Best Nursing Schools Near Florence, AL (2026)

Florence, Alabama has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs. Florence has a population of about 42,716. In the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro area, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $188,760 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Nursing Schools to Florence

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing programs near Florence, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Florence city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Florence. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of North Alabama

Florence, AL 1.9 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,415
Avg net price $12,170/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama nursing page.


Nursing Wages Near Florence

Florence is part of the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro area (BLS area code 22520). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse$66,360Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL$78,255
Licensed Practical Nurse$55,360Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL$65,283
Nurse Anesthetist$188,760Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL$222,594
Nurse MidwifeN/AAL statewide
Nurse Practitioner$101,040Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL$119,151
Nursing Assistant$31,940Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL$37,665

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Florence at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)84.8 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in Lauderdale County877 workers, 21 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Florence-Area Cities With Nursing Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near Florence, AL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Florence. The closest is University of North Alabama in Florence, AL (1.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is The University of Tennessee Southern (43.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Florence?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Florence are: Nurse Anesthetist ($188,760), Nurse Practitioner ($101,040), Registered Nurse ($66,360). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Athens instead of Florence?

Athens, AL is 40.6 miles from Florence and has its own set of local nursing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Nursing Programs

Other Programs Available in Florence

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Florence:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.