Salary Report for California Registered Nurses
California Rankings
Compare California to U.S.
California Registered Nurses earn an average of $124,000 which is 49% more than the national average salary of $82,750.
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| Type | CA | U.S. | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Hourly Wage | $59.62 | $39.78 | 49.87 | |
| Average Annual Salary | $124,000 | $82,750 | 49.85 |
Registered Nurses Salary Range by Experience and Skill Level Education and Experience
In California 80% of Registered Nurses earn between $78,070 and $165,620 a year, depending on several factors including years of experience, location and place employment. About 10% of Registered Nurses earn more $165,620, which is a rate for highly skilled or experienced Registered Nurses. Approximately 10% of Registered Nurses earn under $78,070, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Registered Nurses.
In California, 50% of Registered Nurses earn between $xx,xxx and $xxx,xxx a year, depending on factors such as level of education, experience, location and place of employment.
About 10% of Registered Nurses earn more than $165,620, a rate generally associated with highly educated and experienced Registered Nurses.
Approximately 10% of Registered Nurses earn under $78,070, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Registered Nurses.
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| Percent | Employed | Annual Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | Less than a Year | 304,753 | Under $59,450 |
| 15% | 2 – 4 years | 457,130 | $59,450 – $61,790 |
| 25% | 5 – 9 years | 761,882 | $61,790 – $77,600 |
| 25% | 10 – 14 years | 761,882 | $77,600 – $97,580 |
| 15% | 15 – 20 years | 457,130 | $77,600 – $120,250 |
| 10% | 20+ years | 304,753 | Above $120,250 |
Adjusted for Cost-of-Living
After being adjusted for cost-of-living, Registered Nurses across the nation earn about $82,750 per year compared to an adjusted cost-of-living salary for California nurses of $112,339 per year.
After being adjusted for cost-of-living, Registered Nurses in California nurses earn about $112,339 per year (more/less) than the average U.S. nurse of $82,750.
Cost-of-living in California is 10% (higher heigher) than the national average, which means California residents have an overall (higher heigher) cost for food, housing, utilities and transportation compared to other states.
Nationwide Cost of Living Adjusted: $82,750
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More cost-of-living reports for U.S. States.
Salary Compared to Related Professions
With an average annual salary of $124,000, California Registered Nurses tend to earn less than Nurse Anesthetists ($232,540), Nurse Practitioners ($151,830), and Nurse Midwives ($137,070). However, Registered Nurses tend to earn more than Nursing Assistants ($39,760), LPNs ($65,140), and Nursing Instructors ($106,850).
| Title | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $232,540 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $151,830 |
| Nurse Midwives | $137,070 |
| Registered Nurses | $124,000 |
| Nursing Instructors | $106,850 |
| LPNs | $65,140 |
| Nursing Assistants | $39,760 |
Projected Demand for Nurses in 2030
With a projected need of 358,900 Registered Nurses in 2030, a 10.8% change over 2020, California will tend to need more Registered Nurses than 110,000 Nursing Assistants, a 13.10% change over 2020; 83,500 LPNs, a 15.30% change over 2020; 26,900 Nurse Practitioners, a 55.50% change over 2020; 4,800 Nursing Instructors , a 26.30% change over 2020; and 2,400 Nurse Anesthetists, a 20.00% change over 2020.
When researching your future career options, finding in-demand careers can be an important consideration. Careers choices that are projected to be in-demand in the future may help provide job security and salary stability.
The three areas needing the highest percentage of new nurses are Profession 1 (##%), Profession 2 (##%) and Profession 3 (##%).
The U.S. Department of Labor projects that in California the three professions needing the most new nurses by 2030 are Registered Nurses (##,###), Nursing Assistants (##,###), and LPNs (##,###).
The three professions in California needing highest percentage new nurses by 2030 are Nurse Practitioners (##.#%), Nursing Instructors (##.#%) and Nurse Anesthetists (##.#%).
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| Title | 2020 | 2030 | Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 323,900 | 358,900 | 10.8% | 21,200 | |
| Nursing Assistants | 97,300 | 110,000 | 13.1% | 13,780 | |
| LPNs | 72,400 | 83,500 | 15.3% | 6,980 | |
| Nurse Practitioners | 17,300 | 26,900 | 55.5% | 2,120 | |
| Nursing Instructors | 3,800 | 4,800 | 26.3% | 490 | |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 2,000 | 2,400 | 20% | 150 | |
| Nurse Midwives | 1,200 | 1,400 | 16.7% | 90 |
Highest Paying Cities for Registered Nurses in California
The city where you work can have a large influence on your nursing salary. Registered Nurses who work large metropolitan areas of California tend to earn more than their counterparts in sparsely populated areas.
Nursing salaries vary from city to city across the California. The area where registered nurses are paid the highest is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, where 20,640 registered nurses are currently employed with an average annual Registered Nurses salary is of $155,230. The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area comes in second with 41,160 registered nurses employed with an where the average annual Registered Nurses salary is $151,640.
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| $73 | $151,640 | |
| $70 | $146,360 | |
| $68 | $141,440 | |
| $67 | $139,680 | |
| $65 | $135,490 | |
| $63 | $130,520 | |
| $61 | $127,730 | |
Salaries Ranked by California Cities
The average salary for Registered Nurses in California is $###,###. The top cities that pay Registered Nurses the most are City 1 ($###,###), City 2 ($###,###) and City 3 ($###,###).
When adjusted for cost-of-living, the cities that pay Registered Nurses the highest average annual salary are City 1 ($###,###), City 2 ($###,###) and City 3 ($###,###).
The following table shows the average yearly salary range for Registered Nurses in each city, and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for cost-of-living in that state.
The difference column shows how much more or less purchasing power a Registered Nursing salary will have in that area.
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Manish – If there is only one city, “City has an average annual salary of $###,###.
| Area | Average Salary | COL Adjusted | Difference |
| Area 1 | $67,640 | $76,899 | $9,259 |
| Area 2 | $63,130 | $71,918 | $8,788 |
| Area 3 | $65,810 | $73,795 | $7,985 |
| Area 4 | $67,260 | $74,916 | $7,656 |
| Area 5 | $61,920 | $69,378 | $7,458 |
| Area 6 | $77,590 | $84,733 | $7,143 |
| Area 7 | $73,640 | $80,746 | $7,106 |
| Area 8 | $71,640 | $78,133 | $6,493 |
| Area 9 | $68,180 | $74,661 | $1,000 |
| Area 10 | $64,990 | $71,378 | $234 |
| Area 11 | $69,580 | $75,919 | -$235 |
| Area 12 | $71,200 | $77,526 | -$546 |
| Area 13 | $71,200 | $77,358 | -$1,908 |
| Area 14 | $73,130 | $79,265 | -$7,849 |
| Area 15 | $73,610 | $79,630 | -$8,764 |
Employment in California Cities
With 113,890 Registered Nurses employed, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area leads the state of California with the most nurses employed followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward with 41,160 Registered Nurses employed nurses. Merced nurses.Merced employees the second fewest number of nurses in California with 820 followed by El Centro with 770 Registered Nurses.
The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by the year 2030, the demand for new Registered Nurses in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area will be ##,###.
The three areas that will need the most nurses are Area 1 (###,###), Area 2 (###,###) and Area 3 ($###,###).
And, the three areas needing the highest percentage of new nurses are Area 1 (##%), Area 2 (##%) and Area 3 (##%).
Merced employees the second fewest number of nurses in California with 820 followed by El Centro with 770 Registered Nurses.
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| Area | 2,020 | 2,030 | Change | Yearly Openings |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 323,900 | 358,900 | 10.80% | 21,200 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | 220,980 | 258,720 | 17% | 16,210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 197,160 | 230,580 | 17.00% | 14,430 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad | 189,120 | 216,510 | 14.50% | 13,250 |
| Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade | 147,280 | 160,380 | 8.90% | 9,280 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 131,400 | 140,780 | 7.10% | 7,990 |
| Fresno | 136,640 | 142,890 | 4.60% | 7,870 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 102,150 | 113,920 | 12% | 6,780 |
| Bakersfield | 102,590 | 110,750 | 8.00% | 6,350 |
| Modesto | 58,480 | 81,460 | 39.30% | 5,930 |
| Stockton-Lodi | 73,180 | 86,440 | 18.10% | 5,460 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | 61,560 | 71,550 | 16.20% | 5,430 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield | 71,390 | 83,710 | 17.30% | 5,250 |
| Santa Rosa | 83,660 | 90,850 | 8.60% | 5,240 |
| Salinas | 87,860 | 92,400 | 5.20% | 5,130 |
| Visalia-Porterville | 64,280 | 75,150 | 16.90% | 4,700 |
| Chico | 53,100 | 68,270 | 28.60% | 4,430 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande | 73,330 | 78,130 | 6.50% | 4,410 |
| North Coast Region of California | 71,780 | 76,540 | 6.60% | 4,320 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California | 67,340 | 72,900 | 8.30% | 4,190 |
| Redding | 66,740 | 71,950 | 7.80% | 4,120 |
| Napa | 64,590 | 67,120 | 3.90% | 3,670 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | 51,280 | 55,450 | 8.10% | 3,180 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California | 47,050 | 52,040 | 10.60% | 3,070 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | 43,320 | 47,140 | 8.80% | 2,730 |
| Yuba City | 39,130 | 43,800 | 11.90% | 2,620 |
| Merced | 41,000 | 45,980 | 12.10% | 2,580 |
| El Centro | 41,940 | 42,690 | 1.80% | 2,270 |
Registered Nurses Salary FAQ Salary FAQ for California Registered Nurses
City and Rural Summaries
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See city and rural summary reports for average annual salaries, average hourly salary, cost-of-living adjusted salary, current employment, 2030 expected employment, and the area’s current cost of living index.
Find links to city and rural salary reports.
Bakersfield
Average Registered Nurses Salary: $97,230
Adjusted for Cost-of-Living: $94,179
Hourly Wage: $46.74
Currently Employed: 6,060
2030 Expected Employment: 6,500
Cost of living index: 89.4
Bakersfield Salary Report
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average Registered Nurses Salary: $81,600
Adjusted for Cost-of-Living: $82,366
Hourly Wage: $39
Currently Employed: 57,260
2030 Expected Employment: 81,460
Cost of living index: 101.2
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Salary Report
State-by-State Salary Reports for Registered Nurses.
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Official Data Sources for Registered Nurses: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data
