Nurse Salary in California

The average nurse salary in California is $131,470 per year (estimate). This works out to approximately $63.21 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year.

California's average nurse salary of $131,470 is above the national average of $89,010 by 42,460 (47.7%). California is one of the higher-paying states for this occupation.

Nurse salaries in California are influenced by cost of living, local demand for workers, industry concentration, years of experience, education level, employer size, and unionization rates. Metro areas within California may pay significantly more than rural areas.

Based on the annual salary of $131,470, the approximate hourly rate for a nurse in California is $63.21 per hour (assuming 2,080 hours per year). The national average hourly rate is $42.79.

In these estimates, the top paying states for Registered Nurses are: California ($131,470), Hawaii ($104,320), Washington ($104,320), New York ($99,320), Oregon ($99,320).

State figures on this page are estimates for comparison and planning. They are not official BLS state-level values. For official numbers, check the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables.