2023 Salary Report for Registered Nurses in California

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.

Type	California	U.S.	% Difference
Average Hourly Wage	$59.62	$39.78	49.87%
Average Annual Salary	$124,000	$82,750	49.85%

Salary Range by Education and Experience

In California, 50% of Registered Nurses earn between $98,960 and $155,930 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.

Percent	Experience	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	32,440	Under $78,070
15%	2 – 4 years	48,660	$78,070 – $98,960
25%	5 – 9 years	81,100	$98,960 – $125,340
25%	10 – 14 years	81,100	$125,340 – $155,930
15%	15 – 20 years	48,660	$125,340 – $165,620
10%	20+ years	32,440	Above $165,620

Adjusted for Cost-of-Living

After being adjusted for cost-of-living, Registered Nurses in California nurses earn about $112,339 per year which is more than the average U.S. nurse of $82,750.

Cost-of-living in California is 10% higher than the national average, which means California residents have an overall higher cost for food, housing, utilities and transportation compared to other states.

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

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that in California the three professions needing the most new nurses by 2030 are Registered Nurses (358,900), Nursing Assistants (110,000) and LPNs (83,500).

The three professions in California needing highest percentage new nurses by 2030 are Nurse Practitioners (55.5%), Nursing Instructors (26.3%) and Nurse Anesthetists (20%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	Yearly Openings
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

Salaries Ranked by California Cities

The average salary for Registered Nurses in California is $124,000. The top cities that pay Registered Nurses the most are El Centro ($91,120), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($155,230) and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($151,640).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the cities that pay Registered Nurses the highest average annual salary are San Diego-Carlsbad ($99,788), El Centro ($97,538) and Santa Maria-Santa Barbara ($91,592).

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 Nurses salary will have in that area.

Area	Average Salary	COL Adjusted	Difference
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$155,230	$138,450	$-16,780
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$151,640	$129,198	$-22,442
Vallejo-Fairfield	$146,360	$134,994	$-11,366
Santa Rosa	$141,440	$128,769	$-12,671
Napa	$139,680	$125,352	$-14,328
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$139,590	$127,573	$-12,017
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade	$135,490	$127,700	$-7,790
Salinas	$130,520	$117,851	$-12,669
Modesto	$127,730	$124,360	$-3,370
Hanford-Corcoran	$124,790	$129,881	$5,091
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande	$122,730	$112,051	$-10,679
Fresno	$119,830	$120,022	$192
Stockton-Lodi	$119,600	$115,222	$-4,378
Yuba City	$117,190	$117,779	$589
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$116,110	$103,772	$-12,338
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California	$115,160	$115,241	$81
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$114,530	$102,810	$-11,720
San Diego-Carlsbad	$113,150	$99,788	$-13,362
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$111,700	$107,704	$-3,996
North Coast Region of California	$110,760	$110,838	$78
Redding	$110,760	$110,860	$100
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California	$109,990	$110,067	$77
Merced	$107,760	$108,673	$913
Chico	$107,290	$105,725	$-1,565
Bakersfield	$107,090	$107,975	$885
Visalia-Porterville	$102,330	$104,879	$2,549
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$100,770	$91,592	$-9,178
El Centro	$91,120	$97,538	$6,418

Salary FAQ for California Registered Nurses

City and Rural Summaries

Official Data Sources for Registered Nurses: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data