Highest Paid Nursing Specialties: Top Nursing Careers by Salary

Methodology and review

Figures combine BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics with specialty board and industry compensation surveys, clinically reviewed by Marcus Chen, RN, MSN. Treat these as national median benchmarks — local pay varies 20–40% by state, metro, employer type, and shift differential, and every specialty here can be filtered further by credential, setting, or years of experience in the linked breakdowns below.

What nursing specialty pays the most?

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are consistently the highest-paid nursing specialty. Depending on data year and source, CRNA median pay sits at or above the low $200,000s per year, with senior and locum CRNAs earning meaningfully more. Advanced practice roles — nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, and clinical nurse specialist — round out the top of the list.

Highest paid nursing specialties

Top 10 nursing specialties by national median salary, across APRN and RN credentials.

• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) — median $212,650 ($170k–$260k+) · APRN
• Nurse Practitioner (NP) — median $126,260 ($95k–$165k) · APRN
• Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) — median $120,880 ($95k–$155k) · APRN
• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) — median $115,000 ($90k–$150k) · APRN
• Pain Management Nurse — median $110,000 ($85k–$140k) · RN/APRN
• Travel RN — median $110,000 ($85k–$170k) · RN
• Informatics Nurse — median $102,000 ($80k–$135k) · RN/BSN
• ICU / Critical Care RN — median $95,000 ($78k–$130k) · RN
• ER / Trauma RN — median $92,000 ($75k–$125k) · RN
• Cardiac Cath Lab RN — median $92,000 ($75k–$125k) · RN

Highest paid RN specialties

Among registered nurses without an APRN credential, procedural and critical-care specialties pay the most.

• ICU / Critical Care RN — median $95,000 ($78k–$130k)
• ER / Trauma RN — median $92,000 ($75k–$125k)
• OR / Perioperative RN — median $90,000 ($72k–$120k)
• Cardiac Cath Lab RN — median $92,000 ($75k–$125k)
• Oncology RN — median $88,000 ($72k–$115k)
• Neonatal ICU (NICU) RN — median $90,000 ($72k–$120k)

Highest paid nurse practitioner specialties

Among APRNs, CRNA leads, followed by NP specialties like psychiatric mental health, acute care, and cardiology.

• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) — median $212,650 ($170k–$260k+)
• Nurse Practitioner (NP) — median $126,260 ($95k–$165k)
• Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) — median $120,880 ($95k–$155k)
• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) — median $115,000 ($90k–$150k)

Nursing specialties and salaries

Salary bands vary widely by specialty. Below is a broad picture of where each specialty typically falls on the pay curve. See the linked pages for full breakdowns by credential and setting.

• APRN roles (CRNA, NP, CNM, CNS) — $115k to $260k+
• Procedural / critical care RNs (ICU, ER, OR, cath lab) — $88k to $130k
• Specialty RNs (oncology, NICU, L&D, psych) — $83k to $120k
• Community RNs (home health, school, clinic) — $60k to $100k
• LPN / LVN — $45k to $78k

Nursing salary by specialty

Pay ranges reflect national medians. Local pay can vary 20–40% above or below depending on state, metro, employer type, and shift differentials. California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Oregon typically pay the highest nurse salaries in the country.

Best paying nursing fields

• Anesthesia — CRNAs, pain management
• Critical care — ICU, ER, trauma, cardiac cath lab
• Advanced practice primary and acute care — NP, CNS
• Procedural / OR — perioperative, cath lab, endoscopy
• Informatics and leadership — clinical informatics, nurse manager, DON
• Travel and locum — 13-week and short-term contracts

How education level affects nursing pay

Credential is the single largest driver of nursing pay.

• LPN / LVN (practical nursing diploma) — median ~$60k
• ADN Registered Nurse — mid-$70k to low-$90k depending on specialty
• BSN Registered Nurse — often $5k–$15k above ADN peers, unlocks specialty and leadership tracks
• MSN — required for most NP, CNS, CNM, and nurse educator roles
• DNP — required or preferred for CRNA and many NP specialties by 2025+
• Specialty certification (CCRN, CEN, OCN, PMHNP-BC, CRNA) — adds a further pay premium on top of credential

Ready to explore roles by specialty?

Explore nurse profiles by specialty, location, or license type in the directory.