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ICU nurse salary in California

Open ICU nurse jobs in California post a median of $72.50 an hour, the middle half $65–$88.50 (about $150,800 a year full time), $17.50 above the national posted median. From 149 jobs at 30 employers that state their pay.

$72.50
Median posted /hr
$65–$89
Middle half /hr
$150,800
A year, full time
estimate, 2,080 hours
$67.44
BLS median in CA
May 2025

The jobs themselves: ICU nurse jobs in California · ICU nurse pay nationwide

What ICU nurses are paid in California

Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint).

Posted hourly rates of 149 open jobs in California. Lowest posted $30, highest $133.26.

Posted on open jobs in California

$65–$88.50/hr

Middle half of 76 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $72.50. 39% of the 382 open ICU nurse jobs in California state an hourly rate.

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ICU nurse pay by town in California

Towns where at least three open jobs state an hourly rate, the towns with the most such jobs first.

TownMedian postedPosted rangeJobs (employers)
San Diego$73$58–$88.1819 (3)
Los Angeles$76.75$30–$102.2214 (4)
Oakland$102.75$81.26–$133.267 (3)
Baldwin Park$73.75$41–$85.187 (2)
Loma Linda$61.50$52.52–$70.647 (1)
Anaheim$79.50$62.08–$102.226 (1)
Visalia$64$46.44–$80.126 (1)
Fontana$80.75$62.08–$102.224 (1)
Bakersfield$61$30–$91.874 (1)
Perris$56.50$49.83–$63.204 (1)
Palo Alto$103.75$96.35–$111.143 (2)
Downey$84$74.50–$102.223 (1)
Modesto$82$59.31–$104.963 (2)
Redding$68.25$54.43–$83.213 (1)
La Mesa$66$61.74–$70.173 (1)
Long Beach$64.75$50–$803 (1)
Upland$59.75$47.90–$71.843 (1)

Median of employers' rates in the town, the lowest and highest rate posted, and the jobs and employers behind them. A town opens its own job page.

ICU nurse pay by employer in California

What each employer posts for ICU nurses here, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first.

EmployerMedian postedPosted rangeJobs stating pay
Kaiser Permanente$76.75$61.53–$133.2628
Scripps Health$72.50$58–$88.1815
CommonSpirit Health$64.25$30–$91.8711
ScionHealth$56.50$41–$84.5911
Sutter Health$97.75$53.90–$120.6310
Providence$72.50$54.05–$102.839
Loma Linda University Health$61.50$52.52–$78.039
Sharp HealthCare$66$61–$72.978
Kaweah Health$61$46.44–$80.126
Cedars-Sinai$73$56.22–$96.265
MemorialCare$64.75$50–$81.504
UCSF Health$107.25$93.47–$121.113
MarinHealth$106.25$86.13–$119.183
Tenet Healthcare$73.75$59.31–$88.423
San Antonio Regional Hospital$59.75$47.90–$71.843
Stanford Medicine Children's Health$103.75$96.35–$111.142
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions$77$76–$782
Palomar Health$66.50$54.15–$78.822
Community Memorial Hospital - Ventura$64.50$50.75–$78.452
Prime Healthcare$53$43.68–$62.412
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital$50$42–$582
Stanford Health Care$103.75$96.35–$111.141
John Muir Health$102.75$87.06–$118.621
Shriners Children's$90.75$75.24–$106.221
Montage Health$85$72.83–$97.401
Salinas Valley Health$81.50$73.62–$89.491
Emanate Health$67.75$53.49–$81.761
Marshall Medical Center$65.25$59.28–$71.141
Huntington Health$64.25$50.30–$77.951
Lompoc Valley Medical Center$61.75$54.07–$69.231

Median of each employer's jobs in California (a range at its midpoint), and its lowest and highest rate here. An employer's name opens its pay for ICU nurses nationwide when it has such a page.

Night shift ICU nurse pay in California

Where one employer posts both night and other ICU nurse jobs in the same state (8 such employers and states), the night jobs post a median $1 an hour less than the rest. Many employers state a night differential apart from the base pay, which this does not count.

Employer, stateNight jobs, medianOther jobs, median
Kaiser Permanente, CA$76.75 (9)$79.50 (19)
Scripps Health, CA$72.50 (10)$72.50 (5)
ScionHealth, CA$56.50 (8)$56.50 (3)
Loma Linda University Health, CA$61.50 (5)$61.50 (4)
Providence, CA$71.25 (6)$73.50 (3)
Sharp HealthCare, CA$66 (5)$66 (3)
Kaweah Health, CA$58 (3)$64 (3)
MarinHealth, CA$98.25 (1)$106.25 (2)

A job counts as a night job when its title names nights ("Nights", "NOC", "7p-7a"). Jobs in brackets.

Best-paid open ICU nurse jobs in California

The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

What BLS measures in California

What people employed in the occupation earned in the state, at every level of experience, from the BLS survey. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered.

Hourly wages, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California. Each figure opens its BLS page.
BLS occupation10th pct25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctEmployed
Registered Nurses (29-1141)$48.68 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab)$58.87 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab)$67.44 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab)$83.25 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab)$102.56 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab)338,940 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab)

BLS median by metro area

ICU nurse salary in California: common questions

How much does an ICU nurse make in California?

Open ICU nurse jobs in California that state an hourly rate post a median of $72.50, the middle half $65–$88.50 (149 jobs from 30 employers). Full time that is about $150,800 a year. BLS measured a median of $67.44/hr ($140,270 a year) for people employed in the occupation in California (May 2025).

Where in California do ICU nurses earn the most?

By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: San Diego ($73), Los Angeles ($76.75), Oakland ($102.75) and Baldwin Park ($73.75). The town table lists 17.

Which employers in California pay ICU nurses the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: UCSF Health ($107.25), MarinHealth ($106.25) and Sutter Health ($97.75).

How does California compare with the rest of the country?

The posted median in California ($72.50) is $17.50 above the national posted median of $55. In the BLS survey California ranks 1 of 52 by median wage.

Where do these figures come from?

From the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 149 of 382 open ICU nurse jobs in California (39%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.

ICU nurse pay in other states

ICU nurse salary nationwide →Every healthcare salary →

Sources and method

Only pay a job states is used, a range at its midpoint. In the state's median and middle half each employer's advertised range counts once, so an employer posting one range in many towns does not set the figure; a town's median follows the same rule. "Up to" ceilings, weekly travel rates and rates far from the occupation's median are left out. A state has a page while at least 8 jobs from 3 employers state a rate there. The yearly estimate is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours. BLS figures are as published.
  1. CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
  2. BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141), every state, published May 15, 2026
  3. BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses, national, published May 15, 2026
  4. BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses by metropolitan area, published May 15, 2026

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). ICU nurse salary in California. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/icu-nurse/california

How the board counts