Registered Nurses Salary in San Francisco, CA (2024)
Registered Nurses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn a median of $188,020 per year ($90.40 per hour) based on 40,750 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +100.9% against the national median of $93,600 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where registered nurses actually sit across the pay range in San Francisco, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $57.79 | $120,210 | |
| 25th percentile | $72.39 | $150,580 | |
| Median | $90.40 | $188,020 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $102.01 | $212,190 | |
| 90th percentile | $106.68 | $221,890 | |
| Average (mean) | $85.79 | $178,450 |
How San Francisco, CA compares
The local median of $188,020 runs +100.9% above the US median of $93,600 for this occupation; it pays 154.2% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($73,960); within the metro it ranks 14th of 681 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA — this occupation | $188,020 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $93,600 | +100.9% |
| San Francisco, CA — all occupations | $73,960 | +154.2% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $188,020 | 0.0% |
A location quotient of 0.80 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.9%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 14th of 681 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco, CA
To put $188,020 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 14th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $222,840 | 5,160 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $221,810 | 26,640 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $220,330 | 2,960 |
| Lawyers | $215,090 | 16,940 |
| Marketing Managers | $212,520 | 12,820 |
| Podiatrists | $211,750 | 100 |
| Financial Managers | $211,730 | 18,380 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $208,580 | 6,380 |
| Human Resources Managers | $206,420 | 5,890 |
| Dentists, General | $205,380 | 1,680 |
Where registered nurses earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $81,430 to $188,020. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $188,020 | 40,750 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $133,440 | 107,340 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $133,090 | 27,660 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $130,160 | 34,570 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $127,980 | 24,930 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $118,570 | 37,250 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $113,490 | 195,470 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $102,440 | 66,440 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $102,240 | 40,510 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $101,800 | 43,640 |
See the full national picture on the Registered Nurses salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for registered nurses in San Francisco, CA?
The median annual wage is $188,020, or $90 per hour. That means half of the registered nurses working in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $178,450.
What do the highest and lowest paid registered nurses in San Francisco, CA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $120,210 or less, while the top 10% earn $221,890 or more — a spread of $101,680 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $150,580 and $212,190.
Is registered nurses pay in San Francisco, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 154.2% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $73,960. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does San Francisco, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $188,020 the metro median is 100.9% higher than the US median of $93,600 for registered nurses. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $81,430 to $188,020.
How many registered nurses work in San Francisco, CA?
BLS counts about 40,750 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 16.94 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. A location quotient of 0.80 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 1.7%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.