Nurses in professions that typically require at least an MSN enjoyed a high average salary in California in 2014 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Nurse educators—highest salary in the country: $97,750
- Nurse midwives—2nd highest salary in the country: $127,940
- Nurse practitioners—3rd highest salary in the country: $115,460
California Metropolitan Areas with the Highest Average Salaries for MSN-Educated Nurses
The salaries for MSN-educated nurses in a number of California’s metropolitan areas ranked among the top-ten highest in the country during 2014:
Nurse Midwives
- Number 1 San Jose metropolitan area – $139,290
- Number 2 San Diego metropolitan area – $132,750
- Number 3 Los Angeles metropolitan area – $128,210
- Number 4 San Francisco metropolitan area – $125,900
Nurse Practitioners
- Number 2 San Jose metropolitan area – $139,570
- Number 3 Vallejo-Fairfield – $127,860
- Number 4 San Francisco metropolitan area – $127,790
- Number 8 Visalia-Porterville – $123,580
Nurse Educators
- Number 4 Salinas – $99,210
- Number 5 Los Angeles metropolitan area – $98,090
- Number 6 Santa Ana metropolitan area – $94,580
- Number 8 San Diego metropolitan area – $92,810
- Number 10 Visalia-Porterville – $91,980
Nurse Anesthetists
- Number 4 San Jose metropolitan area – $232,970
The Financial Benefits of Obtaining a Master of Science in Nursing
A comparison of the median salary among MSN-educated nurse practitioners and the median salary among RNs demonstrates the increased earning power of nurses who have obtained an MSN:
California Area
Salary Differential
NP Salary
RN Salary
Visalia-Porterville
$47830
$122210
$74380
El Centro
$39300
$112500
$73200
Yuba City
$36920
$115130
$78210
San Diego area
$30430
$113930
$83500
Bakersfield-Delano
$28140
$108990
$80850
Fresno
$27980
$106360
$78380
Oxnard area
$26890
$113650
$86760
Santa Ana area
$24400
$112710
$88310
Riverside area
$20870
$109350
$88480
Los Angeles area
$20390
$113980
$93590
Los Angeles metropolitan area
$19920
$114960
$95040
San Jose area
$13400
$143340
$130030
Salinas
$13310
$114940
$101630
Vallejo-Fairfield
$12850
$127190
$114340
Merced
$12290
$104550
$92260
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$12170
$113910
$101740
The California Employment Development Department provided the average salary at three levels for three different classifications of APRNs employed in California during 2015:
Nurse Career
75th Percentile
Median
25th Percentile
Nurse Anesthetists
>$187199
$173659
$140019
Nurse Midwives
$154170
$127379
$109262
Nurse Practitioners
$138174
$115648
$97011
In addition, the Department reported that nurse educators in California earned an average salary of $99,115.
Job Growth Rates and Number of MSN-Educated Nurses in California
California had a tremendous number of APRNs in 2013 according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). This organization reported that 40,636 of these MSN-educated nurses practiced in California that year. The vast majority (39,923) were nurse practitioners. Clinical nurse specialists were the next most common APRN with 3,407 individuals practicing in this role in 2013. California was also home to 2,206 nurse anesthetists and 2,100 certified nurse midwives that year.
The California Employment Development Department predicted a particularly high rate of increase in the number of jobs for nurse educators between 2012 and 2022. Their projections indicate that the number of nurse educators in the state will increase by 35.9% during this ten-year period. Jobs for nurse practitioners are projected to increase by 28%, while nurse anesthetist jobs should increase by 20%.
Salaries for Nurse Practitioners Throughout California
Shown below is a highly detailed analysis of nurse practitioner salaries throughout California as of 2014. NPs in the San Jose area who were in the 90th percentile had an average salary so high that it exceeded the maximum value reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Area name
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Bakersfield-Delano CA
150
52.13
108420
52.40
57.97
66.20
108990
120570
137690
Chico CA
60
54.44
113240
56.39
65.26
71.39
117290
135750
148480
El Centro CA
Estimate not released
55.00
114410
54.09
59.17
66.71
112500
123060
138760
Fresno CA
240
52.33
108850
51.14
60.27
72.61
106360
125360
151020
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA Metropolitan Division
2300
55.43
115300
55.27
66.00
73.57
114960
137290
153030
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA
3420
55.02
114450
54.80
63.78
72.64
113980
132670
151080
Merced CA
30
47.33
98440
50.27
56.04
59.92
104550
116550
124630
Modesto CA
110
50.43
104890
49.62
57.74
72.05
103210
120090
149850
Napa CA
40
52.77
109750
54.10
58.55
64.23
112530
121790
133610
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward CA Metropolitan Division
850
54.45
113260
57.39
68.85
77.15
119380
143200
160470
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA
170
56.66
117860
54.64
59.13
66.87
113650
122980
139090
Redding CA
50
44.25
92050
43.43
48.59
62.70
90330
101070
130420
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA
960
54.25
112850
52.57
58.90
78.08
109350
122520
162400
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville CA
580
52.92
110070
55.57
66.25
71.73
115580
137800
149210
Salinas CA
50
52.00
108150
55.26
61.85
69.74
114940
128640
145060
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA
980
56.08
116650
54.77
64.62
79.66
113930
134410
165700
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA
1440
57.32
119220
58.96
71.00
83.01
122640
147680
172670
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Division
590
61.44
127790
60.80
75.93
87.61
126470
157940
182230
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA
570
67.10
139570
68.96
83.78
90.00*
143430
174260
187199*
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA
70
49.70
103380
47.55
55.89
61.87
98900
116250
128680
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine CA Metropolitan Division
1130
54.18
112700
54.19
60.14
69.49
112710
125090
144550
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta CA
140
47.22
98220
46.34
54.57
61.82
96390
113510
128580
Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA
60
52.42
109030
51.87
58.49
73.55
107890
121660
152980
Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA
80
54.49
113340
54.76
63.34
70.46
113910
131750
146560
Stockton CA
80
44.8
93190
42.42
55.15
60.00
88230
114720
124800
Vallejo-Fairfield CA
130
61.47
127860
61.15
72.93
88.92
127190
151690
184950
Visalia-Porterville CA
140
59.41
123580
58.76
70.70
85.53
122210
147050
177900
Yuba City CA
Estimate not released
54.79
113960
55.35
59.53
64.37
115130
123820
133890
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
120
46.78
97310
44.56
52.82
61.82
92690
109870
128590
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
Estimate not released
45.31
94240
48.11
54.79
58.44
100060
113960
121560
*This value is equal to or greater than $90 per hour or $187,199 per year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish salaries higher than these values.
Nurse Anesthetist Salary Breakdown for California
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nurse anesthetists in California’s major metropolitan areas earning in the 90th percentile earned an average salary so high it exceeded the value reported by the BLS (2014). This was also the case for the median salary among nurse anesthetists in the San Jose area:
Area name
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA Metropolitan Division
230
83.77
174240
83.96
89.95
90.00*
174630
187100
187199*
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA
270
81.10
168680
83.20
89.46
90.00*
173050
186080
187199*
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward CA Metropolitan Division
Estimate not released
71.92
149590
80.93
88.30
90.00*
168340
183660
187199*
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA
90
67.97
141380
74.72
84.22
90.00*
155410
175170
187199*
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA
30
85.57
177990
83.36
85.98
90.00*
173390
178840
187199*
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA
190
68.21
141870
78.04
89.68
90.00*
162320
186540
187199*
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Division
100
64.83
134840
60.88
90.00*
90.00*
126640
187199*
187199*
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA
Estimate not released
112.01
232970
90.00*
90.00*
90.00*
187199*
187199*
187199*
*This value is equal to or greater than $90 per hour or $187,199 per year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish salaries higher than these values.
Salaries for Nurse Midwives in the Major Metropolitan Areas of California
The average salary for nurse midwives in the San Diego and San Jose areas earning in the 90th percentile as of 2014 exceeded the maximum value reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Area name
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale CA Metropolitan Division
70
61.64
128210
61.57
75.03
88.34
128070
156060
183750
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA
120
61.44
127790
61.98
75.40
88.53
128910
156830
184130
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA
40
63.82
132750
64.21
82.69
90.00*
133560
171990
187199*
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City CA Metropolitan Divi
Estimate not released
60.53
125900
59.26
68.07
76.10
123260
141580
158300
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA
30
66.96
139290
67.16
82.56
90.00*
139700
171720
187199*
*This value is equal to or greater than $90 per hour or $187,199 per year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish salaries higher than these values.
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