Registered Nurse pay in California
Median hourly pay in California · BLS May 2025
$67.44
an hour · $140,270 a year
- 10th
- $48.68
- 25th
- $58.87
- Median
- $67.44
- 75th
- $83.25
- 90th
- $102.56
Hourly pay range: 10th percentile $48.68/hr, median $67.44/hr, 90th percentile $102.56/hr.
Employed in CA
338,940
BLS estimate
Vs. U.S. median
+$20.54
U.S. median $46.90/hr
Licensing for registered nurses in California
Board of Registered Nursing (Dept. of Consumer Affairs). Board, lookup and requirements
Registered Nurse pay by California metro area
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim109,360 jobs$65.18/hr
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont41,750 jobs$89.71/hr
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario35,290 jobs$64.40/hr
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad28,680 jobs$67.08/hr
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom23,590 jobs$82.43/hr
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara22,930 jobs$104.20/hr
- Fresno11,030 jobs$60.30/hr
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura5,710 jobs$63.06/hr
- Bakersfield-Delano5,620 jobs$61.93/hr
- Stockton-Lodi5,460 jobs$64.70/hr
- Modesto4,850 jobs$63.75/hr
- Vallejo4,120 jobs$97.74/hr
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma3,720 jobs$83.92/hr
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara3,280 jobs$66.04/hr
- Salinas3,180 jobs$64.86/hr
- Visalia2,990 jobs$60.18/hr
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles2,180 jobs$66.74/hr
- Chico2,170 jobs$61.23/hr
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville1,750 jobs$82.19/hr
- Redding1,720 jobs$64.59/hr
- Napa1,610 jobsNot published
- Yuba City1,080 jobs$71.79/hr
- Merced1,050 jobs$63.28/hr
- El Centro950 jobs$49.73/hr
- Hanford-Corcoran710 jobs$61.61/hr
Metropolitan statistical areas as defined by BLS, sorted by number of jobs.
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: California, Registered Nurse (SOC 29-1141), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Checked against these sources on Oct 1, 2026.
Medians cover wage and salary workers (not the self-employed) and don't include benefits. Use them as a baseline, not a quote.