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Nursing Mastery

Intensive Care nurse pay

$132,746median posted offer#27 of 386 specialties

Read from 14 live Intensive Care postings that state pay39% above the all-nursing median of $95,680. Updated September 10, 2026.

$133k median$88k · p10$103k$144k$161k · p90

Where does your pay sit in Intensive Care?

Checked against 14 live postings that state pay. Your number stays in your browser.

$133k median$88k · p10$103k$144k$161k · p90

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 Intensive Care pays the most

StateMedianTop 10% fromPostings
California$140,275$183k6

What to do with this

Want the craft behind the numbers — differentials, negotiating, travel packages? Read the pay & salary guides.

Questions nurses ask

How much do Intensive Care nurses make?
Across 14 live Intensive Care postings that state pay, the median offer is $132,746 a year. The middle half runs $102,674–$143,658, and the top 10% start at $160,603.
Does Intensive Care pay more than nursing overall?
Intensive Care ranks #27 of 386 specialties on posted pay. Its median is 39% above the all-nursing median of $95,680.
Which states pay Intensive Care nurses the most?
By posted median right now: #1 California ($140,275). 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. Headline figures blend every employment type; `employmentTypes` splits the same postings into staff, travel, PRN and agency bands, each annualized on the posting's own stated terms (weekly travel rates at 52 weeks), so a rate is only ever ranked against its own band. Community-reported figures are anonymous, unverified, and reported separately.