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Average Research Nurse Salary in California

Research nurses in California earn an average of $130,212 per year (or $62.61 per hour).

Nationwide
United States
$87,048
California
49% higher than the national average
$130,212
Your personal salary estimate
Free from Incredible Health

California research nurses earn 49% higher than the national average salary for research nurses, at $87,048 (or $41.85 per hour).

Research nurse salary range in California

10%
$81,981
MEDIAN
$131,619
90%
$173,917
Annual Salary Hourly Wage
90th Percentile $173,917 $83
75th Percentile $163,742 $78
Median $131,619 $63
25th Percentile $103,918 $49

80% of California research nurses earn between $81,981 and $173,917.

Cost-of-living adjusted research nurse salary in California

Cost-Of-Living Adjusted
California
$117,946
Overall Average
California
$130,212

Adjusted for cost-of-living, California research nurses earn about $117,946 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 research nurses

Santa Clara, CA $163,007 per year
Hayward, CA $159,237 per year
Sacramento, CA $142,278 per year
Fresno, CA $125,833 per year
Lodi, CA $125,592 per year
Los Angeles, CA $121,927 per year
Ventura, CA $120,268 per year
Carlsbad, CA $118,818 per year
Ontario, CA $117,296 per year
Bakersfield, CA $112,455 per year

California nursing salaries vary from region to region across the state. The area where research nurses are paid the highest is Santa Clara, where the average research nurses salary is $163,007 and 20,640 registered nurses are currently employed. The Hayward area comes in second, with a $159,237 average research nurse salary and 41,160 registered nurses employed.

Research nurses salaries in other states

Massachusetts $93,623 per year
Washington $90,949 per year
New York $98,919 per year
Connecticut $97,903 per year
Minnesota $97,362 per year
Maryland $87,640 per year
Arizona $93,257 per year
Texas $76,693 per year
Illinois $85,505 per year
Virginia $84,348 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 $130,212 average annual salary, research 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 research nurses

Research nurses can work in a wide variety of places and are tasked with helping create new medical treatments, medications, and vaccinations.

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