For nurses, aides and techs
Shift differentials: what employers add for nights, evenings and weekends
A night shift differential is a median of $2.50 an hour (the middle half $2.00 to $4.60) across 201 employers, from the amounts healthcare employers' own job postings state (read 9 Nov 2026). A weekend differential is a median of $2.50 an hour (the middle half $2.00 to $4.00) across 159 employers. Below, by kind of job and by employer, each amount opening a posting that states it.
- Banner Health18% of base pay
- Geisinger$3.00 an hour
- Penn State Health$2.50 an hour
- Quest Diagnostics15% of base pay
- Centers Health Care$0.75 an hour
- MU Health Care$3.00 an hour
- OSF HealthCare$3.25 an hour
- PAM Health$4.00 an hour
- UNM Health26% of base pay
- Rochester Regional Health$1.50 to $4.00 an hour
The 10 employers whose postings state one most often. 440 in all.
- Employers stating it201
- 25th percentile$2.00
- Median$2.50
- 75th percentile$4.60
Each employer counts once, at the amount most of its postings state.
- Employers stating it159
- 25th percentile$2.00
- Median$2.50
- 75th percentile$4.00
Each employer counts once, at the amount most of its postings state.
By the hours worked
Each employer counts once, at the amount most of its postings state for those hours. A figure needs 3 employers behind it.
| Hours | Stated as | Median | Middle half | Employers | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night | Dollars an hour | $2.50 | $2.00–$4.60 | 201 | 792 |
| Night | Percent of base | 15% | 10.5%–18% | 26 | 190 |
| Evening | Dollars an hour | $2.00 | $1.48–$3.00 | 148 | 592 |
| Evening | Percent of base | 10% | 10%–15% | 17 | 109 |
| Weekend | Dollars an hour | $2.50 | $2.00–$4.00 | 159 | 762 |
| Weekend | Percent of base | 15% | 10%–20% | 30 | 107 |
| Shift (hours not named) | Dollars an hour | $2.81 | $2.00–$4.00 | 160 | 492 |
| Shift (hours not named) | Percent of base | 12.5% | 10%–15% | 17 | 34 |
By kind of job
The median dollar differential per hour for each kind of job, where 3 or more employers state one.
| Kind of job | Night | Evening | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses & LPNs | $3.00 (128) | $2.75 (81) | $3.50 (87) |
| Nursing Assistants & Patient Care Techs | $2.00 (84) | $2.00 (68) | $2.00 (56) |
| Caregivers & Home Health Aides | $1.75 (23) | $1.00 (19) | $1.75 (28) |
| Mental Health & Social Work | $2.50 (20) | $2.00 (13) | $2.50 (17) |
| Physical, Occupational, Speech & Respiratory Therapy | $3.50 (9) | $3.19 (4) | $4.00 (11) |
| Radiology & Imaging Techs | $3.65 (10) | $2.53 (8) | $3.00 (10) |
| Lab Techs & Phlebotomists | $4.30 (9) | $2.50 (5) | $2.75 (4) |
| Patient Access, Coding & Medical Admin | $2.50 (6) | $2.50 (4) | $2.00 (9) |
| Surgical Techs & Sterile Processing | $2.75 (7) | $2.34 (8) | $3.00 (9) |
| Pharmacists & Pharmacy Techs | $3.63 (4) | $2.09 (8) | $2.00 (5) |
| EMTs & Paramedics | $2.50 (7) | - | $2.50 (4) |
| Medical Assistants | - | $2.13 (4) | $3.00 (5) |
| More Allied Health | $2.00 (4) | - | $2.63 (4) |
| Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants | - | - | - |
The number in brackets is the employers behind each median.
By employer
The amount each employer's postings state most for each kind of hours, most postings first (the 120 with the most; 440 in all, and every employer's own page states its own). An amount opens a posting that states it.
Shift differentials: common questions
What is the average night shift differential for nurses?
Where nurses' postings state a night differential in dollars, it is a median of $3.00 an hour (the middle half $2.00 to $5.00) across 128 employers; where it is a percent of the base rate, a median of 17.5% of base pay (the middle half 10% to 18%) across 14 employers. Each employer counts once, at the amount most of its postings state, since a differential is its pay policy rather than a figure per job.
What is the night shift differential for CNAs?
Where CNAs' and patient care techs' postings state a night differential in dollars, it is a median of $2.00 an hour (the middle half $1.00 to $3.00) across 84 employers; where it is a percent of the base rate, a median of 10% of base pay (the middle half 10% to 13.8%) across 7 employers. Each employer counts once, at the amount most of its postings state.
What is the night shift differential for caregivers and home health aides?
Where caregivers' and home health aides' postings state a night differential in dollars, it is a median of $1.75 an hour (the middle half $1.00 to $2.00) across 23 employers. Each employer counts once, at the amount most of its postings state.
How much is a night shift differential in healthcare?
Where healthcare employers' postings state a night differential in dollars, it is a median of $2.50 an hour (the middle half $2.00 to $4.60) across 201 employers; where it is a percent of the base rate, a median of 15% of base pay (the middle half 10.5% to 18%) across 26 employers. The amounts come from 2,209 open jobs at 440 employers whose postings state one.
How much is a weekend differential?
Where healthcare employers' postings state a weekend differential in dollars, it is a median of $2.50 an hour (the middle half $2.00 to $4.00) across 159 employers; where it is a percent of the base rate, a median of 15% of base pay (the middle half 10% to 20%) across 30 employers.
How much is an evening or second shift differential?
Where healthcare employers' postings state an evening differential in dollars, it is a median of $2.00 an hour (the middle half $1.48 to $3.00) across 148 employers; where it is a percent of the base rate, a median of 10% of base pay (the middle half 10% to 15%) across 17 employers.
Which healthcare employers pay the highest night shift differential?
By the dollar amount their own postings state most: Aspen Valley Health ($10.00 an hour), Providence ($10.00 an hour), AHMC Healthcare ($10.00 an hour), Presbyterian Homes & Services ($9.00 an hour) and Trinity Health ($9.00 an hour). A posting states the employer's amount for that job; units and roles can differ, so each job's own page says what it pays.
Is a shift differential added to the base rate?
Yes. A dollar differential is added to each hour worked in the hours it covers (one posting spells it out: a $22 base rate plus a $1 weekend differential is $23 an hour), and a percent differential is that share of the base rate. Posted pay ranges are the base rate, before differentials, so a night job pays its posted rate plus the differential. How shift differentials work, and how they raise overtime.
Sources and method
A job counts when its posting states an amount for evening, night or weekend hours (or a shift differential): a dollar amount under the job's own posted base rate, or a percent of it. A mention without an amount, a differential for something else (float, charge, on-call, a certification) and a figure that is the wage itself are left out. Each employer counts once in a figure, at the amount most of its postings state.
Cite this page
CareJobs.Now. (2026). Shift Differentials: What Healthcare Employers Add for Nights, Evenings and Weekends. Data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/shift-differentials