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NICU nurse salary in California

Open NICU nurse jobs in California post a median of $71 an hour, the middle half $65–$91.50 (about $147,700 a year full time), $15.50 above the national posted median. From 32 jobs at 14 employers that state their pay.

$71
Median posted /hr
$65–$92
Middle half /hr
$147,700
A year, full time
estimate, 2,080 hours
$67.44
BLS median in CA
May 2025

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

What NICU 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 32 open jobs in California. Lowest posted $32.01, highest $133.26.

Posted on open jobs in California

$65–$91.50/hr

Middle half of 23 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $71. 38% of the 84 open NICU nurse jobs in California state an hourly rate.

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NICU 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$71$62.08–$85.183 (2)
Long Beach$63.50$50–$77.793 (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.

NICU nurse pay by employer in California

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

EmployerMedian postedPosted rangeJobs stating pay
Kaiser Permanente$73.75$62.08–$133.266
Sharp HealthCare$68.50$61–$75.085
Sutter Health$95.50$80–$118.343
CommonSpirit Health$67.25$32.01–$101.113
MemorialCare$64.25$50–$77.793
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions$77$76–$782
Providence$70$54.05–$85.552
Loma Linda University Health$61.50$52.52–$70.642
Stanford Medicine Children's Health$103.75$96.35–$111.141
Salinas Valley Health$96.50$89.37–$103.451
Cedars-Sinai$73$56.22–$89.951
Tenet Healthcare$66.50$51.18–$81.911
Kaweah Health$60.50$48.30–$72.451
Valley Children's Healthcare$53.75$46.25–$61.431

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 NICU nurses nationwide when it has such a page.

Best-paid open NICU 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

NICU nurse salary in California: common questions

How much does a NICU nurse make in California?

Open NICU nurse jobs in California that state an hourly rate post a median of $71, the middle half $65–$91.50 (32 jobs from 14 employers). Full time that is about $147,700 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 NICU nurses earn the most?

By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: San Diego ($71) and Long Beach ($63.50). The town table lists 2.

Which employers in California pay NICU nurses the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: Sutter Health ($95.50), Kaiser Permanente ($73.75) and Sharp HealthCare ($68.50).

How does California compare with the rest of the country?

The posted median in California ($71) is $15.50 above the national posted median of $55.50. 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: 32 of 84 open NICU nurse jobs in California (38%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.

NICU nurse pay in other states

NICU 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). NICU nurse salary in California. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/nicu-nurse/california

How the board counts