Salary benchmark
Is $135,560 good for Registered Nurse in Los Angeles, CA?
For a mapped Registered Nurses role in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, a base salary near $135,560 sits around the official BLS OEWS median wage estimate. A stronger offer usually includes clear bonus terms, benefits, review timing, and limited restrictive language.
Role mapping note: Assess patient needs, administer care, and coordinate treatment plans.
| Percentile | Annual base benchmark |
|---|---|
| 10th | $100,980 |
| 25th | $112,070 |
| 50th | $135,560 |
| 75th | $167,800 |
| 90th | $174,200 |
How to use this benchmark
- Below $112,070
- Below the local 25th percentile for this mapped occupation. Confirm level, scope, and whether the employer can move base salary or add guaranteed sign-on.
- $112,070 to $135,560
- Between the 25th percentile and median. Check whether the role is entry, mid-level, or scoped below the public occupation mapping before deciding how hard to push.
- $135,560 to $167,800
- Between median and the 75th percentile. Base pay is more competitive, so negotiation may shift toward bonus clarity, equity terms, review timing, schedule, and benefits.
- Above $167,800
- Above the 75th percentile. Pressure-test total compensation quality and restrictive clauses instead of assuming the headline base salary tells the whole story.
Negotiation signals for this role
- The offer requires specialty-unit experience, charge duties, precepting, float pool coverage, or high-acuity patient care.
- The schedule includes nights, weekends, holidays, call, call-back, or rotating shifts.
- The role asks for certifications, license portability, or rapid start timing that creates extra cost for the candidate.
Offer risks to check
- Shift differentials, overtime rules, on-call pay, weekend expectations, or holiday coverage are not written clearly.
- Sign-on, relocation, or tuition support includes a clawback period that is too broad or too long.
- Floating between units, staffing expectations, or mandatory extra shifts are discussed verbally but not documented.
What this public benchmark misses
- This page maps Registered Nurse to SOC 29-1141, Registered Nurses; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group.
- Public wage data does not capture shift differentials, union steps, per-diem structures, travel contracts, or specialty certification premiums.
- The benchmark cannot evaluate staffing ratios, acuity, call requirements, schedule stability, or local facility policies.
- BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
Questions to ask the recruiter
- Which shift, unit, and weekend or holiday rotation is this offer tied to?
- What are the exact differential, overtime, on-call, and call-back rules?
- Are sign-on, relocation, or tuition benefits subject to repayment if I leave?
- How often are nurses floated outside the home unit?
Los Angeles, CA and remote context
- Confirm the exact Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim office or territory, because commute and parking can materially change the offer.
- Ask how hybrid days, travel between sites, relocation, and remote work affect the pay band.
- If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to Los Angeles, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 29-1141 and BLS area code 0031080. OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not fully capture equity, signing bonus, severance, or every total-compensation detail.
FAQ
Is $135,560 a good salary for a Registered Nurse in Los Angeles, CA?
$135,560 is near the BLS OEWS median base-wage estimate for the mapped Registered Nurses occupation in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area. Treat it as a base salary anchor, then evaluate bonus, equity, benefits, schedule, review timing, and restrictive terms before deciding whether the full offer is strong.
What should a Registered Nurse negotiate beyond base salary?
Start with level and scope. For this role, one useful signal is whether the offer requires specialty-unit experience, charge duties, precepting, float pool coverage, or high-acuity patient care. Also ask for written details on any variable pay, equity, review timing, and offer terms that could affect future mobility.
What does this benchmark miss for Registered Nurse offers?
This page maps Registered Nurse to SOC 29-1141, Registered Nurses; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group. Public wage data does not capture shift differentials, union steps, per-diem structures, travel contracts, or specialty certification premiums. The benchmark cannot evaluate staffing ratios, acuity, call requirements, schedule stability, or local facility policies. BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
How should remote or hybrid offers tied to Los Angeles, CA be checked?
Confirm the exact Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim office or territory, because commute and parking can materially change the offer. Ask how hybrid days, travel between sites, relocation, and remote work affect the pay band. If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to Los Angeles, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Which public data source is used on this page?
This page uses BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 29-1141 (Registered Nurses) and BLS area code 0031080. It uses public OEWS wage estimates, not private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
On an H-1B (or hoping for one)?
Since March 2026 the H-1B lottery weighs entries by OFLC wage level, so where this salary lands changes your selection odds. Request a free H-1B Offer Brief — estimated wage level, lottery entries, and a prevailing-wage sanity check for your offer.