Beyond mean pay gaps: Decomposing earnings inequality among registered nurses

David Kalist
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David Kalist: Shippesnburg University

Economics Bulletin, 2026, vol. 46, issue 3, 1014 - 1024

Abstract: Using the 2018 and 2022 U.S. National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN), I use Theil index decompositions to examine the structure of RN earnings inequality. More than 96% of earnings inequality occurs within demographic groups rather than between them. Differences in mean earnings by sex and race/ethnicity explain little of total inequality, while education and geography account for somewhat larger between-group shares. Results using hourly wages are similar. The findings indicate substantial earnings heterogeneity among nurses even within narrowly defined demographic categories.

Keywords: Registered nurses; earnings inequality; Theil index; inequality decomposition; wage differentials; labor market inequality; within-group inequality; between-group inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D3 J3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-09-30
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