Operating Room (or) Nurse salary: $75.15/hr$3,006/wk$156,312/yr median.
Pay range $71.68$2,867$149,094–$80.25/hr$3,210/wk$166,920/yr across the middle 50% of active Perioperative Nurse Registered Nurse (RN) postings nationwide.
167 unique employers · 557 cities · 53 states.
How Operating Room (or) Nurse pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $63.00/hr$2,520/wk$131,040/yr. The top 10% pay above $86.39/hr$3,456/wk$179,691/yr.
How Operating Room (or) Nurse pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $75.15 in Nov 2025 to $74.40 in Jan 2026 (-1.0%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $75.15$3,006$156,312 | $69.85$2,794$145,288–$79.96$3,198$166,317 | 2,247 |
| Dec 2025 | $75.60$3,024$157,248 | $72.38$2,895$150,550–$80.75$3,230$167,960 | 2,646 |
| Jan 2026 | $74.40$2,976$154,752 | $71.18$2,847$148,054–$79.20$3,168$164,736 | 1,376 |
Operating Room (or) Nurse pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 48 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Operating Room (or) Nurse paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ll still be able to contribute to our mission of providing high quality health care at a local facility. shawn bsn | RN · RN | $116.60$4,664$242,528 | $104.94$4,198$218,275–$116.60$4,664$242,528 | 11 |
| joshua tree | CA · CALIFORNIA | $96.58$3,863$200,886 | $86.21$3,448$179,317–$96.58$3,863$200,886 | 14 |
| san diego | CA · CALIFORNIA | $91.31$3,652$189,925 | $87.56$3,502$182,125–$94.42$3,777$196,394 | 59 |
| stockton | CA · CALIFORNIA | $90.81$3,632$188,885 | $84.72$3,389$176,218–$94.56$3,782$196,685 | 60 |
| lancaster | CA · CALIFORNIA | $90.12$3,605$187,450 | $90.00$3,600$187,200–$94.21$3,768$195,957 | 18 |
Where the top of the market is paying for Operating Room (or) Nurse.
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| $81.00$3,240$168,480 | $48.23$1,929$100,318–$128.23$5,129$266,718 | 713 | |
| cure healthcare staffing | $80.83$3,233$168,126 | $71.65$2,866$149,032–$96.64$3,866$201,011 | 12 |
| express healthcare staffing ny | $84.69$3,388$176,155 | $72.10$2,884$149,968–$94.61$3,784$196,789 | 6 |
| flexstaff | $81.15$3,246$168,792 | $77.15$3,086$160,472–$95.64$3,826$198,931 | 5 |
| kaiser permanente | $102.09$4,084$212,347 | $25.17$1,007$52,354–$116.60$4,664$242,528 | 31 |
| seven healthcare | $87.50$3,500$182,000 | $85.42$3,417$177,674–$88.89$3,556$184,891 | 5 |
| smarter healthcare partners | $82.00$3,280$170,560 | $72.00$2,880$149,760–$88.56$3,542$184,205 | 14 |
| trusted resource associates (tra) | $84.69$3,388$176,155 | $77.00$3,080$160,160–$87.78$3,511$182,582 | 6 |
| united staffing solutions | $82.27$3,291$171,122 | $75.15$3,006$156,312–$83.61$3,344$173,909 | 6 |
| uniti med | $80.72$3,229$167,898 | $49.13$1,965$102,190–$94.69$3,788$196,955 | 33 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Operating Room (or) Nurse pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Staff Position pays the most at $85.49/hr$3,420/wk$177,819/yr median — 73% above Local Contract at $49.50/hr$1,980/wk$102,960/yr. Travel Contract drives the volume with 4,154 active postings.
How to become a Operating Room (or) Nurse.
Operating Room nurses provide specialized nursing care to patients before, during, and after surgical procedures in the operating room environment.
OR nursing requires specialized training beyond nursing school. Most facilities offer 6-12 month perioperative orientation programs combining classroom learning with hands-on OR experience.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree in NursingADN | 2-3 years | Entry-level option. Many ORs accept ADN with comprehensive perioperative training. |
| Bachelor of Science in NursingBSN | 4 years | Preferred by most surgical centers. Required for magnet hospitals and leadership roles. |
| Perioperative Nursing CertificatePeriop Certificate | 6-12 months | Structured OR training programs for RNs transitioning from other specialties. |
State RN license required. Must pass NCLEX-RN examination.
CPR certification required for all OR positions.
Required for most OR positions. Critical for managing intraoperative emergencies.
Required for ORs with pediatric surgical cases.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| CNOR Certified Perioperative Nurse Gold standard certification for OR nurses. Validates expertise in perioperative nursing. Requires 2 years and 2,400 hours of perioperative experience. | CCI (Competency & Credentialing Institute) | +5-15% |
| CRNFA Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant Advanced role assisting surgeons directly. Requires additional training and certification. | CCI | +15-25% |
| CSSM Certified Surgical Services Manager For OR nurses moving into surgical services management. | CCI | Leadership credential |
| Laser Safety Officer Laser Safety Certification Required for designated laser safety officer role in surgical suites. | Various | +2-5% |
- 0-1 yearsOR Orientation / Periop 101
Structured 6-12 month orientation learning circulating and scrub roles across surgical specialties.
- 1-3 yearsStaff OR Nurse
Independent practice in multiple surgical specialties. Competent circulator and scrub.
- 3-5 yearsSenior OR Nurse / Specialty Lead
Expert in specific surgical specialty (cardiac, neuro, ortho). Preceptor for new staff.
- 5-7 yearsOR Charge Nurse
Coordinates daily OR schedule, staffing, room turnover, and emergency cases.
- 5+ yearsRN First Assistant (RNFA)
Advanced role directly assisting surgeons. Requires additional training and CRNFA certification.
- 10+ yearsOR Manager / Director of Surgical Services
Oversees OR operations, budgets, staff, and quality metrics. MSN/MBA often required.
Schedule. Varies significantly. Many ORs run 8-hour shifts weekdays, but hospitals require evening, night, and weekend on-call coverage. Call requirements can be significant.
Physical demands. Moderately demanding. Long periods of standing, wearing lead aprons for fluoroscopy cases, and maintaining focus during lengthy procedures. Limited breaks during cases.
OR nursing has consistent demand as surgical volumes increase. Travel OR positions pay $2,500-4,000+/week. RNFA roles command top pay. Specialized OR nurses (cardiac, neuro) are highly valued.
What clinicians ask about Operating Room (or) Nurse pay.
What is the average Operating Room (or) Nurse salary in 2026?
The median Operating Room (or) Nurse salary is $75.15/hr (approximately $156,312/yr) based on 6,269 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Operating Room (or) Nurse?
Hourly pay ranges from $71.68 at the 25th percentile to $80.25 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $86.39/hr.
Which state pays Operating Room (or) Nurse roles the most?
Alabama currently leads with a median of $70.78/hr across 6 postings.
How many employers are hiring Operating Room (or) Nurses?
Our dataset shows 167 unique employers posting Operating Room (or) Nurse roles across 53 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Operating Room (or) Nurse salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 180-day window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Registered Nurse (RN) tracks.
Operating Room (or) Nurse sits inside the Perioperative Nurse track. Here are sibling tracks across Registered Nurse (RN) — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 180-day window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.