Santa Cruz County registered nurse salary, 2025
60 people worked as registered nurses for Santa Cruz County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $144,769.
What is the average registered nurse salary at Santa Cruz County?
Official pay range, public health nurses1
$118,768 to $161,512
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for public health nurses, the largest group
Based on the 41 of 60 registered nurses who worked the full year.
The largest group of Santa Cruz County's registered nurses (28 of 60) hold the title Public Health Nurse II, with an official range of $131,435 to $153,670. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $143,404, within the range.
- Median total pay
- $145,976
- the middle registered nurse: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $358
- average per full-year registered nurse
- Starting salary
- $118,768
- bottom of the Public Health Nurse I range
- Average pay rank
- 32nd
- of 72 California employers
What does each registered nurse title at Santa Cruz County 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
Public health nurses
- Public Health Nurse IFewer than 5
- Public Health Nurse II$143,404
- Public Health Nurse III$157,560
Clinic nurses
- Clinic Nurse IFewer than 5
- Clinic Nurse II$134,302
- Clinic Nurse III$151,671
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Nurse practitioner pay at Santa Cruz County
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 | 60 | $118,768 to $161,512 | $144,769 |
| Nurse practitioners | 8 | $198,245 to $222,934 | $221,889 |
Full-year nurse practitioners averaged $221,889, $77,120 more than registered nurses.
Does Santa Cruz County pay registered nurses more than other employers in Santa Cruz County?
Average total pay of full-year registered nurses: Santa Cruz County next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1
- Santa Cruz County$144,769
- All employers in Santa Cruz County$144,061
- All employers in California$181,164
Full-year registered nurses at Santa Cruz County earned $708 more than the Santa Cruz County average and $36,395 less than the California average.
Average registered nurse pay in Santa Cruz County compared to nearby counties
Average total pay of full-year registered nurses across all employers in each county that borders Santa Cruz County, and how much more or less it pays.1
- Santa Clara County$242,999 average, 1 employer$98,938 more than Santa Cruz County
- San Mateo County$203,980 average, 1 employer$59,919 more than Santa Cruz County
- San Benito County$189,634 average, 1 employer$45,573 more than Santa Cruz County
- Monterey County$182,865 average, 4 employers$38,804 more than Santa Cruz County
Where does Santa Cruz County rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year registered nurses, by average total pay.1
All 72 California employers
Santa Cruz County ranks 32nd 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 Santa Cruz County
As reported by the county. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year registered nurse, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 2% at 62
- the most common formula among Santa Cruz County's registered nurses
- Employer pension contribution
- $13,224
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $21,193
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about registered nurse pay at Santa Cruz County
What is the average registered nurse salary at Santa Cruz County?
Registered nurses at Santa Cruz County who worked the full year earned an average of $144,769 in 2025. The middle registered nurse earned $145,976: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its registered nurse titles runs from $118,768 to $161,512.
How much overtime do registered nurses at Santa Cruz County earn?
Full-year registered nurses were paid an average of $358 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $0: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a registered nurse at Santa Cruz County?
$118,768 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Cruz County's Public Health Nurse I title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year registered nurses averaged $144,769 in total pay.
How much does a nurse practitioner make at Santa Cruz County?
Full-year nurse practitioners at Santa Cruz County averaged $221,889 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $198,245 to $222,934.
What pension do registered nurses at Santa Cruz County get?
The most common pension formula among Santa Cruz County's registered nurses is 2% at 62, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $13,224 a year into the pension plan.
More salaries in Santa Cruz County
- University of California, Santa Cruzregistered nurse pay
- Highest registered nurse salaries in CaliforniaThe best-paying employers, ranked
- Social worker salaries at Santa Cruz County$109,828 average total pay
- Water operator salaries at Santa Cruz County$110,676 average total pay
- Correctional officer salaries at Santa Cruz County$139,964 average total pay
- Teacher salaries in Santa Cruz CountyEvery school district's salary schedule
Sources for the Santa Cruz County figures
Every person who held a registered nurse position at Santa Cruz County 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 Santa Cruz County.