RN salary · May 2025 BLS
RN Salary in California: $140,270 Median (May 2025)
Registered nurses in California earn a median of $140,270 per year — $67.44 an hour — $42,720 above the national median of $97,550, ranking #1 of 51 states and D.C. The middle 80% of California RNs earn between $101,260 and $213,320. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — the federal wage survey, not job-board self-reports.
Part of Nursing in California — schools, RN and NP pay, and licensing on one page.
California RN pay range (May 2025)
Dark band = middle 50% of California RNs (25th–75th percentile). Light band = middle 80%. New grads typically start near the left edge.
Compare California With Any State
Weighing a move, travel contracts, or a compact-state license? Put California side by side with any other market.
| May 2025 federal data | California | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Typical yearly pay | $140,270 | $95,970 |
| Typical hourly pay | $67.44/hr | $46.14/hr |
| Lower starting point | $101,260 | $67,120 |
| Higher pay with experience | $173,170 | $105,100 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $213,320 | $127,950 |
| RNs working | 338,940 | 271,380 |
Thinking past the bedside? Nurse practitioner salary in California →
The path to this salary runs through the NCLEX
California has 336 board-approved nursing programs across 290 schools — compare them by real first-time NCLEX pass rates. Then check what the degree costs against these wages with your own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in California?
RNs in California earn a median of $140,270 per year — $67.44 per hour — $42,720 above the national median of $97,550 (BLS May 2025). That ranks California #1 of 51 states and D.C. by median RN pay.
What is a starting RN salary in California?
New nurses generally start near the lower percentiles: in California, the 10th percentile is $101,260 and the 25th percentile is $122,440. Most RNs move toward the $140,270 median within their first several years.
What do the highest-paid RNs in California earn?
The top 10% of RNs in California earn above $213,320 per year — typically nurses with specialty certifications, leadership roles, or high-differential schedules.
How many RNs work in California?
338,940 registered nurses are employed in California per the BLS May 2025 estimates.
RN salary in other states
Keep going
- State guideNursing in CaliforniaCalifornia in one page: 290 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 140,270), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- FinderHighest-Paying States for Nurses (RN and NP)See the ten states with the highest median annual pay for registered nurses or nurse practitioners, ranked from federal BLS wage data.
- GuideHow Much Do Travel Nurses Make? The Honest Pay-Package Math (2026)There is no official travel nurse salary — and the viral weekly numbers are marketing. What's real is the package math: taxable base, stipends, tax homes, and clawbacks. Decode your actual offer with our calculator.
- FinderNurse Salary Ladder: CNA to CRNACompare national median pay, pay range, headcount, and the typical education path for six nursing roles, from CNA to CRNA, using federal BLS data.
- Degree pathwayRN to nurse practitionerWhat nurse practitioners earn compared with RNs — nationally and in every state — and what the step requires.
- GuideThe Highest-Paying Nursing Jobs, Ranked by Real Federal Data (2026)CRNA, nurse midwife, NP, RN — ranked by actual BLS medians, with the top-paying states for each license and the honest truth about "ICU nurse salary" lists (BLS doesn't track bedside specialties; differentials do the work).