SOC 29-1141 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Registered Nurses — Sacramento
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA · 10 metro areas compared
In Sacramento, CA the median wage for Registered Nurses reaches $171,460 a year.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +4.9%
- Openings per year
- 189,100
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Sacramento, CA the median wage for Registered Nurses reaches $171,460 a year. That is 75.8% more than the national median of $97,550. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $131,830 and $198,580. The lowest tenth earn under $100,630, while the highest tenth earn more than $218,780.
The area has 23,590 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.00 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. San Jose leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $216,740. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 20th of 648 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $100,630 | +3.2% |
| 25th | $131,830 | +35.1% |
| Median (50th) | $171,460 | +75.8% |
| 75th | $198,580 | +103.6% |
| 90th | $218,780 | +124.3% |
| Mean | $164,200 | +68.3% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose | $216,740 | 22,930 | |
| 2 | Vallejo | $203,290 | 4,120 | |
| 3 | San Francisco | $186,610 | 41,750 | |
| 4 | Santa Rosa | $174,550 | 3,720 | |
| 5 | Santa Cruz | $170,960 | 1,750 | |
| 6 | Yuba City | $149,320 | 1,080 | |
| 7 | San Diego | $139,520 | 28,680 | |
| 8 | San Luis Obispo | $138,820 | 2,180 | |
| 9 | Santa Maria | $137,360 | 3,280 | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | $135,560 | 109,360 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Sacramento run 6.7% above the national average, so the median of $171,460 buys what $160,694 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 64.7% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$171,460as reported by BLSLocal price level
106.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$160,694US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $171,460 a year, 75.8% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $100,630 to $218,780 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 23,590 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is San Jose, at $216,740.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Registered Nurses in Sacramento, CA?
The median annual wage is $171,460, or $82.43 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $97,550, so pay in Sacramento, CA is 75.8% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Sacramento, CA earns more than $218,780 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $100,630 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Jose, at $216,740 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 23,590 jobs in this occupation in Sacramento, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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