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Operating room nurse salary
Average operating room nurse salary
$68,255
Operating Room Nurse Salary Breakdown
The average operating room nurse salary in the United States stands at $68,255 per year. Factors influencing this figure include geographic location, years of experience, and the type of healthcare facility. For example, nurses in metropolitan areas often earn more due to a higher cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
Experience plays a crucial role in salary progression. Entry-level operating room nurses may start at lower salaries, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $80,000 annually. It's essential to consider certification and specialized training, which can further boost salary potential.
When exploring salary opportunities, it's beneficial to research the highest paying states for operating room nurses. States like California, Massachusetts, and New York consistently report higher average salaries, reflecting the competitive job market in these areas. Additionally, examining salary estimates from various job boards can provide a comprehensive view of earning potential across different healthcare settings.
As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, the demand for operating room nurses remains strong, offering numerous opportunities for career advancement and financial growth.
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Where can an Operating Room Nurse earn more?
Operating room nurse salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level operating room nurse | $54,100 | $26.02 |
| Mid-level operating room nurse | $68,100 | $32.73 |
| Senior-level operating room nurse | $93,400 | $44.89 |
Operating room nurse salary estimates from across the web
Average operating room nurse salary by state
The highest-paying states for operating room nurses are Hawaii, California, and New Mexico. The lowest average operating room nurse salary states are Florida, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for operating room nurses
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $80,111 | $38.51 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $114,707 | $55.15 |
| 3 | Michigan | $78,113 | $37.55 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $73,292 | $35.24 |
| 5 | California | $101,078 | $48.60 |
| 6 | Nevada | $77,182 | $37.11 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $73,913 | $35.54 |
| 8 | Indiana | $70,479 | $33.88 |
| 9 | New York | $80,020 | $38.47 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $78,239 | $37.61 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $74,498 | $35.82 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $72,846 | $35.02 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $65,931 | $31.70 |
| 14 | Oregon | $77,197 | $37.11 |
| 15 | Delaware | $73,563 | $35.37 |
| 16 | Ohio | $68,054 | $32.72 |
| 17 | Arizona | $70,928 | $34.10 |
| 18 | Montana | $66,768 | $32.10 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $66,746 | $32.09 |
| 20 | Iowa | $67,608 | $32.50 |
| 21 | Idaho | $73,698 | $35.43 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $67,863 | $32.63 |
| 23 | Illinois | $73,174 | $35.18 |
| 24 | Washington | $70,377 | $33.84 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $73,698 | $35.43 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $72,735 | $34.97 |
| 27 | Alaska | $65,878 | $31.67 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $60,018 | $28.85 |
| 29 | Maine | $58,244 | $28.00 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $65,929 | $31.70 |
| 31 | Kansas | $66,399 | $31.92 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $64,218 | $30.87 |
| 33 | Virginia | $71,567 | $34.41 |
| 34 | Texas | $61,959 | $29.79 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $58,264 | $28.01 |
| 36 | Georgia | $65,990 | $31.73 |
| 37 | District of Columbia | $74,223 | $35.68 |
| 38 | Colorado | $62,648 | $30.12 |
| 39 | Florida | $55,167 | $26.52 |
| 40 | Maryland | $64,082 | $30.81 |
| 41 | Connecticut | $60,491 | $29.08 |
| 42 | Missouri | $62,867 | $30.22 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $59,953 | $28.82 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | $61,030 | $29.34 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $50,547 | $24.30 |
| 46 | Utah | $62,091 | $29.85 |
| 47 | Vermont | $43,344 | $20.84 |
| 48 | Alabama | $58,221 | $27.99 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $46,760 | $22.48 |
| 50 | North Carolina | $51,217 | $24.62 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $48,473 | $23.30 |
Highest paying cities for operating room nurses
The highest-paying cities for operating room nurses are Urban Honolulu, HI, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $114,826 | $55.20 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $102,260 | $49.16 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $80,998 | $38.94 |
| 4 | Medford, OR | $80,074 | $38.50 |
| 5 | Milwaukee, WI | $78,268 | $37.63 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $77,486 | $37.25 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $74,282 | $35.71 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $73,519 | $35.35 |
| 9 | Jersey City, NJ | $73,421 | $35.30 |
| 10 | Aurora, IL | $73,220 | $35.20 |
| 11 | Boston, MA | $72,516 | $34.86 |
| 12 | Richmond, VA | $71,488 | $34.37 |
| 13 | Seattle, WA | $70,406 | $33.85 |
| 14 | Indianapolis, IN | $70,382 | $33.84 |
| 15 | Tucson, AZ | $70,129 | $33.72 |
| 16 | Oklahoma City, OK | $68,036 | $32.71 |
| 17 | Wichita, KS | $66,568 | $32.00 |
| 18 | New Orleans, LA | $66,240 | $31.85 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $66,082 | $31.77 |
| 20 | Richmond, KY | $65,271 | $31.38 |
Operating Room Nurses are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Operating room nurse salary details
An operating room nurse's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $108,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an operating room nurse's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| 75th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| Average | $68,255 | $5,688 | $33 |
| 25th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying operating room nurse jobs
The highest paying types of operating room nurses are advanced registered nurse practitioner, registered nurse med/surg, and traveling nurse.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner | $97,820 | $8,152 | $47.03 | 486,582 |
| Nurse Clinician | $65,159 | $5,430 | $31.33 | 596,073 |
| Registered Nurse Charge Nurse | $71,342 | $5,945 | $34.30 | 645,134 |
| Psychiatric Registered Nurse | $73,053 | $6,088 | $35.12 | 640,480 |
| Registered Nurse Med/Surg | $84,812 | $7,068 | $40.78 | 515,200 |
| Clinic Registered Nurse | $70,075 | $5,840 | $33.69 | 520,812 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for operating room nurses, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Sophia Thomas
President, American Association of Nurse Practitioners
-Starting salaries for NPs are exceptional, and usually hover between $80,000-100,000, but that can vary significantly based on geographic location, work setting, and certification/specialty. Some salaries are higher.
-The bureau of labor statistics (BLS) offers an excellent breakdown of salaries by region and state as well: link
-(Note: some stats on the BLS website are reflective of the Mean or Average salary and others represent the Median or midpoint. AANP data are all reported in Median)
-As NPs advance in their careers, there is a clear and positive relationship between number of years' experience and salary growth.
Top companies hiring operating room nurses now:
Which companies pay operating room nurses the most?
Operating room nurse salaries at University of California, Berkeley and Maxim Healthcare Group are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average operating room nurse salary at companies like Dignity Health and RNnetwork are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | $107,768 | $51.81 |
| 2 | Maxim Healthcare Group | $106,530 | $51.22 |
| 3 | Dignity Health | $103,987 | $49.99 |
| 4 | RNnetwork | $98,653 | $47.43 |
| 5 | Soliant | $98,646 | $47.43 |
| 6 | Valley Presbyterian Hospital | $96,945 | $46.61 |
| 7 | Favorite Healthcare Staffing | $94,673 | $45.52 |
| 8 | Westways Staffing | $94,203 | $45.29 |
| 9 | MAS Medical Staffing | $93,692 | $45.04 |
| 10 | Interim HealthCare | $93,624 | $45.01 |
| 11 | Access Healthcare Services | $91,470 | $43.98 |
| 12 | ATC Healthcare | $89,903 | $43.22 |
| 13 | University of California | $88,568 | $42.58 |
| 14 | Tenet Healthcare | $88,097 | $42.35 |
| 15 | Acuity Insurance | $87,659 | $42.14 |
| 16 | Baptist Health Care | $85,537 | $41.12 |
| 17 | Sutter Health | $84,863 | $40.80 |
| 18 | 24 Hour Home Care | $84,103 | $40.43 |
| 19 | trustaff | $83,792 | $40.28 |
| 20 | UC Santa Barbara | $83,693 | $40.24 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Operating room nurse salary trends
The average operating room nurse salary has risen by $9,555 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average operating room nurse earned $58,700 annually, but today, they earn $68,255 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for operating room nurses over the last decade.
Compare operating room nurse salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average operating room nurse salary over time
Compare operating room nurse salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Operating room nurse salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $68,300 | $32.82 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $66,400 | $31.93 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $65,000 | $31.25 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $63,400 | $30.49 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $62,000 | $29.82 | +1.4% |
Recently added operating room nurse salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Council A A O N M S | Operating Room RN | Pasadena, CA | 06/29/2025 | $113,533 |
| Aa067 | Per Diem Nurse-Operating Room | Duarte, CA | 06/29/2025 | $158,549 |
| HCA Healthcare | Operating Room Nurse | Las Vegas, NV | 06/28/2025 | $85,713 |
| ATC Healthcare | Operating Room Scrub/Circulator RN | Sacramento, CA | 06/27/2025 | $166,960 |
| University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore Washington | Nurse Graduate Operating Room | Baltimore, MD | 06/27/2025 | $77,219 |
| Sutter Outpatient Services | Ambulatory Services Nurse II, Operating Room | Roseville, CA | 06/26/2025 | $137,074 |
| Mercyone | or RN-Operating Room Registered Nurse | Silvis, IL | 06/25/2025 | $71,751 |
| Mayo Clinic Health System | Registered Nurse-Operating Room-RN | Eau Claire, WI | 06/25/2025 | $73,629 |
| Alerion Healthcare | Operating Room RN (Direct) | Hauppauge, NY | 06/25/2025 | $108,000 |
| HCA Healthone Swedish | Operating Room Registered Nurse Weekends | Englewood, CO | 06/25/2025 | $39,256 |
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