Registered nurse salary in California

Open registered nurse jobs in California post a median of $68 an hour, the middle half $57.75–$79.50 (about $141,400 a year full time), $19 above the national posted median. From 1,553 jobs at 95 employers that state their pay.

Median posted /hr

Middle half /hr

A year, full time

estimate, 2,080 hours

BLS median in CA

May 2025

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

What registered 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 1,553 open jobs in California. Lowest posted $18, highest $156.13.

Posted on open jobs in California

$57.75–$79.50/hr

Middle half of 617 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $68. 47% of the 3,305 open registered nurse jobs in California state an hourly rate.

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Registered 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.

Town	Median posted	Posted range	Jobs (employers)
Los Angeles	$71.50	$25.27–$150	183 (14)
San Diego	$72	$36–$102.22	148 (12)
Loma Linda	$67.25	$41.18–$100.07	59 (1)
Visalia	$64.75	$46.44–$97.49	57 (2)
San Francisco	$99.75	$36.90–$156.13	54 (10)
Oakland	$100.50	$45–$139.82	38 (10)
Palo Alto	$96.25	$65–$114.61	33 (4)
Bakersfield	$61	$30–$97.78	29 (4)
Baldwin Park	$75.25	$41–$102.22	26 (2)
Modesto	$70.50	$30–$133.66	26 (7)
La Mesa	$68	$61.74–$75.08	26 (1)
Sacramento	$77	$33–$121.23	25 (11)
Redding	$59.75	$30–$91.87	24 (4)
Downey	$76.75	$58.29–$102.22	23 (1)
Long Beach	$63.50	$30–$104.46	23 (2)
Oceanside	$63.25	$39.45–$90.25	23 (5)
San Bernardino	$59	$25.27–$91.87	23 (6)
Escondido	$63.50	$44–$88.82	22 (4)
Anaheim	$73.75	$43.28–$102.22	21 (5)
Riverside	$73.75	$31.25–$102.22	19 (4)
Santa Rosa	$89.75	$50–$131.03	18 (6)
Santa Monica	$73	$45–$150	17 (4)
Marina del Rey	$74.25	$48.33–$96.86	16 (1)
Beverly Hills	$69.75	$44.25–$150	16 (3)
Ventura	$67.75	$50–$93.56	16 (1)
Apple Valley	$68.75	$47.36–$88.61	15 (2)
Murrieta	$66.75	$48–$88.81	15 (2)
Upland	$64.50	$47.90–$85.39	15 (1)
Madera	$67.75	$46.25–$91.58	14 (1)
Fresno	$57	$32.65–$80	14 (4)

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.

Registered nurse pay by employer in California

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

Employer	Median posted	Posted range	Jobs stating pay
Kaiser Permanente	$79.75	$26.84–$139.92	186
CommonSpirit Health	$67.75	$25.27–$112.41	132
Sutter Health	$98	$53.90–$146.80	127
Providence	$72.25	$25–$131.03	107
Cedars-Sinai	$73	$39.60–$115.03	100
Scripps Health	$72.50	$51.66–$93.61	94
Sharp HealthCare	$66	$44.67–$100.53	86
Loma Linda University Health	$62.50	$41.18–$100.07	86
Kaweah Health	$60.50	$46.44–$97.49	57
ScionHealth	$56.50	$39.28–$84.59	44
MemorialCare	$65.75	$49.52–$104.46	34
Stanford Health Care	$103.75	$79.21–$114.61	30
Tenet Healthcare	$69.75	$29.06–$104.52	26
Prime Healthcare	$56.50	$38.50–$73.99	23
United Surgical Partners International	$56.50	$45–$84	23
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions	$71.75	$49–$92	20
Palomar Health	$66.50	$54.15–$88.82	20
UCSF Health	$107.25	$66.57–$156.13	18
Community Memorial Hospital - Ventura	$64.75	$50–$93.56	18
MarinHealth	$106.25	$58.68–$119.18	16
PACS Group	$47.25	$36–$60	16
San Antonio Regional Hospital	$59.75	$47.90–$85.39	15
Montage Health	$85	$61.91–$111.05	14
Valley Children's Healthcare	$66.25	$46.25–$91.58	14
DaVita	$52.50	$40–$71	13
John Muir Health	$105.50	$76.30–$142.30	11
Alameda Health System	$86.75	$61.68–$131.78	11
Salinas Valley Health	$81.50	$68.99–$103.45	11
US Renal Care	$62.75	$53.68–$70.82	11
Option Care Health	$59.50	$42.72–$88.36	11
Eisenhower Health	$65.25	$43.38–$82.08	10
Suncrest Health Services	$55	$50–$65	9
UnitedHealth Group	$49.25	$32.65–$67.20	9
Lompoc Valley Medical Center	$61.75	$52.73–$76.15	8
Emanate Health	$70.25	$48.97–$88.90	7
Plumas District Hospital	$61.25	$45.82–$86.41	7
Stanford Medicine Children's Health	$103.75	$96.35–$111.14	6
Trinity Health	$56.25	$37.72–$80	6
Coalinga Regional Medical Center	$50	$40–$60	6
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital	$68	$42–$68	5

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 registered nurses nationwide when it has such a page.

Night shift registered nurse pay in California

Where one employer posts both night and other registered nurse jobs in the same state (25 such employers and states), the night jobs post a median $2 an hour less than the rest. Many employers state a night differential apart from the base pay, which this does not count.

Employer, state	Night jobs, median	Other jobs, median
Kaiser Permanente, CA	$76.75 (23)	$82.25 (163)
Sutter Health, CA	$85.50 (1)	$98 (126)
Providence, CA	$71 (46)	$73 (61)
Cedars-Sinai, CA	$73 (24)	$73 (76)
Scripps Health, CA	$72.50 (39)	$72.50 (55)
Loma Linda University Health, CA	$61.50 (20)	$63.50 (66)
Sharp HealthCare, CA	$66 (48)	$68.25 (38)
Kaweah Health, CA	$58 (10)	$60.50 (47)

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

Jobs that state a yearly salary

Measured on their own, never converted to hourly.

95 open jobs in California state a yearly salary: a median of $158,300, the middle half $130,500 to $210,900.

Best-paid open registered nurse jobs in California

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

HH Nurse II
Kaiser Permanente · San Francisco, CA· 4d ago
$117.79–$139.92/hr
Home Health Nurse II - On Call
Kaiser Permanente · Redwood City, CA· 1w ago
$117.79–$139.92/hr
Nursing Supervisor, Nursing Services
Sutter Health · San Francisco, CA· 6d ago
$104.86–$146.80/hr
RN Supervisor Radiology
UCSF Health · San Francisco, CA· 1w ago
$114.96–$125.49/hr
Charge Nurse Oncology Complex Care Center
Sutter Health · Oakland, CA· 1mo ago
$99.88–$139.82/hr
RN - Administrative Supervisor - BHC Services - Inpatient - Part Time - 12 Hour - Nights
John Muir Health · Concord, CA· 1w ago
$94.86–$142.30/hr
RN - Complex Discharge Planner - Cross Campus - CMC & WCMC - AS Utilization Management - Full Time - 8 Hour - Days
John Muir Health · Concord, CA· 1w ago
$96.12–$129.76/hr
Asst Nurse Manager GU/Uro Surgical Oncology
UCSF Health · San Francisco, CA· 1mo ago
$66.57–$156.13/hr
RN Float Pool
CommonSpirit Health · Santa Cruz, CA· 1w ago
$103.83–$112.14/hr
RN Med Surg Per Diem
CommonSpirit Health · Santa Cruz, CA· 2d ago
$103.83–$112.14/hr
Assistant Nurse Manager - PACU
Providence · Santa Rosa, CA· 3w ago
$82.99–$131.03/hr
RN First Assistant - Per Diem Day
Providence · Napa, CA· 1mo ago
$89.63–$124.22/hr

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 occupation	10th pct	25th pct	Median	75th pct	90th pct	Employed
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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$65.18/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, opens in a new tab)
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$89.71/hr (source: BLS OEWS, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, opens in a new tab)
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$64.40/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, opens in a new tab)
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$67.08/hr (source: BLS OEWS, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, opens in a new tab)
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$82.43/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, opens in a new tab)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$104.20/hr (source: BLS OEWS, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, opens in a new tab)
Fresno, CA$60.30/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Fresno, CA, opens in a new tab)
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$63.06/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA, opens in a new tab)

Registered nurse salary in California: common questions

How much does a registered nurse make in California?

Open registered nurse jobs in California that state an hourly rate post a median of $68, the middle half $57.75–$79.50 (1,553 jobs from 95 employers). Full time that is about $141,400 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 registered nurses earn the most?

By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: Los Angeles ($71.50), San Diego ($72), Loma Linda ($67.25) and Visalia ($64.75). The town table lists 30.

Which employers in California pay registered nurses the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: UCSF Health ($107.25), MarinHealth ($106.25) and John Muir Health ($105.50).

How does California compare with the rest of the country?

The posted median in California ($68) is $19 above the national posted median of $49. 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: 1,553 of 3,305 open registered nurse jobs in California (47%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.

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.

CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141), every state, published May 15, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses, national, published May 15, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses by metropolitan area, published May 15, 2026

Cite this page

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

How the board counts