RN contract pay in California — advertised weekly rates
Median $2,565 a week across 13,329 live RN listings in California with posted pay, as of November 1, 2026 — +14.2% against the national median of $2,246.
- $2,565median per week+14.2% vs national
- $2,299–$2,93925th–75th percentilemiddle half of listings
- $2,643mean per week+14.8% vs national
- $68.83median hourly equivalentfrom 12,627 listings with posted hours
- 13,329listings with posted paylive listings, updated every 6 hours
What these figures are
Advertised contract rates, not earned wages. Every number on this page comes from a live RN listing in California that posted a rate — 13,329 of them as of November 1, 2026. 92% are travel contracts, so the figures describe what agencies and employers are offering for contract work this week, usually including housing and meal stipends — not staff salaries and not what any nurse took home. A further 43 listings in California post no rate and are excluded. Weekly figures use the top of each advertised range; hourly equivalents divide by the posted hours where a listing gives them. These figures are complementary to BLS wage data, which reports earned staff wages annually — they are not a substitute for it. Full methodology.
| Group | Listings | 25th pct / wk | Median / wk | 75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 13,329 | $2,299 | $2,565 | $2,939 | $2,643 | $68.83 (n=12,627) | +14.2% |
| National | 194,073 | $1,998 | $2,246 | $2,546 | $2,303 | $60.39 (n=183,212) | — |
By work type
| Work type | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | 12,216 | $2,588 | $2,318–$2,966 | $2,665 | $69.28 (n=11,573) | +15.2% |
| Contract | 1,056 | $2,304 | $2,088–$2,592 | $2,361 | $63.00 (n=1,054) | +2.6% |
| Full-time | 52 | $3,114 | $2,826–$3,600 | $3,152 | — | +38.6% |
| Per diem / PRN | 4 | too few listings to report (under 30) | ||||
| Not stated | 1 | too few listings to report (under 30) | ||||
By shift
| Shift | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nights | 5,985 | $2,541 | $2,285–$2,925 | $2,624 | $69.50 (n=5,923) | +13.1% |
| Days | 5,796 | $2,564 | $2,300–$2,925 | $2,634 | $68.44 (n=5,756) | +14.2% |
| Not stated | 991 | $2,712 | $2,366–$3,195 | $2,806 | $64.94 (n=394) | +20.7% |
| Rotating | 292 | $2,611 | $2,354–$2,966 | $2,693 | $71.56 (n=291) | +16.3% |
| Evenings | 265 | $2,536 | $2,274–$2,774 | $2,579 | $68.14 (n=263) | +12.9% |
Specialties in California, ranked by median
| # | Specialty | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CVOR | 161 | $3,255 | $2,986–$3,529 | $85.63 | +44.9% | 161 jobs |
| 2 | PICU | 142 | $3,178 | $2,373–$3,475 | $83.61 | +41.5% | 142 jobs |
| 3 | Cath Lab | 330 | $3,060 | $2,754–$3,330 | $76.03 | +36.2% | 330 jobs |
| 4 | L&D | 1,771 | $3,050 | $2,774–$3,291 | $83.00 | +35.8% | 1,771 jobs |
| 5 | Interventional Radiology | 120 | $2,895 | $2,700–$3,118 | $72.30 | +28.9% | 120 jobs |
| 6 | Wound Care | 50 | $2,866 | $2,477–$3,063 | $71.91 | +27.6% | 50 jobs |
| 7 | Case Management | 440 | $2,808 | $2,548–$3,032 | $70.00 | +25.0% | 440 jobs |
| 8 | CVICU | 177 | $2,779 | $2,572–$3,020 | $75.89 | +23.7% | 177 jobs |
| 9 | OR | 629 | $2,738 | $2,516–$2,981 | $69.50 | +21.9% | 629 jobs |
| 10 | OB/GYN | 48 | $2,690 | $2,524–$2,901 | $72.22 | +19.8% | 48 jobs |
| 11 | Infusion | 87 | $2,679 | $2,517–$2,929 | $70.75 | +19.3% | 87 jobs |
| 12 | NICU | 671 | $2,628 | $2,411–$2,855 | $71.44 | +17.0% | 671 jobs |
| 13 | Pediatrics | 62 | $2,610 | $2,362–$2,816 | $72.11 | +16.2% | 62 jobs |
| 14 | ICU | 2,252 | $2,553 | $2,356–$2,834 | $69.61 | +13.7% | 2,252 jobs |
| 15 | Endoscopy | 34 | $2,546 | $2,452–$2,714 | $63.28 | +13.4% | 34 jobs |
| 16 | ER | 2,250 | $2,460 | $2,282–$2,674 | $67.53 | +9.5% | 2,250 jobs |
| 17 | Home Health | 57 | $2,453 | $2,056–$2,710 | $60.18 | +9.2% | 57 jobs |
| 18 | PACU | 314 | $2,449 | $2,236–$2,604 | $62.61 | +9.0% | 314 jobs |
| 19 | Oncology | 331 | $2,448 | $2,193–$2,814 | $63.00 | +9.0% | 331 jobs |
| 20 | Coronary Care | 65 | $2,444 | $2,033–$2,730 | $65.58 | +8.8% | 65 jobs |
| 21 | Post Partum | 102 | $2,412 | $2,079–$2,952 | $67.00 | +7.4% | 102 jobs |
| 22 | PCU | 458 | $2,402 | $2,177–$2,700 | $66.10 | +6.9% | 458 jobs |
| 23 | Telemetry | 759 | $2,268 | $2,098–$2,459 | $62.39 | +1.0% | 759 jobs |
| 24 | Med-Surg | 1,404 | $2,233 | $2,069–$2,457 | $61.06 | −0.6% | 1,404 jobs |
| 25 | Rehab | 56 | $2,168 | $2,027–$2,406 | $59.94 | −3.5% | 56 jobs |
| 26 | Orthopedics | 46 | $2,086 | $1,861–$2,328 | $57.31 | −7.1% | 46 jobs |
Too few listings to rank (under 30): LTC (15), Hospice (13), Psych (13), Long Term Acute (9), Dialysis (3).
Cite this page
RN Jobs Near Me. (2026). RN contract pay in California — advertised weekly rates. Retrieved November 2, 2026 from https://rnjobsnearme.com/rn-salary/california. Data as of November 1, 2026.
Licence: CC BY 4.0. Reproduce the figures, tables and charts freely — in print or online — with attribution to RN Jobs Near Me and a link. Figures are advertised contract rates from live listings, not earned wages; the methodology explains what is and is not counted. The numbers on this page are also available as CSV, with the citation and licence on its first line.