Which nursing specialty pays the most right now?

CTICU, at a median posted offer of $146,832 a year across 6 live postings. This ranks by what employers are advertising today, so it moves as the market moves.

Is a higher-paying specialty worth switching to?

Pay is one axis. Shift pattern, nurse-to-patient ratios, setting, and how far you'd have to move decide whether the job is actually better. Use the pay figure as a floor for negotiation, not as career advice.

Where do these numbers come from?

Midpoint of stated salary ranges on live nursing job postings; values outside $20,000–$800,000/yr treated as parse artifacts and excluded; groups under 5 postings suppressed. Community-reported figures are anonymous, unverified, and reported separately.

Nursing MasteryCareer companion for nurses

Highest-paying nursing specialties right now

$146,832CTICU — the best-paid specialty on posted offers

Every specialty ranked by what employers are actually offering today, read from 4,980live postings that state pay — not last year’s survey averages. Updated July 22, 2026.

#	Specialty	Median	Middle half	Top 10% from	Postings
1	CTICU	$146,832	$138k–$156k	$156k	6
2	Transplant Surgery	$144,019	$95k–$145k	$145k	5
3	CVICU	$142,584	$111k–$150k	$156k	11
4	SICU	$140,566	$138k–$144k	$145k	6
5	Intensive Care	$137,665	$120k–$145k	$175k	9
6	Neuroscience	$135,000	$95k–$152k	$154k	9
7	Nurse Practitioner	$132,500	$115k–$150k	$172k	255
8	OR	$127,920	$93k–$138k	$172k	31
9	Float Pool	$127,540	$100k–$142k	$154k	14
10	Telehealth	$123,651	$97k–$141k	$151k	18
11	Surgery	$121,786	$95k–$148k	$156k	18
12	CVOR	$121,784	$120k–$126k	$126k	5
13	MDS Coordinator	$119,600	$111k–$121k	$123k	5
14	Post-Surgical	$118,914	$106k–$125k	$125k	6
15	Staffing and Recruiting	$118,686	$109k–$125k	$149k	12
16	Utilization Review	$116,458	$96k–$124k	$133k	10
17	Psychiatry	$115,934	$92k–$138k	$141k	10
18	NICU	$115,856	$102k–$124k	$144k	14
19	Infusion	$115,690	$100k–$125k	$146k	49
20	Cardiothoracic	$115,552	$104k–$128k	$146k	7
21	Pulmonary/Respiratory	$115,404	$102k–$131k	$152k	18
22	Peritoneal Dialysis	$114,920	$105k–$125k	$144k	6
23	L&D	$114,570	$82k–$137k	$140k	5
24	Labor and Delivery	$114,485	$101k–$137k	$144k	22
25	Workers' Compensation	$114,400	$94k–$116k	$116k	11
26	Clinical Research	$114,400	$99k–$122k	$125k	6
27	Neonatology	$113,402	$101k–$116k	$120k	10
28	Cardiac	$113,027	$98k–$134k	$142k	200
29	Hematology	$113,027	$92k–$123k	$136k	9
30	Orthopedic	$113,027	$84k–$123k	$135k	9
31	Research	$113,027	$96k–$135k	$152k	9
32	Workers Compensation	$112,500	$113k–$113k	$113k	6
33	Labor & Delivery	$111,254	$90k–$125k	$145k	71
34	Long Term Care/Skilled Nursing	$111,000	$104k–$120k	$130k	6
35	Radiology	$110,115	$95k–$126k	$142k	11
36	Emergency medicine	$109,200	$96k–$117k	$128k	9
37	Podiatry	$109,200	$108k–$126k	$129k	9
38	Pain	$109,200	$108k–$114k	$127k	5
39	Transplant	$108,573	$105k–$114k	$121k	11
40	General Surgery	$108,550	$95k–$129k	$138k	16
41	Clinical Documentation	$107,640	$90k–$120k	$122k	8
42	Internal Medicine	$106,860	$90k–$116k	$118k	7
43	PICU	$106,673	$88k–$120k	$143k	11
44	ENT	$106,470	$94k–$109k	$114k	10
45	Infectious Disease	$105,550	$100k–$122k	$134k	53
46	Case Management/Social Work	$104,860	$95k–$113k	$118k	8
47	Travel	$104,823	$97k–$121k	$137k	152
48	Oncology	$104,146	$96k–$122k	$145k	106
49	Emergency Room	$104,062	$90k–$124k	$151k	20
50	General	$104,000	$89k–$116k	$137k	588
51	Orthopedics	$104,000	$99k–$125k	$145k	30
52	Ortho	$104,000	$83k–$105k	$123k	5
53	Home Care	$103,636	$94k–$123k	$135k	44
54	IV Therapy	$103,502	$96k–$114k	$173k	26
55	Hospice & Palliative Medicine	$103,480	$92k–$110k	$124k	20
56	ICU	$103,220	$94k–$119k	$133k	696
57	Neuro	$103,210	$99k–$121k	$150k	6
58	Vascular	$103,210	$99k–$111k	$132k	5
59	Education/Staff Development	$103,127	$96k–$117k	$130k	155
60	Cardiac Cath Lab	$102,617	$84k–$117k	$151k	6
61	Emergency/Trauma	$102,482	$96k–$113k	$142k	45
62	PACU	$102,436	$90k–$120k	$134k	88
63	Nursing Management/Admin	$102,347	$96k–$117k	$129k	188
64	Med/Surg	$101,920	$97k–$103k	$112k	13
65	Acute Care	$101,910	$94k–$114k	$133k	211
66	Medical Surgical	$101,910	$74k–$113k	$120k	13
67	CCU	$101,400	$97k–$117k	$127k	12
68	Camp	$101,140	$74k–$113k	$118k	83
69	Urology	$101,140	$85k–$113k	$128k	21
70	Case Management	$100,984	$84k–$116k	$135k	131
71	Perioperative	$100,911	$84k–$120k	$134k	31
72	Surgical Services	$100,911	$98k–$110k	$116k	7
73	Operating Room	$100,686	$93k–$118k	$131k	100
74	Ambulatory Surgery	$100,500	$83k–$125k	$131k	21
75	Med Surg	$100,264	$98k–$114k	$124k	15
76	Psychiatric	$100,152	$85k–$119k	$130k	65
77	Ambulatory	$100,064	$89k–$117k	$156k	8
78	Step-Down	$99,940	$92k–$106k	$121k	12
79	Medical-Surgical	$99,840	$92k–$115k	$141k	135
80	MDS	$99,840	$92k–$108k	$114k	9
81	Emergency	$99,715	$92k–$122k	$140k	183
82	Occupational Health	$99,695	$90k–$106k	$114k	8
83	Progressive Care Unit	$99,440	$97k–$110k	$121k	6
84	Neurology	$99,372	$84k–$132k	$141k	25
85	Medical/Surgical	$99,366	$84k–$113k	$126k	246
86	Primary Care	$99,343	$84k–$124k	$145k	22
87	ER	$99,320	$92k–$120k	$137k	131
88	Telemetry	$99,320	$94k–$109k	$142k	55
89	Trauma	$99,320	$85k–$108k	$136k	25
90	Long-Term Care	$99,320	$84k–$104k	$127k	18
91	Palliative Care	$99,216	$88k–$118k	$143k	57
92	Emergency Department	$99,055	$96k–$118k	$129k	30
93	Dialysis	$98,800	$95k–$105k	$114k	83
94	Wound Care	$98,800	$88k–$120k	$141k	76
95	Emergency Medicine	$98,800	$92k–$105k	$125k	61
96	Nephrology	$98,800	$95k–$105k	$114k	57
97	GI	$98,800	$88k–$108k	$109k	11
98	Clinic	$98,800	$85k–$105k	$148k	5
99	PCU	$98,652	$95k–$103k	$112k	12
100	Critical & Intensive Care	$98,280	$95k–$110k	$132k	84
101	Ophthalmology	$97,760	$93k–$108k	$113k	9
102	Hemodialysis	$97,760	$93k–$102k	$128k	8
103	Sub-acute care	$97,500	$91k–$99k	$105k	6
104	Urgent Care	$97,375	$97k–$129k	$162k	19
105	Dementia care	$97,240	$88k–$98k	$108k	5
106	Palliative Medicine	$97,170	$92k–$121k	$142k	10
107	Addiction Medicine	$97,168	$85k–$120k	$131k	7
108	Perioperative Care	$96,970	$89k–$118k	$131k	69
109	Outpatient	$96,970	$92k–$114k	$126k	56
110	Cardiology	$96,970	$89k–$107k	$135k	47
111	Inpatient	$96,970	$93k–$107k	$114k	29
112	Surgical	$96,970	$87k–$113k	$118k	21
113	Cath Lab	$96,970	$93k–$109k	$149k	20
114	Progressive Care	$96,970	$89k–$103k	$114k	19
115	Gastroenterology	$96,970	$87k–$132k	$151k	15
116	Pre-Op	$96,970	$87k–$102k	$116k	13
117	Interventional Radiology	$96,970	$84k–$97k	$97k	11
118	Bariatric	$96,970	$85k–$103k	$103k	5
119	Cardiovascular	$96,970	$90k–$118k	$124k	5
120	Electrophysiology	$96,970	$97k–$97k	$109k	5
121	Interventional Cardiology	$96,970	$97k–$99k	$104k	5
122	Neurosurgery	$96,954	$96k–$110k	$120k	6
123	Medical Practices	$96,720	$79k–$104k	$111k	9
124	Triage	$96,387	$90k–$103k	$106k	25
125	Pulmonary	$96,387	$94k–$151k	$164k	5
126	Assisted living	$95,930	$89k–$108k	$112k	6
127	Ambulatory Care	$95,748	$94k–$116k	$142k	24
128	Utilization Management	$95,690	$92k–$134k	$137k	7
129	Medical-surgical	$95,680	$94k–$98k	$114k	9
130	Endoscopy	$95,160	$86k–$101k	$118k	10
131	Pain Management	$94,994	$86k–$104k	$130k	14
132	Plastic Surgery	$94,806	$88k–$108k	$114k	11
133	End-of-life care	$94,750	$60k–$96k	$98k	6
134	Internet Publishing	$94,341	$76k–$106k	$114k	6
135	Women's Health	$94,214	$78k–$112k	$119k	15
136	Family Medicine	$94,000	$94k–$94k	$96k	8
137	Pain Medicine	$93,984	$90k–$128k	$145k	13
138	Ob/Gyn	$93,907	$79k–$97k	$105k	8
139	Postpartum	$93,907	$91k–$99k	$118k	8
140	Rehab	$93,750	$82k–$114k	$171k	16
141	Skilled Nursing	$93,600	$73k–$104k	$111k	41
142	Surgical Nursing	$93,600	$78k–$97k	$125k	17
143	Corrections	$93,600	$90k–$106k	$120k	13
144	Fertility	$93,600	$79k–$105k	$120k	11
145	Med-Surg	$93,600	$84k–$108k	$114k	11
146	Obstetrics	$93,560	$86k–$109k	$129k	6
147	Government Administration	$93,304	$68k–$112k	$123k	41
148	Neonatal	$93,246	$81k–$102k	$127k	6
149	Home Health	$93,210	$79k–$114k	$140k	431
150	Psych	$93,080	$82k–$102k	$117k	20
151	Hospice	$92,500	$80k–$114k	$135k	141
152	Care Management	$92,500	$86k–$93k	$114k	5
153	Behavioral Health	$91,520	$82k–$113k	$122k	43
154	Public Health	$91,520	$78k–$113k	$125k	21
155	Mental Health	$90,872	$77k–$114k	$122k	21
156	Hospitals and Health Care	$90,470	$74k–$102k	$121k	198
157	Higher Education	$90,105	$82k–$96k	$122k	5
158	Long-term care	$90,000	$80k–$106k	$117k	37
159	Research Services	$89,960	$86k–$96k	$105k	5
160	Skilled Nursing Facility	$89,680	$73k–$99k	$115k	24
161	Private Duty	$88,400	$79k–$113k	$125k	12
162	Memory care	$88,400	$88k–$95k	$98k	6
163	Developmental Disability Care	$87,880	$79k–$90k	$108k	6
164	Wellness and Fitness Services, Hospitals and Health Care, and Medical Practices	$87,547	$76k–$119k	$128k	5
165	Long-term Care	$87,430	$77k–$98k	$127k	38
166	Senior Care	$87,360	$82k–$98k	$100k	7
167	Recovery	$87,360	$87k–$107k	$135k	5
168	IT Services and IT Consulting	$86,493	$83k–$125k	$146k	6
169	Long Term Care	$86,320	$80k–$92k	$100k	22
170	Pre-op	$86,320	$78k–$125k	$127k	5
171	Private Duty Nursing	$85,800	$74k–$100k	$102k	14
172	Rehabilitation	$85,280	$68k–$102k	$114k	52
173	Admissions	$85,280	$85k–$95k	$95k	5
174	Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility	$84,500	$78k–$108k	$127k	10
175	Community Health	$84,450	$84k–$95k	$114k	34
176	Pediatric	$84,240	$75k–$109k	$136k	304
177	Military	$84,240	$76k–$86k	$109k	60
178	Ear Piercing	$84,240	$78k–$84k	$97k	6
179	Geriatric	$83,200	$67k–$101k	$119k	264
180	Aesthetics	$83,200	$83k–$122k	$139k	15
181	Plastics	$83,200	$83k–$84k	$110k	5
182	Spine	$83,200	$83k–$94k	$119k	5
183	Skilled nursing facility	$81,120	$46k–$94k	$109k	7
184	Assisted Living	$81,052	$66k–$100k	$119k	22
185	PreOp	$80,600	$76k–$91k	$112k	8
186	Dermatology	$78,000	$62k–$83k	$93k	8
187	Memory Care	$77,480	$50k–$90k	$110k	27
188	School Health	$75,323	$70k–$78k	$83k	8
189	Developmental Disabilities	$74,093	$66k–$78k	$80k	6
190	School Nursing	$73,046	$66k–$88k	$117k	24
191	Wellness	$72,800	$69k–$109k	$168k	5
192	Health and Human Services	$69,495	$62k–$75k	$90k	18
193	Special Education	$65,759	$66k–$77k	$77k	5
194	Post-Acute Care	$62,400	$47k–$87k	$93k	5
195	Post-acute care	$53,040	$51k–$73k	$89k	5
196	Dementia	$50,440	$50k–$51k	$127k	6
197	Dementia Care	$49,140	$43k–$99k	$114k	7

Specialties with fewer than five postings that disclose pay are left out rather than guessed at.

Questions nurses ask

Which nursing specialty pays the most right now?: CTICU, at a median posted offer of $146,832 a year across 6 live postings. This ranks by what employers are advertising today, so it moves as the market moves.
Is a higher-paying specialty worth switching to?: Pay is one axis. Shift pattern, nurse-to-patient ratios, setting, and how far you'd have to move decide whether the job is actually better. Use the pay figure as a floor for negotiation, not as career advice.
Where do these numbers come from?: Midpoint of stated salary ranges on live nursing job postings; values outside $20,000–$800,000/yr treated as parse artifacts and excluded; groups under 5 postings suppressed. Community-reported figures are anonymous, unverified, and reported separately.

Highest-paying nursing specialties right now

Nursing specialties ranked by posted median pay

Questions nurses ask