Critical & Intensive Care nurse pay
$98,280median posted offer#102 of 189 specialties
Read from 90 live Critical & Intensive Care postings that state pay — 2% above the all-nursing median of $96,720. Updated July 24, 2026.
Where does your pay sit in Critical & Intensive Care?
Checked against 90 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.
Where Critical & Intensive Care pays the most
| # | State | Median | Top 10% from | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $128,118 | $167k | 17 |
| 2 | New York | $112,320 | $139k | 6 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $98,800 | $99k | 6 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $96,970 | $99k | 7 |
| 5 | Washington | $95,680 | $100k | 9 |
| 6 | Texas | $92,130 | $123k | 6 |
What to do with this
- See the rolesJobs in your state paying around $98,280Every posting behind these numbers is a live job you can open and apply to.
- Offer in hand?Run it through the offer reality calculatorAnnualize it honestly and see what it's worth where you'd actually live — then compare offers side by side.
- 3-minute fit quizFind out which roles actually fit youPay is one axis. Shift, specialty, setting, and commute decide whether the job is worth it.
- 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 Critical & Intensive Care nurses make?
- Across 90 live Critical & Intensive Care postings that state pay, the median offer is $98,280 a year. The middle half runs $93,267–$111,290, and the top 10% start at $135,679.
- Does Critical & Intensive Care pay more than nursing overall?
- Critical & Intensive Care ranks #102 of 189 specialties on posted pay. Its median is 2% above the all-nursing median of $96,720.
- Which states pay Critical & Intensive Care nurses the most?
- By posted median right now: #1 California ($128,118), #2 New York ($112,320), #3 New Jersey ($98,800). Rankings move as postings change — this page updates continuously.
- 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.