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The average salary for a Registered Nurse in the ICU is approximately $92,881 annually. Factors such as location, years of experience, and specific healthcare facilities can significantly influence this figure. For instance, ICU nurses in metropolitan areas often earn more due to higher living costs and increased demand for specialized care.
Entry-level nurses can expect to earn around $70,000, while those with several years of experience may see their salaries rise to over $100,000. Advanced certifications and roles in prestigious hospitals can also lead to higher compensation.
States such as California, New York, and Massachusetts frequently offer the highest salaries for ICU nurses. Cities like San Francisco and New York City lead the way, reflecting the high demand for skilled nursing professionals.
Understanding these salary dynamics allows prospective nurses to make informed career choices, ensuring they find positions that not only fit their professional goals but also meet their financial needs.
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| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level registered nurse in the icu | $73,700 | $35.41 |
| Mid-level registered nurse in the icu | $92,600 | $44.53 |
| Senior-level registered nurse in the icu | $127,000 | $61.08 |
The average registered nurse in the icu salary in Connecticut, California, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average registered nurse in the icu salary states are South Carolina, North Carolina, and Colorado.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $130,568 | $62.77 |
| 2 | Maine | $100,219 | $48.18 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $102,004 | $49.04 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $108,123 | $51.98 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $101,536 | $48.82 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $109,067 | $52.44 |
| 7 | New York | $113,970 | $54.79 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $115,344 | $55.45 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $115,469 | $55.51 |
| 10 | Michigan | $103,586 | $49.80 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $96,153 | $46.23 |
| 12 | California | $116,224 | $55.88 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $91,798 | $44.13 |
| 14 | Delaware | $97,154 | $46.71 |
| 15 | Ohio | $94,704 | $45.53 |
| 16 | Indiana | $91,226 | $43.86 |
| 17 | Vermont | $94,394 | $45.38 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $91,848 | $44.16 |
| 19 | Arizona | $95,186 | $45.76 |
| 20 | Illinois | $98,931 | $47.56 |
| 21 | Maryland | $104,400 | $50.19 |
| 22 | Nevada | $98,307 | $47.26 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $92,482 | $44.46 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $114,935 | $55.26 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $99,777 | $47.97 |
| 26 | Florida | $89,908 | $43.23 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $91,519 | $44.00 |
| 28 | Texas | $90,888 | $43.70 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $109,852 | $52.81 |
| 30 | Washington | $93,393 | $44.90 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $85,744 | $41.22 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $84,749 | $40.74 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $89,102 | $42.84 |
| 34 | Oregon | $96,127 | $46.21 |
| 35 | Montana | $87,827 | $42.22 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $82,305 | $39.57 |
| 37 | Idaho | $91,986 | $44.22 |
| 38 | Alaska | $73,045 | $35.12 |
| 39 | Georgia | $87,168 | $41.91 |
| 40 | Virginia | $92,840 | $44.63 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $82,973 | $39.89 |
| 42 | Kansas | $84,145 | $40.45 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $89,869 | $43.21 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $85,845 | $41.27 |
| 45 | Missouri | $89,499 | $43.03 |
| 46 | Alabama | $84,959 | $40.85 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $82,213 | $39.53 |
| 48 | Iowa | $79,409 | $38.18 |
| 49 | Colorado | $81,185 | $39.03 |
| 50 | North Carolina | $82,025 | $39.44 |
| 51 | Utah | $71,653 | $34.45 |
The highest-paying cities for registered nurse in the icus are Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, and Urban Honolulu, HI.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA | $116,614 | $56.06 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $115,738 | $55.64 |
| 3 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $115,497 | $55.53 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $111,504 | $53.61 |
| 5 | Milwaukee, WI | $109,825 | $52.80 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $108,911 | $52.36 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $105,642 | $50.79 |
| 8 | Detroit, MI | $104,174 | $50.08 |
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA | $102,583 | $49.32 |
| 10 | Portland, ME | $101,140 | $48.63 |
| 11 | Austin, MN | $100,662 | $48.40 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $99,366 | $47.77 |
| 13 | Las Vegas, NV | $98,367 | $47.29 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $95,780 | $46.05 |
| 15 | Bowling Green, KY | $95,764 | $46.04 |
| 16 | Cleveland, OH | $95,669 | $45.99 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | $95,471 | $45.90 |
| 18 | Vancouver, WA | $94,878 | $45.61 |
| 19 | Albuquerque, NM | $92,637 | $44.54 |
| 20 | Cleveland, TN | $92,287 | $44.37 |
Registered Nurse In The ICUs are the most in-demand in these five cities:
A registered nurse in the icu's salary ranges from $54,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $156,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $156,000 | $13,000 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $92,881 | $7,740 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
The highest paying types of registered nurse in the icus are contractor-registered nurse, agency registered nurse, and advanced registered nurse practitioner.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Nurse | $68,342 | $5,695 | $32.86 | 699,636 |
| Intensive Care Unit Nurse | $79,483 | $6,624 | $38.21 | 611,699 |
| Clinical Research Nurse | $60,347 | $5,029 | $29.01 | 703,983 |
| Emergency Department Registered Nurse | $81,260 | $6,772 | $39.07 | 661,518 |
| Psychiatric Registered Nurse | $73,053 | $6,088 | $35.12 | 640,480 |
| Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner | $97,820 | $8,152 | $47.03 | 486,582 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Registered nurses in the icu, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Sophia Thomas
President, American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Top companies hiring registered nurse in the icus now:
Registered nurse in the icu salaries at Scripps Health and Dignity Health are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average registered nurse in the icu salary at companies like Tri-City Medical Center and Valley Presbyterian Hospital are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scripps Health | $143,578 | $69.03 |
| 2 | Dignity Health | $141,472 | $68.02 |
| 3 | Tri-City Medical Center | $131,731 | $63.33 |
| 4 | Valley Presbyterian Hospital | $129,583 | $62.30 |
| 5 | Prairie Ridge Health - Hospital | $128,220 | $61.64 |
| 6 | Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District | $126,703 | $60.91 |
| 7 | Baptist Health Care | $125,181 | $60.18 |
| 8 | Express Healthcare Professionals | $125,071 | $60.13 |
| 9 | Medical City Arlington | $122,608 | $58.95 |
| 10 | Spectrum Healthcare Resources | $120,199 | $57.79 |
| 11 | BridgePoint Healthcare | $119,729 | $57.56 |
| 12 | RNnetwork | $117,824 | $56.65 |
| 13 | Aya Healthcare | $116,766 | $56.14 |
| 14 | Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership | $115,918 | $55.73 |
| 15 | Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp. | $115,034 | $55.30 |
| 16 | HonorHealth | $112,987 | $54.32 |
| 17 | Maxim Healthcare Group | $112,964 | $54.31 |
| 18 | The Arora Group | $112,915 | $54.29 |
| 19 | Stability Healthcare | $112,662 | $54.16 |
| 20 | Cottage Health | $112,364 | $54.02 |
The average registered nurse in the icu salary has risen by $13,002 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average registered nurse in the icu earned $79,879 annually, but today, they earn $92,881 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for registered nurse in the icus over the last decade.
Compare registered nurse in the icu salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare registered nurse in the icu salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $92,900 | $44.65 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $90,400 | $43.45 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $88,400 | $42.52 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $86,300 | $41.49 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $84,400 | $40.58 | +1.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifepoint Hospitals | Registered Nurse (RN)-ICU | McMinnville, OR | 06/30/2025 | $113,679 |
| Banner Health | Registered Nurse RN Intensive Care Unit ICU | Fort Collins, CO | 06/30/2025 | $70,415 |
| Kindred Healthcare | Registered Nurse ICU Days | West Covina, CA | 06/29/2025 | $94,458 |
| ATC Healthcare | Per Diem-ICU, RN | Olympia, WA | 06/29/2025 | $116,872 |
| ATC Healthcare | Registered Nurse, Neuro ICU | Memphis, TN | 06/29/2025 | $104,350 |
| ATC Healthcare | ICU Registered Nurse (RN) | Portland, OR | 06/29/2025 | $144,003 |
| Bethesda Health | Pool Registered Nurse, MNI ICU, Per Diem P A, Highly Specialized | Boca Raton, FL | 06/29/2025 | $93,915 |
| Franciscan Health Indianapolis | Registered Nurse-ICU N) | Lafayette, IN | 06/29/2025 | $64,697 |
| Guthrie North America Inc. | Registered Nurse-ICU-Night | Cortland, NY | 06/29/2025 | $78,263 |
| Memorialcare | RN ICU New To Specialty | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $94,875 |
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