The median Critical Care Nurse salary is $64.00 per hour, or $133,120 per year, based on 1,193 job postings across 63 states. Compare pay by location, employer, shift, and contract type.
$64.00
Median hourly
$133,120
Annual salary
$49-$82
Pay range
63
States tracked
Salary guide
A typical Critical Care Nurse earns $64.00/hr, with most posted roles landing between $55.25 and $73.97/hr.
Recent posted pay is up, with the last 30 days showing +15.8% movement versus the prior period.
Location matters: Sitka, ALASKA is currently among the highest-paying cities, while Waco, TEXAS sits near the lower end.
30-day market pulse
Compare the most recent 30 days of job postings against the previous 30 days. Use this as a quick read on whether pay and hiring volume are moving together.
Posted pay
+15.8%
Current median: $66.52/hr
Prior period: $57.42/hr
Job openings
-83.6%
77 recent postings
Previous period: 469 postings
Daily pay signal
$59.21/hr latest
Year-over-year
Building
We are collecting enough historical Critical Care Nurse postings to show a reliable year-over-year pay comparison.
Pay is moving up even though posting volume changed. Recent listings are showing a median of $66.52/hr, up from $57.42/hr.
Pay range
The middle band is usually the most useful offer benchmark. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the broader market floor and ceiling.
Entry / low
$49.00
$101,920/yr
Median
$64.00
$133,120/yr
Top earners
$81.64
$169,811/yr
MARKET TRENDS
Month-over-month median hourly pay and posting volume.
| Month | Median Hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|
Apr 2026Current | $66.85/hr | 74 |
Mar 2026 | $57.42/hr | 472 |
Feb 2026 | $65.19/hr | 91 |
Jan 2026 | $65.85/hr | 128 |
Dec 2025 | $71.18/hr | 139 |
Nov 2025 | $66.88/hr | 289 |
BY LOCATION
See how pay varies across the country. Ranked by job volume.
Estimated from national data
~$65.94
—
31 postings · 20 companies
$82.20
$81-$87
6 postings · 4 companies
$57.40
$49-$58
Estimated from national data
~$62.00
—
178 postings · 52 companies
$78.55
$66-$85
12 postings · 4 companies
$52.01
$42-$69
6 postings · 4 companies
$64.73
$61-$67
Estimated from national data
~$60.27
—
10 postings · 7 companies
$82.18
$77-$82
8 postings · 2 companies
$58.06
$56-$60
57 postings · 40 companies
$51.47
$48-$56
11 postings · 7 companies
$77.11
$69-$80
29 postings · 17 companies
$54.94
$53-$58
32 postings · 15 companies
$64.84
$49-$74
36 postings · 18 companies
$54.78
$53-$56
43 postings · 17 companies
$64.69
$61-$67
15 postings · 14 companies
$53.17
$50-$57
32 postings · 20 companies
$59.50
$56-$60
11 postings · 2 companies
$53.00
$52-$56
24 postings · 14 companies
$63.87
$63-$67
5 postings · 3 companies
$59.00
$59-$59
83 postings · 33 companies
$71.00
$64-$77
11 postings · 9 companies
$61.39
$61-$62
Estimated from national data
~$71.36
—
Estimated from national data
~$61.30
—
12 postings · 7 companies
$74.91
$60-$79
9 postings · 9 companies
$50.97
$47-$57
6 postings · 4 companies
$63.16
$60-$64
Estimated from national data
~$59.06
—
38 postings · 7 companies
$71.00
$67-$79
Estimated from national data
~$62.58
—
32 postings · 19 companies
$56.00
$55-$58
113 postings · 31 companies
$66.00
$62-$72
Estimated from national data
~$57.26
—
9 postings · 7 companies
$72.40
$70-$73
53 postings · 25 companies
$54.53
$53-$60
Estimated from national data
~$70.07
—
16 postings · 16 companies
$66.61
$64-$69
8 postings · 2 companies
$56.00
$56-$56
Estimated from national data
~$61.56
—
8 postings · 8 companies
$62.10
$54-$64
10 postings · 10 companies
$71.86
$67-$74
Estimated from national data
~$58.72
—
36 postings · 19 companies
$45.32
$38-$49
Estimated from national data
~$63.23
—
24 postings · 13 companies
$75.45
$70-$76
22 postings · 18 companies
$62.77
$55-$76
11 postings · 6 companies
$66.00
$64-$71
17 postings · 16 companies
$52.50
$51-$55
75 postings · 21 companies
$68.00
$64-$70
Estimated from national data
~$65.51
—
Est.Estimated values are based on national averages.
BY CITY
See which cities offer the highest and lowest Critical Care Nurse salaries.
Sitka
Alaska · 21 postings
$85.25/hr
Bakersfield
California · 29 postings
$82.55/hr
Washington
District Of Columbia · 10 postings
$82.18/hr
Chico
California · 17 postings
$80.31/hr
Burlington
Vermont · 12 postings
$75.70/hr
Waco
Texas · 18 postings
$46.75/hr
Buffalo
New York · 20 postings
$49.00/hr
Atlanta
Georgia · 12 postings
$49.85/hr
Cartersville
Georgia · 26 postings
$50.20/hr
Morgantown
West Virginia · 13 postings
$51.00/hr
BY EMPLOYER
See which companies pay the most and least for Critical Care Nurse positions.
Olaro
26 postings
$84.58/hr
Catalytic Solutions
5 postings
$81.39/hr
Nurse First
7 postings
$80.83/hr
Adn Healthcare
28 postings
$80.81/hr
Synergy Medical Staffing
6 postings
$78.17/hr
Vibra Travels
5 postings
$42.00/hr
Commonspirit Health
41 postings
$44.00/hr
Kaleida Health
21 postings
$49.00/hr
Healthtrust Workforce Solutions Hca
15 postings
$53.17/hr
Anders Group
17 postings
$53.28/hr
RELATED POSITIONS
| Job Title | Postings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Care Registered Nurse | 60 | $68.07/hr |
| Critical Care Rn | 48 | $62.25/hr |
| Critical Care (icu) Registered Nurse | 43 | $68.53/hr |
| Intermediate Care Rn | 41 | $69.83/hr |
| Nurse - Critical Care $2,304/wk | 36 | $64.00/hr |
| Critical Care Icu Registered Nurse | 34 | $58.33/hr |
| Critical Care Float Rn | 32 | $51.50/hr |
| Nurse - Critical Care $2,016/wk | 30 | $56.00/hr |
| Intermediate Care Unit Rn | 29 | $69.29/hr |
| Icu Critical Care Nurse | 24 | $88.41/hr |
PAY FACTORS
How shift type, contract length, and employment type impact Critical Care Nurse salaries.
FAQ
The median Critical Care Nurse salary is $64.00 per hour, or $133,120 annually. Pay ranges from $49.00/hr (10th percentile) to $81.64/hr (90th percentile) depending on location, experience, and employer.
Based on 1,193 job postings, the highest paying states for Critical Care Nurses include Alaska, District Of Columbia, California. Pay rates vary based on cost of living, demand, and state regulations.
There are currently 1,193 Critical Care Nurse job postings across 63 states, from 108 different healthcare employers.
Critical Care Nurse pay varies based on geographic location, years of experience, certifications, shift differentials (nights/weekends), employment type (travel vs. staff), facility type, and specialized skills. Travel contracts typically pay higher hourly rates.
Critical Care Nurse pay is currently trending upward. Over the past 30 days, median hourly rates increased 15.8%.
Critical Care Nurse pay varies by specialty and setting. Travel positions typically pay $9.97 to $17.64 more per hour than staff positions. Night shifts and weekend differentials also increase earnings.
Pay varies significantly by location. Top paying cities like Sitka offer $85.25/hr, while lower cost areas may pay around $46.75/hr. However, rural areas often offer signing bonuses and housing stipends to attract talent.
Entry-level Critical Care Nurses typically earn around $49.00 to $55.25 per hour ($101,920 to $114,920 annually). With experience, pay increases toward the median of $64.00/hr.
DATA METHOD
Source
Based on 1,193 active postings with listed compensation for Critical Care Nurse. We prioritize postings with explicit hourly or annual pay and exclude rows without usable compensation signals from salary percentiles.
Range
Percentiles show the spread of posted pay, not a guaranteed offer or take-home pay after taxes. State and city views use available market observations and label estimated values when direct samples are limited.
Freshness
Current dataset window: 2025-11-01 to 2026-04-30. Recent trend cards compare the latest posting window with the prior period so short-term pay movement is separated from the full historical median.
EXPLORE MORE
Critical Care Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
Critical Care Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
Critical Care Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
Critical Care Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
See how your salary compares to 1,193 similar positions. It's free, anonymous, and takes about 2 minutes.