RN contract pay in California — advertised weekly rates
Median $2,650 a week across 7,502 live RN listings in California with posted pay, as of September 16, 2026 — +20.8% against the national median of $2,194.
- $2,650median per week+20.8% vs national
- $2,333–$2,96925th–75th percentilemiddle half of listings
- $2,669mean per week+18.7% vs national
- $70.20median hourly equivalentfrom 7,099 listings with posted hours
- 7,502listings 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 — 7,502 of them as of September 16, 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 15 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 | 7,502 | $2,333 | $2,650 | $2,969 | $2,669 | $70.20 (n=7,099) | +20.8% |
| National | 155,180 | $1,965 | $2,194 | $2,485 | $2,248 | $59.33 (n=147,568) | — |
By work type
| Work type | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | 6,882 | $2,664 | $2,350–$2,985 | $2,684 | $70.75 (n=6,514) | +21.4% |
| Contract | 541 | $2,412 | $2,124–$2,772 | $2,445 | $64.00 (n=541) | +9.9% |
| Full-time | 79 | $2,772 | $2,448–$3,420 | $2,888 | $67.00 (n=44) | +26.3% |
By shift
| Shift | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days | 3,476 | $2,626 | $2,330–$2,945 | $2,653 | $68.56 (n=3,457) | +19.7% |
| Nights | 3,295 | $2,649 | $2,322–$2,960 | $2,657 | $72.53 (n=3,280) | +20.7% |
| Not stated | 508 | $2,842 | $2,462–$3,214 | $2,851 | $65.47 (n=140) | +29.5% |
| Rotating | 162 | $2,652 | $2,420–$2,931 | $2,673 | $71.30 (n=161) | +20.9% |
| Evenings | 61 | $2,682 | $2,260–$2,910 | $2,644 | $72.33 (n=61) | +22.2% |
Specialties in California, ranked by median
| # | Specialty | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CVOR | 91 | $3,374 | $3,204–$3,629 | $89.56 | +53.8% | 91 jobs |
| 2 | PICU | 129 | $3,355 | $3,003–$3,507 | $93.06 | +52.9% | 129 jobs |
| 3 | Interventional Radiology | 58 | $3,015 | $2,884–$3,200 | $75.75 | +37.4% | 58 jobs |
| 4 | Post Partum | 31 | $2,940 | $2,795–$2,992 | $81.67 | +34.0% | 31 jobs |
| 5 | Cath Lab | 306 | $2,932 | $2,664–$3,198 | $75.00 | +33.6% | 306 jobs |
| 6 | CVICU | 108 | $2,890 | $2,708–$3,120 | $80.00 | +31.7% | 108 jobs |
| 7 | L&D | 1,780 | $2,880 | $2,664–$3,100 | $79.25 | +31.3% | 1,780 jobs |
| 8 | OB/GYN | 39 | $2,860 | $2,547–$3,100 | $74.23 | +30.4% | 39 jobs |
| 9 | OR | 515 | $2,800 | $2,583–$3,020 | $73.31 | +27.6% | 515 jobs |
| 10 | Case Management | 335 | $2,717 | $2,492–$2,954 | $67.75 | +23.8% | 335 jobs |
| 11 | Endoscopy | 104 | $2,658 | $2,447–$2,848 | $66.39 | +21.1% | 104 jobs |
| 12 | Oncology | 160 | $2,628 | $2,344–$2,868 | $66.78 | +19.8% | 160 jobs |
| 13 | NICU | 278 | $2,592 | $2,345–$3,090 | $71.00 | +18.1% | 278 jobs |
| 14 | Wound Care | 66 | $2,572 | $2,400–$2,718 | $64.29 | +17.2% | 66 jobs |
| 15 | Infusion | 94 | $2,514 | $2,294–$2,758 | $63.94 | +14.6% | 94 jobs |
| 16 | PACU | 172 | $2,506 | $2,317–$2,720 | $64.75 | +14.2% | 172 jobs |
| 17 | Home Health | 52 | $2,481 | $2,330–$2,817 | $62.03 | +13.1% | 52 jobs |
| 18 | PCU | 147 | $2,450 | $2,242–$2,814 | $66.47 | +11.7% | 147 jobs |
| 19 | ICU | 891 | $2,446 | $2,232–$2,754 | $66.86 | +11.5% | 891 jobs |
| 20 | ER | 1,084 | $2,356 | $2,182–$2,601 | $64.56 | +7.4% | 1,084 jobs |
| 21 | Telemetry | 245 | $2,275 | $2,068–$2,455 | $62.31 | +3.7% | 245 jobs |
| 22 | Rehab | 56 | $2,249 | $2,080–$2,444 | $59.03 | +2.5% | 56 jobs |
| 23 | Med-Surg | 320 | $2,106 | $1,930–$2,358 | $57.36 | −4.0% | 320 jobs |
Too few listings to rank (under 30): Coronary Care (26), LTC (26), Long Term Acute (20), Dialysis (18), Hospice (18), Pediatrics (10), Orthopedics (7), Psych (5).
Cite this page
RN Jobs Near Me. (2026). RN contract pay in California — advertised weekly rates. Retrieved September 16, 2026 from https://rnjobsnearme.com/rn-salary/california. Data as of September 16, 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.