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Registered Nurses in California

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Registered Nurses in California

Get the information you need to know about working as a Registered Nurse.

16.2% Jobs Projection
$104,410 Median Salary
19,940 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Registered Nurses in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Registered Nurses in California is growing faster than average.

  • Registered Nurses in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Registered Nurses Work in California?

There were approximately 294,510 workers employed as Registered Nurses in this state in 2018.

There were 282,290 Registered Nurses employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 12,220 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 43,110 Registered Nurses working in it, which means California has more Registered Nurses than average.

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Job Projections for California

Jobs for Registered Nurses in this state are growing at a rate of 16.2% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 14.8%.

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California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 19,940 annual job openings, and a total of 327,800 jobs for California Registered Nurses in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 203,700 annual jobs and 3,393,200 total jobs in 2026.

What do Registered Nurses Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Registered Nurses ranged from $66,440 to $157,160 with $104,410 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $31.94 to $75.56. The median hourly rate was $50.2.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $48.43 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $1.77.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Registered Nurses

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Registered Nurses.

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 103,910 $99,660
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 38,740 $132,430
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 29,950 $98,870
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 26,390 $99,010
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA 18,830 $124,950
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 16,450 $133,970
Fresno, CA 7,730 $86,820
Bakersfield, CA 5,310 $91,970
Modesto, CA 4,550 $103,180
Stockton-Lodi, CA 4,540 $114,890
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 4,500 $90,590
Santa Rosa, CA 3,380 $101,470
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 3,060 $101,570
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 3,000 $115,620
Chico, CA 2,540 $87,120
Salinas, CA 2,510 $137,770
Visalia-Porterville, CA 2,050 $89,010
Napa, CA 1,890 $109,680
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 1,850 $104,310
Redding, CA 1,590 $103,530
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 1,480 $137,280
El Centro, CA 940 $87,460
Merced, CA 920 $96,070
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 920 $79,550

Top States for Registered Nurses Employment

The table below shows the states where most Registered Nurses work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
California 294,510 $104,410
Texas 210,350 $72,000
New York 182,490 $85,300
Florida 177,600 $64,400
Pennsylvania 148,520 $69,170
Illinois 129,400 $72,250
Ohio 125,380 $64,200
North Carolina 102,500 $62,940
Michigan 96,680 $70,590
Massachusetts 80,630 $86,860
New Jersey 79,530 $81,820
Georgia 76,640 $67,870
Missouri 71,770 $62,270
Minnesota 69,000 $77,940
Indiana 67,870 $62,330
Virginia 64,750 $68,000
Tennessee 60,360 $60,120
Wisconsin 59,030 $70,150
Washington 56,290 $79,920
Arizona 54,690 $75,770

Below are the states where Registered Nurses get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
Hawaii $105,300
California $104,410
Oregon $91,220
District of Columbia $88,800
Alaska $87,650
Massachusetts $86,860
New York $85,300
Nevada $85,210
New Jersey $81,820
Connecticut $79,920

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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