and income after taxes.
On average, a registered nurse in the U.S. makes around $86K before taxes. However, the average take home pay drops to around $65K after you factor taxes and cost of living.
Las Vegas Is One Of The Best Cities To Be A Nurse
Two places that make more than the national average are Sacramento, California and Houston, Texas. They take the top 2 spots, respectively. However, nurses in Sacramento are significantly hit harder by taxation. Before taxes, Sacramento nurses have an average salary of $157K but it drops to $88K after taxes, according to MoneyGeek’s study. Meanwhile, Houston nurses have an average pre-tax salary of $93K but realistically see $79K after taxes.
Our city of Las Vegas makes the top 5! In Clark County, the average pre-tax annual salary is $96K, but it only drops to $78K when adjusted for taxation. That places us as the 4th best city for nurses in regard to take-home pay.
The Worst Cities To Be A Nurse
How does the joke go? It’s called “Gross” pay for a reason. In Honolulu, a nurse’s gross pay is $134K but drops to an adjusted take-home pay of $50K because of taxes and cost of living. Washington D.C. also tops the bad side of the list; their pre-tax salary is $98K that becomes $48K when adjusted.
Signs You'll Live a Long Life
1. You Eat These Healthy Things
According to a University of Michigan study (via TheHealthy.com), “Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently. The study involved 700 participants in their 70s.
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2. You Workout (Specifically, Run 40 Minutes a Day)
According to NBCNews.com, “Scientists in California found that middle-aged people” who ran “for a total of about 5 hours per week lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older.” They state that the “researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years.” Aside from running, CNBC.com states that, “Strength training twice a week and aerobic exercise three times a week, even if for just 10 minutes a day” also helps.
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3. For Women, You Had a Baby After Age 44
For women, if you were pregnant and had a baby naturally after age 44, “you’re about 15 percent less likely to die during any year after age 50 than your friends who had their babies before age 40, reports a recent University of Utah study,” via NBCNews.com. Lead researcher Ken R. Smith, PhD, professor of human development at the university, tells NBCNews.com, “If your ovaries are healthy and you are capable of having children at that age, that’s a marker that you have genes operating that will help you live longer.”
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4. You Socialize
The National Library of Medicine states that people with bigger social networks and who socialize tend to live longer. In the study, Dr. Freeman states, “People who have more social support tend to have enhanced mental health, cardiovascular health, immunological functioning, cognitive performance, resilience, life satisfaction, stress response and more.”
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5. You're Slim in the Waist
TheHealthy.com states that, “Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, found one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less.”
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6. You Drink Tea Each Day
Apparently, drinking one or two cups of tea a day is good for your health. “Both green and black tea contain catechins, which relax blood vessels. However, you should be making the tea yourself; in ready-to-drink teas, most of the catechins have probably dissolved already, so they don’t have quite the same heart-healthy power,” says TheHealth.com.
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7. You're Careful with Your Calories
“Researchers in St. Louis reported that men and women who limited their daily calories to 1,400 to 2,000 (about 25 percent fewer calories than those who followed a typical 2,000-to 3,000-calorie Western diet) were literally young at heart — their hearts functioned like those of people 15 years younger,” says NBCNews.com. So, make every calorie count, and keep calories low.
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8. You Get Your Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is important to overall health. According to CNBC.com, getting good sleep is one of the factors to make it to age 90. So, turn off Netflix and get some shut eye.
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9. You Have a Purpose in Life
Do you wake up each day with a purpose? Do you feel needed in this world? According to a 2014 study in the journal of Psychological Science, having a sense of purpose means you’ll have a longer life. In the study, they report that people in the study who passed away, about 10% of the participants, had reported lower scores for purpose in life.
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Bonus - Take This Longevity Test
The experts at Media.nmfn.com actually have a lifespan test that you can take online. I took it, and I won’t divulge the age is says I’ll make it to, but I was happy and pleasantly surprised by the result. It asks you some basic health and family questions. Take the test here, and hopefully you’ll be happy with the result.
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