Nurse pay in California
Nurses in California are being offered a median $116,909 a year right now across 2,862 live job postings that state pay — ranking #2 of 51 states. Updated September 10, 2026.
Where does your pay sit in California?
Checked against 2,862 live postings that state pay. Your number stays in your browser.
Enter your pay to see your percentile.
Posted offers on live listings — not take-home pay or a promise of what any one nurse will earn.
California market overview
- 25th percentile
- $89,531
- Median
- $116,909
- 75th percentile
- $145,109
- 90th percentile
- $183,209
- Median hourly (1,912 postings)
- $49/hr
- Sign-on bonus, median (108 postings)
- $10,000
- Sign-on bonus, highest posted
- $50,000
- Live postings stating pay
- 2,862
Annual figures are posted offers (midpoint of stated ranges) on live listings, updated September 10, 2026.
What each specialty is offered in California
Highest-offering employers in California right now
- #1$352k
HealthYes Staffing Network
median across 10 priced postings
- #2$291k
Premiere Healthcare Staffing
median across 3 priced postings
- #3$257k
San Francisco Department of Public Health
median across 3 priced postings
- #4$250k
Caring Hand Home Health Solutions Inc
median across 3 priced postings
- #5$250k
Premier Home Health Providers Inc.
median across 7 priced postings
What nurses say they’re paidreported by nurses
No nurse reports from California yet. Five reports unlock the state summary.
What are you being paid?
30 seconds. Your report joins the community-reported series (always labeled nurse-reported) so nurses can compare real experiences with what employers post.
What to do with this
- See the rolesSee open nursing roles in CaliforniaEvery posting behind these numbers is a live job you can open and apply to.
- Offer in hand?Run it through the offer reality calculatorTurn it into a full-year number, see what it's worth where you'd live, and compare offers side by side.
- 3-minute PULSEFind the work that brings out your bestPay is one axis. Your pace, decision style, connection, scope, and energy rhythm shape the rest.
- CommunityAsk nurses what they really take homeDifferentials, ratios, and the offer nobody posts. Bring your number and compare notes.
Want the craft behind the numbers — differentials, negotiating, travel packages? Read the pay & salary guides.
Questions nurses ask
- How much do nurses make in California?
- Across 2,862 live job postings in California that state pay, the median posted offer is $116,909 a year (about $49/hr). The middle half of postings runs $89,531–$145,109, and the top 10% start at $183,209.
- How does California nurse pay compare nationally?
- California's posted median of $116,909 is 22% above the national median ($95,680), ranking #2 of 51 states on the Pay Index right now.
- Where does this data come from?
- Pay stated on live nursing job postings collected continuously by Nursing Mastery, last updated September 10, 2026. These are posted offers, not survey estimates or a promise of what any one nurse will earn. Implausible figures are excluded and small samples are suppressed.
- Do California nursing jobs offer sign-on bonuses?
- 108 live postings in California advertise a sign-on bonus right now, with a median of $10,000 and offers up to $50,000.