Which nursing specialty pays the most right now?

CTICU, at a median posted offer of $146,832 a year across 6 live postings. This ranks by what employers are advertising today, so it moves as the market moves.

Is a higher-paying specialty worth switching to?

Pay is one axis. Shift pattern, nurse-to-patient ratios, setting, and how far you'd have to move decide whether the job is actually better. Use the pay figure as a floor for negotiation, not as career advice.

Where do these numbers come from?

Midpoint of stated salary ranges on live nursing job postings; values outside $20,000–$800,000/yr treated as parse artifacts and excluded; groups under 5 postings suppressed. Community-reported figures are anonymous, unverified, and reported separately.

Nursing MasteryCareer companion for nurses

Highest-paying nursing specialties right now

$146,832CTICU — the best-paid specialty on posted offers

Every specialty ranked by what employers are actually offering today, read from 2,689live postings that state pay — not last year’s survey averages. Updated July 24, 2026.

#	Specialty	Median	Middle half	Top 10% from	Postings
1	CTICU	$146,832	$138k–$156k	$156k	6
2	Neurocritical Care	$144,014	$131k–$145k	$147k	6
3	CVICU	$142,584	$111k–$150k	$156k	11
4	SICU	$140,566	$138k–$144k	$145k	6
5	Intensive Care	$136,828	$119k–$150k	$180k	8
6	OR	$130,000	$118k–$140k	$150k	21
7	Float Pool	$126,963	$99k–$143k	$154k	13
8	Neuroscience	$126,685	$97k–$150k	$153k	10
9	Telehealth	$124,861	$71k–$145k	$151k	8
10	Cardiothoracic	$121,526	$105k–$137k	$162k	8
11	Surgery	$118,771	$95k–$150k	$157k	17
12	Emergency Room	$118,456	$97k–$135k	$151k	15
13	MDS Coordinator	$115,440	$95k–$120k	$123k	6
14	Infusion	$115,000	$102k–$125k	$146k	49
15	Peritoneal Dialysis	$114,920	$105k–$125k	$144k	6
16	NICU	$114,816	$98k–$120k	$145k	13
17	Emergency	$114,799	$90k–$134k	$145k	18
18	Clinical Research	$114,400	$114k–$125k	$125k	5
19	Labor and Delivery	$114,085	$99k–$127k	$144k	33
20	Neonatology	$113,402	$101k–$116k	$120k	10
21	Utilization Review	$113,316	$92k–$125k	$131k	13
22	Staffing and Recruiting	$113,100	$110k–$123k	$133k	20
23	Hematology	$113,027	$96k–$123k	$136k	9
24	Post-Surgical	$113,027	$103k–$125k	$125k	5
25	Workers Compensation	$112,500	$113k–$113k	$113k	5
26	Pulmonary/Respiratory	$112,006	$98k–$127k	$141k	27
27	Long Term Care/Skilled Nursing	$111,000	$99k–$122k	$136k	10
28	Transplant	$110,800	$101k–$116k	$126k	12
29	Workers' Compensation	$109,200	$90k–$116k	$117k	10
30	Emergency medicine	$109,200	$96k–$117k	$128k	9
31	Podiatry	$109,200	$108k–$126k	$129k	9
32	Pain	$109,200	$108k–$114k	$127k	5
33	Urology	$108,160	$98k–$116k	$133k	20
34	Psychiatry	$108,160	$85k–$130k	$141k	9
35	Cardiovascular	$107,713	$92k–$118k	$123k	6
36	Hospital Medicine	$107,500	$70k–$108k	$124k	5
37	Vascular	$107,297	$100k–$129k	$140k	6
38	PICU	$106,673	$88k–$120k	$143k	11
39	Infectious Disease	$106,593	$100k–$122k	$134k	77
40	ENT	$106,470	$94k–$109k	$114k	10
41	Orthopedic	$106,434	$84k–$120k	$133k	10
42	Internet Publishing	$105,391	$81k–$110k	$123k	8
43	Home Care	$105,326	$95k–$120k	$134k	53
44	Oncology	$105,124	$97k–$123k	$146k	66
45	Cardiac	$104,986	$96k–$123k	$146k	79
46	Travel	$104,590	$96k–$120k	$134k	232
47	Infusion Therapy	$104,291	$95k–$109k	$115k	5
48	Orthopedics	$104,000	$95k–$118k	$139k	29
49	Hospice & Palliative Medicine	$104,000	$95k–$110k	$129k	17
50	Clinical Documentation	$104,000	$85k–$120k	$122k	9
51	Internal Medicine	$104,000	$83k–$115k	$118k	8
52	Occupational Health	$104,000	$94k–$108k	$115k	7
53	Ortho	$104,000	$83k–$105k	$123k	5
54	Neurology	$103,688	$84k–$132k	$142k	23
55	Perioperative	$103,496	$86k–$126k	$140k	28
56	General	$103,480	$87k–$108k	$109k	6
57	Medical Surgical	$103,475	$76k–$113k	$120k	14
58	IV Therapy	$103,439	$97k–$115k	$137k	32
59	Neuro	$103,210	$99k–$121k	$150k	6
60	Step Down	$103,210	$97k–$103k	$118k	5
61	Education/Staff Development	$103,127	$95k–$117k	$130k	187
62	Surgical	$102,700	$87k–$115k	$121k	23
63	Case Management	$102,500	$84k–$116k	$139k	117
64	ICU	$102,482	$94k–$118k	$136k	465
65	Med/Surg	$102,440	$97k–$107k	$121k	14
66	PACU	$102,436	$90k–$123k	$138k	88
67	Nursing Management/Admin	$102,347	$94k–$117k	$129k	252
68	Acute Care	$102,211	$94k–$115k	$133k	279
69	General Surgery	$102,050	$95k–$124k	$136k	14
70	Operating Room	$101,943	$94k–$120k	$135k	118
71	MDS	$101,920	$94k–$111k	$116k	6
72	Progressive Care Unit	$101,910	$97k–$121k	$135k	7
73	Long-Term Care	$101,400	$89k–$104k	$127k	14
74	CCU	$101,400	$97k–$117k	$128k	10
75	Emergency/Trauma	$101,159	$93k–$109k	$132k	65
76	Camp	$101,140	$74k–$113k	$118k	83
77	Surgical Services	$100,911	$98k–$110k	$116k	7
78	Medical-Surgical	$100,850	$92k–$116k	$132k	131
79	Ambulatory Surgery	$100,500	$83k–$125k	$131k	21
80	Radiology	$100,474	$76k–$110k	$119k	10
81	Private Duty	$100,339	$79k–$113k	$125k	8
82	PCU	$100,334	$95k–$104k	$126k	13
83	Ambulatory	$100,064	$88k–$106k	$141k	6
84	Med Surg	$99,818	$98k–$114k	$121k	12
85	Telemetry	$99,320	$94k–$115k	$142k	65
86	Gastroenterology	$99,320	$92k–$126k	$150k	19
87	Medical/Surgical	$99,287	$84k–$113k	$128k	317
88	Palliative Care	$99,216	$88k–$117k	$142k	57
89	Trauma	$99,060	$86k–$108k	$136k	24
90	ER	$98,800	$92k–$116k	$135k	126
91	Wound Care	$98,800	$88k–$119k	$130k	83
92	Dialysis	$98,800	$96k–$104k	$113k	76
93	Emergency Medicine	$98,800	$92k–$105k	$130k	66
94	Nephrology	$98,800	$96k–$105k	$113k	51
95	Aesthetics	$98,800	$83k–$125k	$149k	11
96	GI	$98,800	$88k–$108k	$109k	11
97	Emergency Department	$98,790	$96k–$111k	$125k	27
98	Plastic Surgery	$98,753	$94k–$111k	$116k	10
99	Primary Care	$98,686	$84k–$119k	$134k	19
100	Labor & Delivery	$98,415	$85k–$110k	$125k	11
101	Neonatal	$98,415	$82k–$102k	$122k	7
102	Critical & Intensive Care	$98,280	$93k–$111k	$136k	90
103	Interventional Cardiology	$98,145	$97k–$105k	$121k	6
104	Pre-Op	$97,885	$87k–$103k	$117k	12
105	Ophthalmology	$97,760	$93k–$108k	$113k	9
106	Hemodialysis	$97,760	$94k–$102k	$128k	8
107	Case Management/Social Work	$97,710	$86k–$111k	$118k	10
108	Postpartum	$97,692	$95k–$105k	$125k	6
109	Dementia care	$97,240	$88k–$98k	$108k	5
110	Palliative Medicine	$97,170	$92k–$121k	$142k	10
111	Utilization Management	$97,110	$90k–$131k	$136k	10
112	Step-Down	$97,084	$92k–$104k	$110k	20
113	Recovery	$97,016	$87k–$128k	$144k	6
114	Perioperative Care	$96,970	$87k–$118k	$132k	73
115	Outpatient	$96,970	$93k–$113k	$125k	50
116	Cardiology	$96,970	$87k–$109k	$136k	47
117	Inpatient	$96,970	$93k–$107k	$113k	27
118	Urgent Care	$96,970	$97k–$118k	$153k	21
119	Cath Lab	$96,970	$90k–$112k	$150k	19
120	Progressive Care	$96,970	$85k–$103k	$111k	17
121	Interventional Radiology	$96,970	$85k–$97k	$100k	9
122	Bariatric	$96,970	$85k–$103k	$103k	5
123	Electrophysiology	$96,970	$97k–$97k	$109k	5
124	Neurosurgery	$96,954	$96k–$110k	$120k	6
125	Psychiatric	$96,854	$87k–$113k	$126k	30
126	Research	$96,658	$96k–$122k	$145k	15
127	Obstetrics	$96,460	$85k–$113k	$132k	5
128	Triage	$96,387	$90k–$104k	$108k	29
129	Pulmonary	$96,387	$94k–$151k	$164k	5
130	Women's Health	$96,314	$78k–$111k	$119k	16
131	Home Health	$95,850	$78k–$114k	$139k	284
132	Medical-surgical	$95,680	$94k–$98k	$114k	9
133	Medical Practices	$95,399	$71k–$102k	$109k	10
134	Ob/Gyn	$95,337	$90k–$99k	$105k	8
135	Public Health	$95,254	$78k–$100k	$118k	25
136	Pain Medicine	$95,186	$82k–$127k	$145k	14
137	Endoscopy	$95,160	$86k–$101k	$118k	10
138	Government Administration	$95,000	$68k–$117k	$125k	43
139	Ambulatory Care	$94,263	$94k–$100k	$138k	22
140	Family Medicine	$94,000	$94k–$94k	$96k	8
141	Private Duty Nursing	$93,600	$75k–$100k	$103k	17
142	Surgical Nursing	$93,600	$78k–$97k	$125k	17
143	Fertility	$93,600	$79k–$105k	$120k	11
144	End-of-life Care	$93,600	$89k–$107k	$114k	7
145	Corrections	$93,080	$90k–$100k	$109k	18
146	Care Management	$92,852	$87k–$106k	$110k	6
147	Hospice	$92,500	$83k–$113k	$135k	132
148	Assisted living	$92,500	$88k–$99k	$108k	5
149	Behavioral Health	$91,520	$84k–$108k	$121k	45
150	Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility	$91,500	$78k–$110k	$134k	9
151	Hospitals and Health Care	$91,102	$74k–$101k	$121k	219
152	IT Services and IT Consulting	$90,486	$83k–$114k	$144k	7
153	Mental Health	$90,436	$77k–$110k	$121k	22
154	Higher Education	$90,105	$82k–$96k	$122k	5
155	Research Services	$89,960	$86k–$96k	$105k	5
156	Skilled Nursing Facility	$89,680	$73k–$99k	$115k	24
157	Addiction Medicine	$89,440	$80k–$105k	$131k	10
158	Long-term care	$89,200	$79k–$105k	$117k	36
159	Skilled Nursing	$88,400	$76k–$103k	$109k	35
160	Pain Management	$88,400	$83k–$101k	$130k	17
161	Memory care	$88,400	$88k–$95k	$98k	6
162	Developmental Disability Care	$87,880	$79k–$90k	$108k	6
163	Wellness and Fitness Services, Hospitals and Health Care, and Medical Practices	$87,547	$76k–$119k	$128k	5
164	Long-term Care	$86,840	$78k–$97k	$121k	43
165	Geriatric	$86,528	$81k–$103k	$120k	120
166	Long Term Care	$86,320	$80k–$91k	$100k	23
167	Infection Control	$85,869	$85k–$108k	$148k	5
168	Senior Care	$85,800	$78k–$97k	$100k	8
169	Rehabilitation	$85,280	$72k–$92k	$104k	54
170	Admissions	$85,280	$85k–$95k	$95k	5
171	Community Health	$84,450	$84k–$93k	$113k	36
172	Military	$84,240	$76k–$85k	$108k	64
173	PreOp	$84,240	$77k–$93k	$106k	9
174	Ear Piercing	$84,240	$78k–$84k	$94k	7
175	Memory Care	$83,200	$63k–$90k	$107k	23
176	Plastics	$83,200	$83k–$84k	$110k	5
177	Spine	$83,200	$83k–$94k	$119k	5
178	Skilled nursing facility	$82,560	$48k–$107k	$117k	8
179	Pediatric	$82,160	$75k–$100k	$130k	272
180	Non-profit Organizations	$80,392	$76k–$107k	$119k	5
181	Assisted Living	$79,997	$70k–$96k	$112k	17
182	School Health	$76,960	$73k–$80k	$83k	7
183	Developmental Disabilities	$75,686	$73k–$79k	$80k	5
184	School Nursing	$73,292	$66k–$94k	$116k	25
185	Dermatology	$72,800	$62k–$84k	$96k	7
186	Post-acute care	$72,800	$53k–$94k	$97k	5
187	Wellness	$72,800	$69k–$109k	$168k	5
188	Health and Human Services	$72,470	$62k–$79k	$103k	23
189	Special Education	$65,759	$66k–$77k	$77k	5

Specialties with fewer than five postings that disclose pay are left out rather than guessed at.

Questions nurses ask

Which nursing specialty pays the most right now?: CTICU, at a median posted offer of $146,832 a year across 6 live postings. This ranks by what employers are advertising today, so it moves as the market moves.
Is a higher-paying specialty worth switching to?: Pay is one axis. Shift pattern, nurse-to-patient ratios, setting, and how far you'd have to move decide whether the job is actually better. Use the pay figure as a floor for negotiation, not as career advice.
Where do these numbers come from?: Midpoint of stated salary ranges on live nursing job postings; values outside $20,000–$800,000/yr treated as parse artifacts and excluded; groups under 5 postings suppressed. Community-reported figures are anonymous, unverified, and reported separately.

Highest-paying nursing specialties right now

Nursing specialties ranked by posted median pay

Questions nurses ask