Average Med Surg Nurse Salary in California

Med surg nurses in California earn an average of $116,553 per year (or $56.04 per hour).

Nationwide
United States
$79,974
California
45% higher than the national average
$116,553
Your personal salary estimate
Free from Incredible Health

California med surg nurses earn 45% higher than the national average salary for med surg nurses, at $79,974 (or $38.45 per hour).

Med surg nurse salary range in California

10%
$73,381
MEDIAN
$117,812
90%
$155,673
Annual Salary Hourly Wage
90th Percentile $155,673 $74
75th Percentile $146,565 $70
Median $117,812 $56
25th Percentile $93,017 $44

80% of California med surg nurses earn between $73,381 and $155,673.

Cost-of-living adjusted med surg nurse salary in California

Cost-Of-Living Adjusted
California
$105,573
Overall Average
California
$116,553

Adjusted for cost-of-living, California med surg nurses earn about $105,573 per year. Cost-of-living in California is 10% higher than the national average, meaning they face higher prices for food, housing, and transportation compared to other states.

Highest paying cities in California for med surg nurses

Santa Clara, CA $145,907 per year
Hayward, CA $142,533 per year
Sacramento, CA $127,353 per year
Fresno, CA $112,633 per year
Lodi, CA $112,417 per year
Los Angeles, CA $109,137 per year
Ventura, CA $107,652 per year
Carlsbad, CA $106,354 per year
Ontario, CA $104,991 per year
Bakersfield, CA $100,658 per year

California nursing salaries vary from region to region across the state. The area where med surg nurses are paid the highest is Santa Clara, where the average med surg nurses salary is $145,907 and 20,640 registered nurses are currently employed. The Hayward area comes in second, with a $142,533 average med surg nurse salary and 41,160 registered nurses employed.

Med surg nurses salaries in other states

Hawaii $120,820 per year
Oregon $96,088 per year
Alaska $92,600 per year
Massachusetts $85,893 per year
Washington $88,015 per year
New York $93,320 per year
Nevada $83,766 per year
New Jersey $87,651 per year
Connecticut $88,009 per year
Rhode Island $68,982 per year

How much do other nurses get paid in California?

Transport Nurse $150,607 per year
Transplant Nurse $144,331 per year
Fertility Nurse $142,700 per year
Reproductive Nurse $142,700 per year
Endoscopy Nurse $139,102 per year
Womens Health Nurse $135,964 per year
ENT Nurse $135,964 per year
Cath Lab Nurse $135,964 per year
Primary Care Nurse $130,735 per year
Nurse Educator $130,735 per year

At a $116,553 average annual salary, med surg nurses in California tend to earn less than transport nurses ($150,607), transplant nurses ($144,331), fertility nurses ($142,700), reproductive nurses ($142,700), endoscopy nurses ($139,102), womens health nurses ($135,964), ENT nurses ($135,964), cath lab nurses ($135,964), primary care nurses ($130,735), and nurse educators ($130,735).

More about med surg nurses

A medical-surgical nurse cares for patients with a wide range of conditions and illnesses. Patients could be acutely ill, suffering from complications or preparing or recovering from surgery.

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Data sources: rn salary data, cost of living data, proprietary data from Incredible Health