Critical Care Nurse Registered Nurse (RN) salaries 2026.
Browse comprehensive salary data for every healthcare role—from registered nurses and physicians to allied health professionals and clinical support staff. Find real pay ranges based on your specialty, experience, and location.
425+
Job titles
15
Categories
161
Career tracks
◣ TrueRounds salary library
Healthcare Careers: Complete Role Directory
The healthcare industry offers hundreds of career paths across clinical care, behavioral health, administrative support, and specialized technical roles. Whether you're exploring nursing specialties, considering a career as a physician assistant, or researching allied health professions, our directory provides detailed salary information for every position.
Each role includes real salary data based on experience level, geographic location, and facility type. Use this directory to compare pay across similar positions, understand career progression opportunities, and make informed decisions about your healthcare career.
Real postings
Every number on this page is built from active healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges — not survey estimates or guesses.
Weighted medians
Hourly medians and pay ranges are weighted by posting volume so high-demand roles and locations carry the right amount of signal.
Refreshed continuously
Postings are pulled from a rolling window and rebuilt daily, so what you see reflects the most recent market — not last year's data.
◣ Market movement
Critical Care Nurse salary trends inside Registered Nurse (RN).
This rolls up monthly postings, pay, and state market signal from the individual salary pages in this track.
Latest month
Apr 2026
2,187 postings
Monthly pay move
+9.9%
$66.28/hr latest median
Posting move
-82.0%
vs Mar 2026
Highest signal role
15,972
ICU Nurse
Monthly aggregate
Posting and pay trend
Weighted by monthly postings across 14 titles with data.
Nov 2025
5,425
$69.00
Dec 2025
3,095
$74.93
Jan 2026
3,852
$74.06
Feb 2026
3,179
$70.57
Mar 2026
12,182
$60.32
Apr 2026
2,187
$66.28
Geographic market signal
Where Critical Care Nurse pay and demand are strongest.
Top states by median pay
Only real state data with at least 5 postings.
01California$82.664,711
02Alaska$79.37168
03New York$75.912,106
04New Jersey$73.29362
05Massachusetts$73.151,653
06Hawaii$72.96264
07Oklahoma$72.66769
08Rhode Island$70.89177
Top states by postings
Demand-weighted view of where this track is showing up.
01California4,711$82.66
02New York2,106$75.91
03Massachusetts1,653$73.15
04Illinois1,308$65.64
05Texas1,297$50.53
06Wisconsin1,264$66.35
07Arizona1,078$62.66
08South Dakota1,068$61.46
Role-level comparison
Compare Critical Care Nurse titles side by side.
ECMO ICU Nurse currently has the highest median in this track at $83.26/hr, while ICU Nurse has the largest posting sample.
Healthcare salaries vary significantly based on several key factors. Geographic location plays a major role—nurses in California and New York typically earn 20-40% more than the national average, while cost of living adjustments affect real purchasing power.
Experience level, specialty certifications, shift differentials (especially for nights and weekends), and facility type (academic medical centers vs. community hospitals) all impact compensation. Travel and contract positions often offer premium rates compared to permanent staff roles.
High-Demand Healthcare Roles
Critical care nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and specialized technologists remain among the most sought-after healthcare professionals. The ongoing nursing shortage has driven competitive salaries and signing bonuses across most markets.
Behavioral health professionals, including psychiatric nurse practitioners and licensed clinical social workers, are seeing increased demand as mental health services expand. Allied health roles in imaging and respiratory therapy also face workforce shortages.
Compare Your Salary
Wondering how your pay compares to others in your role and location? Our free salary check tool analyzes your compensation against thousands of verified healthcare workers with similar experience and credentials.