The median Med-surg Nurse salary is $60.63 per hour, or $126,110 per year, based on 8,829 job postings across 71 states. Compare pay by location, employer, shift, and contract type.
$60.63
Median hourly
$126,110
Annual salary
$48-$75
Pay range
71
States tracked
Salary guide
A typical Med-surg Nurse earns $60.63/hr, with most posted roles landing between $54.36 and $66.02/hr.
Recent posted pay is up, with the last 30 days showing +11.3% movement versus the prior period.
Location matters: Poughkeepsie, NEW YORK is currently among the highest-paying cities, while Dayton, OHIO sits near the lower end.
30-day market pulse
Compare the most recent 30 days of job postings against the previous 30 days. Use this as a quick read on whether pay and hiring volume are moving together.
Posted pay
+11.3%
Current median: $63.88/hr
Prior period: $57.39/hr
Job openings
-93.1%
381 recent postings
Previous period: 5,499 postings
Daily pay signal
$68.00/hr latest
Year-over-year
Building
We are collecting enough historical Med-surg Nurse postings to show a reliable year-over-year pay comparison.
Pay is moving up even though posting volume changed. Recent listings are showing a median of $63.88/hr, up from $57.39/hr.
Pay range
The middle band is usually the most useful offer benchmark. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the broader market floor and ceiling.
Entry / low
$48.46
$100,797/yr
Median
$60.63
$126,110/yr
Top earners
$74.80
$155,584/yr
MARKET TRENDS
Month-over-month median hourly pay and posting volume.
| Month | Median Hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|
Apr 2026Current | $63.88/hr | 356 |
Mar 2026 | $57.39/hr | 5,524 |
Feb 2026 | $64.00/hr | 597 |
Jan 2026 | $66.58/hr | 741 |
Dec 2025 | $65.67/hr | 583 |
Nov 2025 | $63.80/hr | 1,028 |
BY LOCATION
See how pay varies across the country. Ranked by job volume.
447 postings · 65 companies
$54.92
$52-$61
89 postings · 42 companies
$78.36
$72-$83
154 postings · 60 companies
$56.85
$54-$61
57 postings · 19 companies
$37.50
$38-$52
347 postings · 69 companies
$70.83
$55-$81
69 postings · 28 companies
$63.17
$60-$76
11 postings · 8 companies
$66.72
$64-$77
6 postings · 4 companies
$79.43
$79-$81
9 postings · 3 companies
$54.17
$52-$55
43 postings · 30 companies
$40.22
$38-$43
395 postings · 81 companies
$53.27
$49-$57
63 postings · 37 companies
$54.75
$51-$58
25 postings · 21 companies
$66.50
$61-$70
476 postings · 71 companies
$62.60
$60-$66
295 postings · 53 companies
$58.75
$55-$60
505 postings · 77 companies
$62.67
$61-$66
211 postings · 57 companies
$56.44
$51-$61
121 postings · 30 companies
$58.36
$54-$61
41 postings · 19 companies
$53.89
$53-$57
96 postings · 38 companies
$64.17
$62-$69
48 postings · 27 companies
$54.43
$53-$59
250 postings · 61 companies
$70.50
$64-$80
177 postings · 56 companies
$60.33
$55-$65
18 postings · 14 companies
$60.54
$55-$64
132 postings · 45 companies
$48.08
$46-$51
308 postings · 64 companies
$57.61
$53-$62
37 postings · 25 companies
$62.61
$54-$67
167 postings · 61 companies
$63.04
$61-$80
59 postings · 29 companies
$58.11
$55-$62
320 postings · 74 companies
$66.63
$64-$71
22 postings · 12 companies
$63.57
$62-$66
175 postings · 64 companies
$55.59
$53-$60
806 postings · 98 companies
$65.50
$61-$71
281 postings · 61 companies
$52.86
$50-$55
485 postings · 60 companies
$66.04
$62-$70
147 postings · 46 companies
$57.86
$54-$65
199 postings · 66 companies
$55.86
$52-$61
56 postings · 37 companies
$62.85
$59-$71
52 postings · 26 companies
$56.68
$53-$61
Estimated from national data
~$65.17
—
81 postings · 29 companies
$53.58
$49-$56
60 postings · 31 companies
$71.50
$68-$77
243 postings · 48 companies
$54.19
$50-$60
212 postings · 64 companies
$45.56
$43-$49
Estimated from national data
~$59.36
—
106 postings · 50 companies
$65.42
$61-$73
167 postings · 50 companies
$60.42
$58-$65
32 postings · 16 companies
$65.33
$61-$69
177 postings · 42 companies
$59.61
$58-$61
407 postings · 67 companies
$63.04
$61-$67
53 postings · 33 companies
$57.81
$57-$61
Est.Estimated values are based on national averages.
BY CITY
See which cities offer the highest and lowest Med-surg Nurse salaries.
Poughkeepsie
New York · 10 postings
$88.91/hr
Brooklyn
New York · 11 postings
$86.18/hr
Nantucket
Massachusetts · 11 postings
$85.92/hr
Juneau
Alaska · 10 postings
$85.80/hr
Holdrege
Nebraska · 44 postings
$84.79/hr
Dayton
Ohio · 18 postings
$20.58/hr
Hot Springs
Arkansas · 36 postings
$37.50/hr
Titusville
Florida · 12 postings
$38.45/hr
Vero Beach
Florida · 15 postings
$42.31/hr
Waco
Texas · 24 postings
$43.61/hr
BY EMPLOYER
See which companies pay the most and least for Med-surg Nurse positions.
Amhs Staffing Alliance
8 postings
$82.47/hr
Medsource Llc
6 postings
$82.17/hr
Advantage Staffing Services
7 postings
$80.00/hr
Sanford Health - Solutions By Sanford
45 postings
$79.61/hr
Honorvet Technologies
40 postings
$77.78/hr
Hca Methodist Healthcare Of San Antonio
9 postings
$31.31/hr
Commonspirit Health
96 postings
$37.50/hr
Deaconess Health System
6 postings
$40.50/hr
Kpg Healthcare
41 postings
$50.17/hr
Nuwest Travel Nursing
37 postings
$50.58/hr
RELATED POSITIONS
| Job Title | Postings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Rn - Med Surg | 6,409 | $60.92/hr |
| Med Surg Registered Nurse | 212 | $53.04/hr |
| Med Surg Rn | 207 | $53.92/hr |
| Med Surg Telemetry Rn | 183 | $61.61/hr |
| Med-surg Telemetry Rn | 84 | $61.50/hr |
| Med Surg Nurse | 52 | $37.50/hr |
| Med-surg Registered Nurse | 51 | $72.50/hr |
| Med-surg Telemetry Step-down Rn | 47 | $66.50/hr |
| Nurse Supervisor Rn - Med Surg | 45 | $82.64/hr |
| Med-surg Rn | 43 | $55.25/hr |
EDUCATION & LICENSING
Medical-Surgical nurses provide care to adult patients with a wide variety of medical conditions and post-surgical needs on hospital medical-surgical units.
Minimum: ADN
ADN
Associate Degree in Nursing
BSN
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
RN-to-BSN
RN-to-BSN Program
Med-surg nursing is often the entry point for new graduate RNs. Most nurses complete BSN, pass NCLEX-RN, and start on med-surg units to build foundational skills.
RN License
RequiredRegistered Nurse License
BLS
RequiredBasic Life Support
ACLS
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
New Graduate Med-Surg Nurse
0-1 years experience
Staff Med-Surg Nurse
1-3 years experience
Senior Med-Surg Nurse / Preceptor
3-5 years experience
Med-Surg Charge Nurse
5-7 years experience
Unit Educator / Clinical Coach
7-10 years experience
Certifications can significantly increase earning potential
CMSRN
+5-10%Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse
RN-BC Med-Surg
+5-10%Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification
PCCN
+5-10%Progressive Care Certified Nurse
Wound Care Certification
+3-8%Wound Care Certified (WCC)
Job Outlook
Strong Growth (6% (2022-2032))
Med-surg is the largest nursing specialty and serves as the foundation for most nursing careers. High demand at all experience levels. Travel med-surg positions pay $2,000-3,000+/week.
PAY FACTORS
How shift type, contract length, and employment type impact Med-surg Nurse salaries.
FAQ
The median Med-surg Nurse salary is $60.63 per hour, or $126,110 annually. Pay ranges from $48.46/hr (10th percentile) to $74.80/hr (90th percentile) depending on location, experience, and employer.
Based on 8,829 job postings, the highest paying states for Med-surg Nurses include Delaware, Alaska, South Dakota. Pay rates vary based on cost of living, demand, and state regulations.
There are currently 8,829 Med-surg Nurse job postings across 71 states, from 228 different healthcare employers.
Med-surg Nurse pay varies based on geographic location, years of experience, certifications, shift differentials (nights/weekends), employment type (travel vs. staff), facility type, and specialized skills. Travel contracts typically pay higher hourly rates.
Med-surg Nurse pay is currently trending upward. Over the past 30 days, median hourly rates increased 11.3%.
Med-surg Nurse pay varies by specialty and setting. Travel positions typically pay $5.39 to $14.17 more per hour than staff positions. Night shifts and weekend differentials also increase earnings.
Pay varies significantly by location. Top paying cities like Poughkeepsie offer $88.91/hr, while lower cost areas may pay around $20.58/hr. However, rural areas often offer signing bonuses and housing stipends to attract talent.
Entry-level Med-surg Nurses typically earn around $48.46 to $54.36 per hour ($100,797 to $113,069 annually). With experience, pay increases toward the median of $60.63/hr.
DATA METHOD
Source
Based on 8,829 active postings with listed compensation for Med-surg Nurse. We prioritize postings with explicit hourly or annual pay and exclude rows without usable compensation signals from salary percentiles.
Range
Percentiles show the spread of posted pay, not a guaranteed offer or take-home pay after taxes. State and city views use available market observations and label estimated values when direct samples are limited.
Freshness
Current dataset window: 2025-11-01 to 2026-04-30. Recent trend cards compare the latest posting window with the prior period so short-term pay movement is separated from the full historical median.
EXPLORE MORE
Med-Surg Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
Med-Surg Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
Med-Surg Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
Med-Surg Nurse salary data in Registered Nurse (RN)
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