The annual salary for Registered Nurses in California ranges from $51,000 to $96,000, depending on experience and location.

The average annual salary for a registered nurse in California is $88,000.

The average annual salary for RNs in California is $86,000.

Roughly 1,550 new nurse positions are created each year in California, which translates to an average annual growth rate of 4%. The state’s projected population growth rate is just under 0.8% per year, so the expected increase in the number of new RN jobs should be slightly higher than that.

The median income for all RNs in California is about $61,000 annually. This is roughly $20,000 less than what the average RN earns per year, but it’s still more than most other occupations.

Annual Salary For Rn In California

Registered nurse salary range in California

10%

$78,070

MEDIAN

$125,340

90%

$165,620

	Annual Salary	Hourly Wage
90th Percentile	$165,620	$79
75th Percentile	$155,930	$74
Median	$125,340	$60
25th Percentile	$98,960	$47

80% of California RNs earn between $78,070 and $165,620.

Cost-of-living adjusted registered nurse salary in California

Cost-Of-Living Adjusted

California

$112,318

Overall Average

California

$124,000

Adjusted for cost-of-living, California RNs earn about $112,318 per year. Cost-of-living in California is 10% higher than the national average, meaning they face higher prices for food, housing, and transportation compared to other states.

Registered Nurse Salaries by State

Highest paying cities in California for registered nurses

San Jose, CA	$155,230 per year
Oakland, CA	$151,640 per year
Fairfield, CA	$146,360 per year
Santa Rosa, CA	$141,440 per year
Napa, CA	$139,680 per year

California nursing salaries vary from region to region across the state. The area where registered nurses are paid the highest is San Jose, where the average RNs salary is $155,230 and 20,640 registered nurses are currently employed. The Oakland area comes in second, with a $151,640 average RN salary and 41,160 registered nurses employed.

How much do similar professions get paid in California?

Nurse Anesthetist	$232,540 per year
Nurse Midwife	$159,590 per year
Nurse Practitioner	$151,830 per year
Dental Hygienist	$109,970 per year
Physical Therapist	$104,500 per year
Licensed Practical Nurse	$65,140 per year
Pharmacy Technician	$49,990 per year

At a $124,000 average annual salary, RNs in California tend to earn less than nurse anesthetists ($232,540), nurse midwives ($159,590), and nurse practitioners ($151,830). They tend to earn more than dental hygienists ($109,970), physical therapists ($104,500), licensed practical nurses ($65,140), and pharmacy technicians ($49,990).

More about registered nurses

Registered nurses are licensed practitioners who help provide crucial care to patients in a wide variety of settings. Generally, they work under the supervision of a doctor or a nurse practitioner. Their day-to-day responsibilities depend on the specialty in which they choose to practice. Some of the most common specialties include ICU, pediatric, and medical-surgical nurses.