Updated April 6, 2023

Public Health Nurse Salary Estimate

$60,319

$29.00 hourly

Entry level Salary
$42,000 yearly

How much does a Public Health Nurse make?

The average salary for a public health nurse in the United States is $60,319. Public health nurse salaries typically range between $42,000 and $84,000 a year. The average hourly rate for public health nurses is $29.0 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much a public health nurse can expect to make. Public health nurses make the most in Hawaii, California, Rhode Island, Alaska, and New York.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for a public health nurse is $60,319 in the US.
  • The average public health nurse salary ranges between $42,000 and $84,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for public health nurses in the US typically range between $20 and $40 an hour.
  • The average public health nurse salary is $95,738 in Hawaii, $92,029 in California, and $89,223 in Rhode Island. These are the three highest-paying states for public health nurses in the US.
  • Dignity Health has the highest average salary for public health nurses.
  • Government is the highest-paying industry for public health nurses in the US.

Highest Paying States For Public Health Nurses

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a public health nurse is roughly $60,319 per year, which boils down to $29.0 per hour. Interestingly enough, public health nurses have the highest salaries in San Mateo, CA at about $98,579 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in San Mateo, CA is $59,000. Additionally, public health nurses make more than the average salary in Anchorage, AK, New York, NY, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and San Antonio, TX. On a more broad level, public health nurse salaries are highest in Hawaii, California, Rhode Island, Alaska, New York, Washington, and New Jersey. On the contrary, Missouri, Tennessee, and Indiana offer the lowest public health nurse salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Public Health Nurse average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Alaska$84,738$40.74616
2Vermont$70,757$34.02702
3Massachusetts$72,203$34.717,478
4New York$78,153$37.578,707
5New Hampshire$67,337$32.371,481
6Delaware$71,626$34.44905
7Rhode Island$89,223$42.90671
8Washington$74,644$35.894,836
9Hawaii$95,738$46.03410
10California$92,029$44.2414,729
11Pennsylvania$63,927$30.739,494
12West Virginia$59,511$28.611,258
13Oregon$73,455$35.312,289
14Connecticut$70,868$34.072,162
15New Jersey$73,638$35.404,394
16Texas$60,891$29.2715,555
17Wyoming$62,062$29.84422
18Idaho$67,159$32.29986
19Maine$57,121$27.461,276
20Louisiana$57,126$27.462,917
21District of Columbia$76,660$36.86680
22Maryland$67,198$32.314,322
23Nevada$63,705$30.631,351
24New Mexico$56,885$27.351,654
25Arizona$60,801$29.233,847
26Minnesota$62,062$29.844,036
27Wisconsin$58,187$27.973,450
28Montana$56,676$27.25876
29Iowa$56,858$27.342,467
30Michigan$55,354$26.615,623
31Ohio$52,663$25.328,589
32North Dakota$52,354$25.17801
33Florida$52,714$25.3415,288
34Virginia$58,264$28.015,975
35Colorado$58,727$28.233,606
36Mississippi$52,075$25.041,493
37Utah$57,251$27.521,008
38Kansas$51,414$24.722,090
39Arkansas$49,636$23.862,031
40Kentucky$50,469$24.262,544
41Tennessee$47,363$22.775,029
42South Dakota$46,537$22.371,008
43South Carolina$51,234$24.633,064
44Indiana$46,889$22.545,832
45North Carolina$49,227$23.676,952
46Illinois$55,105$26.496,159
47Nebraska$49,693$23.891,398
48Oklahoma$42,456$20.412,426
49Georgia$49,696$23.896,421
50Missouri$48,230$23.193,786
51Alabama$44,929$21.602,530

Highest Paying Cities For Public Health Nurses

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1San Mateo, CA$98,579$47.391
2Anchorage, AK$84,827$40.78
3New York, NY$78,297$37.641
4Seattle, WA$75,132$36.121
5Portland, OR$73,034$35.119
6San Antonio, TX$62,064$29.842
7Apple Valley, MN$61,980$29.80
8Phoenix, AZ$60,907$29.28
9Colorado Springs, CO$58,722$28.23
10Norfolk, VA$58,471$28.11
11Portland, ME$57,322$27.569
12Pontiac, MI$55,562$26.71
13Woodstock, IL$55,493$26.681
14Columbus, OH$52,157$25.084
15Raleigh, NC$49,819$23.95

Public Health Nurse Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a public health nurse can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $47,831, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $60,319 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $82,510. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Public Health Nurse Salary By Experience Level

Experience LevelAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
Entry Level$47,800$23.00
Mid Level$60,200$28.92
Senior Level$82,500$39.67

Public Health Nurses Salary Details

Average Public Health Nurse Salary Graph
Average Public Health Nurse Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Public Health Nurse's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$84,000$7,000$40
75th Percentile$72,000$6,000$35
Average$60,319$5,027$29
25th Percentile$50,000$4,167$24
10th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20

Highest Paying Types of Public Health Nurses

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Nurse Clinician$65,159$5,430$31.33596,073
Clinical Consultant$74,263$6,189$35.70271,180
Contractor-Registered Nurse$128,474$10,706$61.77648,022
Registered Nurse Supervisor$74,174$6,181$35.66640,040
Telemetry Registered Nurse$91,416$7,618$43.95637,560
Clinical Liaison$66,331$5,528$31.89237,166

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. Maxim Healthcare Group Jobs (10)
  2. City of Houston Jobs (9)
  3. King County Jobs (14)
  4. Metro Nashville Jobs (11)
  5. Maine Jobs (21)

Which Companies Pay Public Health Nurses The Most?

According to our most recent salary estimates, Dignity Health and Cottage Health are the highest paying companies for public health nurses.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Dignity Health$157,215$75.58211
2Cottage Health$134,946$64.88
3MaineGeneral Health$124,244$59.7341
4MAS Medical Staffing$91,826$44.15433
5Providence Health & Services$88,692$42.64355
6AdventHealth$86,533$41.60578
7Amazon$85,746$41.223
8City of San Antonio$85,060$40.892
9Maxim Healthcare Group$80,119$38.521,937
10City Of Alexandria$79,990$38.462
11Mayor Ethan Berkowitz$78,958$37.963
12City of Houston$78,622$37.807
13Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego$78,166$37.587
14Commonwealth$76,733$36.892
15Wayne County, Michigan$76,698$36.873
16WakeMed$76,461$36.76168
17City of Pasadena$73,717$35.441
18University of California-Berkeley$73,626$35.401
19Nebraska Methodist Health System$73,184$35.181
20LifePoint Health$72,861$35.03749

Public Health Nurse Pay Trends

Average Public Health Nurse Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Public Health Nurse Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$60,300$29.00+2.7%
    2022$58,700$28.22+2.1%
    2021$57,400$27.61+2.4%
    2020$56,100$26.95+2.2%
    2019$54,800$26.35+1.4%

    Recently Added Public Health Nurse Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    State of OhioPublic Health Nurse Specialist-Genetic Disorders (20013907)Reynoldsburg, OH05/04/2023$58,603
    The Reserves NetworkPublic Health Nurse IVHouston, TX05/02/2023$83,480
    Team1MedicalPublic Health Nurse IVHouston, TX05/02/2023$83,480
    Boston Public Health CommissionPublic Health Nurse-Phn7-Possible Hybrid Schedule (Communicable Disease Control Division)Boston, MA05/01/2023$62,977
    Port of Long BeachPublic Health Nurse I-IIILong Beach, CA04/30/2023$153,524
    Alamance CountyPublic Health Nurse III-Tuberculosis (TB) CoordinatorAlamance, NC04/30/2023$50,000
    Fairfax County Sheriff's OfficePublic Health Nurse II-Maternal Child Health (MCH) Home Visiting NurseFairfax, VA04/29/2023$65,970
    County of FairfaxPublic Health Nurse II-Maternal Child Health (MCH) Home Visiting NurseFairfax, VA04/29/2023$65,970
    The Goodman GroupCharge Nurse (LPN) | Paid Health Insurance for Employee!Portland, OR04/28/2023$66,784
    City of Long BeachPublic Health Nurse I-IIILong Beach, CA04/28/2023$169,757

    Public Health Nurse Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Public Health Nurses The Most?

    Hawaii pays Public Health Nurses the most in the United States, with an average salary of $95,738 per year, or $46.03 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Public Health Nurse?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Public Health Nurse if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $92,029 per year.

    Search For Public Health Nurse Jobs