California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) registered nurse salary, 2025
The California Department of State Hospitals is a state department: the State Controller's file lists its registered nurses at 5 facilities. Its figures are compared with the state as a whole, not one county. 1,850 people worked as registered nurses for California Department of State Hospitals in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $160,251, overtime included.
What is the average registered nurse salary at California Department of State Hospitals?
Official pay range1
$114,120 to $153,024
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest registered nurse title
Based on the 1,168 of 1,850 registered nurses who worked the full year.
Most of California Department of State Hospitals's registered nurses (1,829 of 1,850) hold the title Registered Nurse (Safety), Range T, with an official range of $114,120 to $136,020. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $160,537, $24,517 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $140,176
- the middle registered nurse: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $36,063
- average per full-year registered nurse
- Starting salary
- $114,120
- bottom of the Registered Nurse (Safety), Range T range
- Average pay rank
- 18th
- of 72 California employers
What does each registered nurse title at California Department of State Hospitals pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
- Registered Nurse (Safety), Range T$160,537
- Public Health Nurse I, Departments of Mental Health and Developmental Services, Range T$134,867
- Public Health Nurse II, Range T$138,078
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Nurse practitioner and LVN pay at California Department of State Hospitals
Counted on their own, kept out of the registered nurse figures on this page. Each group's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each group's official ranges. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1
| Nurses | People | Official range | Average total pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered nurses | 1,850 | $114,120 to $153,024 | $160,251 |
| Nurse practitioners | 49 | $149,076 to $168,504 | $154,658 |
| LVNs | 137 | $60,984 to $76,332 | $101,679 |
Full-year nurse practitioners averaged $154,658, $5,593 less than registered nurses.
Does California Department of State Hospitals pay registered nurses more than other California employers?
Average total pay of full-year registered nurses: California Department of State Hospitals next to every California employer together.1
- California Department of State Hospitals$160,251
- All employers in California$181,164
Full-year registered nurses at California Department of State Hospitals earned $20,913 less than the California average.
Where does California Department of State Hospitals rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year registered nurses, by average total pay.1
All 72 California employers
California Department of State Hospitals ranks 18th of 72, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $138,446
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at California Department of State Hospitals
As reported by the department. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year registered nurse, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- Not reported
- the most common formula among California Department of State Hospitals's registered nurses
- Employer pension contribution
- $26,420
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $18,802
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about registered nurse pay at California Department of State Hospitals
What is the average registered nurse salary at California Department of State Hospitals?
Registered nurses at California Department of State Hospitals who worked the full year earned an average of $160,251 in 2025, overtime included. The middle registered nurse earned $140,176: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its registered nurse titles runs from $114,120 to $153,024.
How much overtime do registered nurses at California Department of State Hospitals earn?
Full-year registered nurses were paid an average of $36,063 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $14,634: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a registered nurse at DSH?
$114,120 a year: the bottom of the official range for California Department of State Hospitals's Registered Nurse (Safety), Range T title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year registered nurses averaged $160,251 in total pay.
How much does a nurse practitioner make at DSH?
Full-year nurse practitioners at California Department of State Hospitals averaged $154,658 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $149,076 to $168,504.
More public salaries at California Department of State Hospitals
Sources for the California Department of State Hospitals figures
Every person who held a registered nurse position at California Department of State Hospitals at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by California Department of State Hospitals.