Registered Nurses Salary in California
Registered Nurses in California earn a median $140,270 a year, +44% against the national median of $97,550; they and rank 1st of 51 states by median. Registered Nurses earn 2.4 times the median across all occupations in California ($58,240). California pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon, Nevada and Arizona range from $99,500 in Arizona to $129,010 in Oregon. California employs 338,940 registered nurses, 18.6 per 1,000 jobs, the 1st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.86 is close to the national share.
California vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $48.68 | $58.87 | $67.44 | $83.25 | $102.56 | $72.25 | 338,940 | 18.61 | 0.86 |
| Annual | $101,260 | $122,440 | $140,270 | $173,170 | $213,320 | $150,280 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $33.14 | $38.62 | $46.90 | $54.02 | $66.09 | $48.76 | 3,379,720 | – | – |
| Annual | $68,940 | $80,330 | $97,550 | $112,350 | $137,470 | $101,420 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 1st of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 1st of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.86
- Jobs per 1,000
- 18.61
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of California's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in California
25 metropolitan areas and 3 nonmetropolitan areas touching California publish a row for registered nurses, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $104.20 | $216,740 | $124,140 | $235,190 | 22,930 | 20.21 | 0.93 |
| Vallejo, CA | $97.74 | $203,290 | $122,140 | $218,590 | 4,120 | 28.61 | 1.32 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.71 | $186,610 | $119,290 | $223,770 | 41,750 | 17.59 | 0.81 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $83.92 | $174,550 | $110,800 | $225,940 | 3,720 | 18.12 | 0.83 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $82.43 | $171,460 | $100,630 | $218,780 | 23,590 | 21.83 | 1.00 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $82.19 | $170,960 | $97,980 | $210,870 | 1,750 | 17.72 | 0.82 |
| Yuba City, CA | $71.79 | $149,320 | $98,270 | $178,300 | 1,080 | 21.16 | 0.97 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $67.08 | $139,520 | $102,480 | $175,210 | 28,680 | 18.65 | 0.86 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $66.74 | $138,820 | $100,560 | $199,540 | 2,180 | 17.89 | 0.82 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $66.04 | $137,360 | $101,260 | $169,240 | 3,280 | 16.33 | 0.75 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $65.18 | $135,560 | $100,980 | $174,200 | 109,360 | 17.44 | 0.80 |
| Salinas, CA | $64.86 | $134,910 | $102,300 | $176,990 | 3,180 | 17.07 | 0.79 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $64.70 | $134,580 | $101,390 | $212,700 | 5,460 | 18.83 | 0.87 |
| Redding, CA | $64.59 | $134,350 | $96,990 | $168,480 | 1,720 | 24.04 | 1.11 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $64.40 | $133,940 | $100,510 | $172,900 | 35,290 | 20.56 | 0.95 |
| Modesto, CA | $63.75 | $132,590 | $102,770 | $197,800 | 4,850 | 24.84 | 1.14 |
| Merced, CA | $63.28 | $131,620 | $95,070 | $165,580 | 1,050 | 13.23 | 0.61 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $63.06 | $131,160 | $94,360 | $169,780 | 5,710 | 17.63 | 0.81 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $61.93 | $128,810 | $87,760 | $162,020 | 5,620 | 16.61 | 0.76 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $61.61 | $128,160 | $102,410 | $157,910 | 710 | 14.49 | 0.67 |
| Chico, CA | $61.23 | $127,360 | $103,400 | $160,170 | 2,170 | 27.77 | 1.28 |
| Fresno, CA | $60.30 | $125,420 | $89,890 | $167,160 | 11,030 | 23.14 | 1.06 |
| Visalia, CA | $60.18 | $125,180 | $97,560 | $160,680 | 2,990 | 17.46 | 0.80 |
| El Centro, CA | $49.73 | $103,450 | $84,500 | $150,990 | 950 | 14.50 | 0.67 |
| Napa, CA | * | * | * | * | 1,610 | 20.65 | 0.95 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $65.17 | $135,560 | $96,640 | $164,000 | 1,610 | 15.40 | 0.71 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $65.04 | $135,270 | $101,740 | $167,180 | 1,290 | 20.48 | 0.94 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $64.34 | $133,830 | $96,520 | $171,620 | 2,200 | 20.05 | 0.92 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Registered Nurses (every state ranked) and the California wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS California estimates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.