California nurse practitioner salaries by employer, 2025
Nurse practitioners here are titles such as Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner and the University of California's Nurse Practice 2 and 3, counted apart from registered nurses. 3,754 people held a nurse practitioner title at 72 California public hospitals, health departments, prisons and clinics in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $232,328, overtime included, against $181,164 for registered nurses.
What is the average nurse practitioner salary in California?
Highest- and lowest-paying among the 21 employers with at least 10 full-year nurse practitioners. The lists below include every employer with at least 5.
- Nurse practitioners
- 3,754
- 2,592 of them worked the full year
- Median total pay
- $228,911
- the middle nurse practitioner: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $10,603
- average per full-year nurse practitioner; the middle one $2,765
- Official range
- $183,097
- to $241,623: the middle reported bottom and top
Which California employers pay nurse practitioners the most?
By average total pay of full-year nurse practitioners, among employers with at least 5 of them.
Highest average total pay
- Santa Clara CountyCounty government
82 full-year nurse practitioners$292,304 - University of California, San FranciscoUniversity of California campus
529 full-year nurse practitioners$279,489 - San FranciscoCity government
134 full-year nurse practitioners$271,264 - University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California campus
324 full-year nurse practitioners$246,367 - University of California, DavisUniversity of California campus
202 full-year nurse practitioners$240,636 - California Correctional Health Care ServicesState department
8 full-year nurse practitioners$230,265 - University of California, IrvineUniversity of California campus
114 full-year nurse practitioners$229,737 - Riverside CountyCounty government
46 full-year nurse practitioners$229,571 - San Joaquin CountyCounty government
21 full-year nurse practitioners$227,488 - University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California campus
233 full-year nurse practitioners$224,594
California average for nurse practitioners, $232,328
Which California counties pay nurse practitioners the most?
Average total pay of full-year nurse practitioners across each county's public hospitals, health departments, prisons and clinics, where at least 5 of them worked the full year. The dashed line marks the California average of $232,328.
Compare nurse practitioner pay at every California employer
Every employer with at least 5 nurse practitioners: what full-year nurse practitioners earned and the official range for the job. Click a column to sort it.
Showing 1 to 25 of 45 employers, highest average total pay first.
| Santa Clara CountySanta Clara County | Santa Clara | $292,304 | $8,038 | $225,842 to $303,566 | 122 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco County | San Francisco | $279,489 | $13,727 | $209,802 to $272,087 | 777 |
| San FranciscoSan Francisco County | San Francisco | $271,264 | $14,954 | $208,286 to $300,482 | 220 |
| University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles County | Los Angeles | $246,367 | $11,667 | $185,957 to $265,573 | 415 |
| University of California, DavisStatewide | Statewide | $240,636 | $7,318 | $183,097 to $241,623 | 289 |
| California Correctional Health Care ServicesStatewide | Statewide | $230,265 | $57,995 | $156,516 to $176,940 | 11 |
| University of California, IrvineOrange County | Orange | $229,737 | $14,612 | $178,482 to $235,380 | 187 |
| Riverside CountyRiverside County | Riverside | $229,571 | $20,134 | $150,946 to $225,891 | 56 |
| San Joaquin CountySan Joaquin County | San Joaquin | $227,488 | $13,905 | $168,202 to $204,451 | 42 |
| University of California, San DiegoSan Diego County | San Diego | $224,594 | $9,885 | $167,687 to $234,649 | 314 |
| Monterey CountyMonterey County | Monterey | $223,026 | $4,375 | $172,178 to $235,030 | 33 |
| Santa Cruz CountySanta Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $221,889 | $512 | $198,245 to $222,934 | 8 |
| Contra Costa CountyContra Costa County | Contra Costa | $217,566 | $744 | $179,009 to $223,558 | 59 |
| San Mateo CountySan Mateo County | San Mateo | $214,709 | $0 | $194,667 to $230,090 | 77 |
| Kern County Hospital AuthorityKern County | Kern | $211,210 | $0 | $159,036 to $247,773 | 52 |
| California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationStatewide | Statewide | $203,519 | $42,674 | $156,516 to $176,940 | 48 |
| Orange CountyOrange County | Orange | $194,871 | $10,449 | $186,555 to $191,651 | 26 |
| Marin CountyMarin County | Marin | $193,922 | $1,337 | $171,558 to $207,626 | 9 |
| Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles County | Los Angeles | $190,410 | $8,181 | $137,324 to $205,556 | 607 |
| California Department of Veterans AffairsStatewide | Statewide | $178,967 | $22,008 | $149,076 to $168,504 | 9 |
| Kaweah Delta Health Care DistrictTulare County | Tulare | $172,354 | $8,051 | $145,787 to $218,691 | 50 |
| University of California, BerkeleyAlameda County | Alameda | $171,462 | $14 | $170,819 to $235,464 | 27 |
| Sacramento CountySacramento County | Sacramento | $167,384 | $3,781 | $132,484 to $161,027 | 12 |
| University of California, Santa CruzSanta Cruz County | Santa Cruz | $161,210 | $3,359 | $133,110 to $168,836 | 8 |
| California Department of State HospitalsStatewide | Statewide | $154,658 | $1,194 | $149,076 to $168,504 | 49 |
No employer matches. Clear the search or pick another county or size.
"Fewer than 5": fewer than 5 nurse practitioners worked the full year, too few for an average. Employers with fewer than 5 nurse practitioners aren't listed. The University of California reported no ranges, so its campuses' ranges come from its contract with the California Nurses Association: the wage tables effective January 2025. Its vocational nurses are outside that contract and have no range here, so they count in headcounts but not in pay figures.
How much more do nurse practitioners earn than registered nurses in California?
Average total pay of full-year staff at every California public hospitals, health departments, prisons and clinics, overtime included.
- Registered nurses$181,164
- Nurse practitioners$232,328
- LVNs$90,412
Nurse practitioners earn $51,164 more than registered nurses on average. LVNs average $90,412.
Questions about nurse practitioner pay in California
How much does a nurse practitioner make in California?
Full-year California nurse practitioners at public hospitals, health departments, prisons and clinics earned an average of $232,328 in 2025, including $10,603 in overtime. The middle nurse practitioner earned $228,911. Registered nurses averaged $181,164.
Which California employer pays nurse practitioners the most?
Among employers with at least 10 full-year nurse practitioners, Santa Clara County has the highest average total pay, $292,304, followed by University of California, San Francisco ($279,489) and San Francisco ($271,264).
Which California county pays nurse practitioners the most?
Santa Clara County, where full-year nurse practitioners at its public hospitals, health departments, prisons and clinics averaged $292,304, followed by San Francisco County ($277,826) and Riverside County ($229,705).
What is the official pay range for a nurse practitioner in California?
Across California's employers, the middle reported range for nurse practitioners runs from $183,097 to $241,623 a year. Each employer's own range is in the table on this page.
Sources for the California nurse practitioner figures
Every person who held a nurse practitioner title 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. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages and pension and health contributions as reported by each city, county, special district, state department and University of California campus.
- University of California and California Nurses Association, Registered Nurses (NX) contract, Appendix A: wage tables: each campus's hourly rates effective January 2025, lowest to highest step; yearly figures are the hourly rate times 2,088 hours, the tables' monthly rate times 12.