New grad RN jobs and nurse residency programs in New Hampshire
New Hampshire employs 15,390 registered nurses, and half of them earn more than $99,700 a year, $2,150 above the national median of $97,550. New Hampshire is a small new-grad market, with 6 programs on our list (3 were taking applications on Oct 29, 2026), so it is worth looking at Massachusetts or Maine as well.
- RNs employed
- 15,390
- Median RN pay
- $99,700
- 25th percentile
- $39.85/hr
- Programs we track
- 6
- Open on Oct 29, 2026
- 3
- In the compact
- Yes
- NCLEX pass rate, 2025
- 89.8%
- Work before the NCLEX
- Ask the board
Every New Hampshire program we track is listed in the Vibe Nursing app.
What new grad nurses earn in New Hampshire
A quarter of New Hampshire RNs earn less than $39.85 an hour ($82,880 a year) and half earn more than $47.93. First-year offers tend to sit near the lower figure, since hospital pay scales usually rise with experience.
That puts New Hampshire 16th of the 50 states and DC for median RN pay.
Pay is spread out in New Hampshire: $8.08 an hour separates the 25th percentile from the median, a wider gap than in most states.
| Metro area | RNs employed | Median pay | 25th percentile, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 64,240 | $106,180 | $45.61 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | 5,210 | $98,600 | $39.72 |
Where the RN jobs are
The largest RN job market touching New Hampshire is the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area, with 64,240 RNs; that count includes nurses in Massachusetts.
Getting licensed in New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing licenses RNs in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. If New Hampshire is your primary state of residence, the license you earn after the NCLEX can be multistate, valid in every compact state. Nurses who live in another compact state can work in New Hampshire on their home state's multistate license.
Of its neighboring states, Maine and Vermont are in the compact; Massachusetts is not, so working there means a separate license.
Working before you pass the NCLEX in New Hampshire
New Hampshire's board has a temporary license application for exam candidates, but we could not open it to confirm the terms. Ask the board how long it lasts and what it requires.
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing can tell you; its contact details are on NCSBN's page for it.
29 of the 50 states and DC do allow it in some form. See every state's rule.
NCLEX pass rate in New Hampshire
777 of the 865 first-time, U.S.-educated candidates who took the NCLEX-RN for New Hampshire in 2025 passed: 89.8%, 3.1 points above the national rate of 86.7%.
With 6 new-grad programs on our list, that is about 144 new test takers for each one, near the national figure of about 114.
The exam is the same everywhere; the rate tells you about the graduates who tested here, not about your own chances. See pass rates in every state.
New Hampshire and its neighboring states
Among its neighboring states, Massachusetts both pays RNs the most (a median of $104,550) and has the most new-grad programs on our list (31).
| State | Programs we track | Median RN pay | In the compact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 6 | $99,700 | Yes |
| Massachusetts | 31 | $104,550 | Not yet in force |
| Maine | 14 | $86,990 | Yes |
| Vermont | 4 | $97,460 | Yes |
Questions about New Hampshire
How much do new grad nurses make in New Hampshire?
The BLS does not separate new graduates. For all New Hampshire RNs, the 25th percentile is $39.85 an hour and the median $47.93 (May 2025); first-year offers usually sit nearer $39.85.
How many nurse residency programs are in New Hampshire?
Vibe Nursing tracks 6 new-grad programs at New Hampshire hospitals: nurse residencies, and hospitals that hire new grads straight into RN jobs. On Oct 29, 2026, 3 were taking applications.
Can I work in New Hampshire with a compact license?
Yes. New Hampshire is a compact state, so a multistate license from your home compact state is valid here.
Can new grads work before passing the NCLEX in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's board has a temporary license application for exam candidates, but we could not open it to confirm the terms. Ask the board how long it lasts and what it requires.
What is the NCLEX pass rate in New Hampshire?
89.8% in 2025: 777 of 865 first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed the NCLEX-RN for New Hampshire (NCSBN). The national rate was 86.7%.
What do RNs earn in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area?
The median is $106,180 a year, and a quarter of RNs there earn under $45.61 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The area employs 64,240 RNs.
Sources
- Pay and jobs: BLS OEWS, May 2025, all registered nurses.
- Board: NCSBN directory. Compact: nursecompact.com. Both read October 2026.
- Working before the NCLEX: not confirmed from an official source (October 2026); ask the board.
- NCLEX: NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, first-time U.S.-educated candidates. Portions copyrighted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. All rights reserved.
- Program counts: Vibe Nursing, Oct 29, 2026 (how we count).