State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Acute Care Nurse Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Acute Care Nurses earn a median of $97,550 per year ($46.90/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.9% through 2034, with about 189,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 29-1141Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $97,550
- Projected growth
- +4.9%
- Openings a year
- 189,100
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Acute Care Nurse, Cardiac Interventional Care Nurse, Cardiovascular ICU Nurse (Cardiovascular Intense Care Unit Nurse), Cardiovascular Surgery Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Cardiovascular Surgery ACNP), Charge Nurse, DSU Nurse (Day Surgery Unit Nurse).
How much do Acute Care Nurses make?
10th percentile$68,940
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$80,330
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$97,550
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$112,350
Upper quartile
90th percentile$137,470
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $97,550 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $46.90/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $101,420 |
| People employed | 3,379,720 |
Versus all US occupations
At $97,550, Acute Care Nurses earn 91% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $46,570 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
The median is typical for the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $137,470 or more while the bottom 10% earn $68,940, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 76% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $140,270, and still leads at $126,689 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Acute Care Nurses the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $140,270 | $126,689 | 338,940 |
| Hawaii | $136,320 | $123,983 | 12,940 |
| Oregon | $129,010 | $124,815 | 39,730 |
| Washington | $124,200 | $116,061 | 69,260 |
| Alaska | $109,480 | $106,957 | 7,510 |
| New York | $109,440 | $101,408 | 205,810 |
| New Jersey | $106,500 | $97,882 | 92,680 |
| Massachusetts | $104,550 | $98,859 | 88,200 |
| Nevada | $103,670 | $103,692 | 27,070 |
| Connecticut | $102,740 | $99,160 | 40,110 |
Is Acute Care Nurse a growing career?
Acute Care Nurses4.9%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.9% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Acute Care Nurses to change 4.9% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 166,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 189,100 openings are projected each year, 5.6% of the 3,391,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for healthcare services will increase because of the large number of older people, who typically have more medical problems than younger people. Registered nurses also will be needed to educate and care for patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.
Job growth is expected across most types of healthcare settings, including hospitals and outpatient care centers that provide same-day services, such as chemotherapy, rehabilitation, and surgery. In addition, because many older people prefer to be treated at home or in residential care facilities, registered nurses will be in demand in those settings.
How to become an Acute Care Nurse
Registered nurses usually take one of three education paths: a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an associate’s degree in nursing, or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses must be licensed.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as acute care nurses.
- Bachelor's Degree57.1%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)19.1%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate9.5%
- Master's Degree4.8%
- Post-Master's Certificate4.8%
What does an Acute Care Nurse do?
Provide advanced nursing care for patients with acute conditions such as heart attacks, respiratory distress syndrome, or shock. May care for pre- and post-operative patients or perform advanced, invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their families.
Day-to-day tasks
- Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members.
- Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.
- Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
- Obtain specimens or samples for laboratory work.
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
- Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments.
- Assess the needs of patients' family members or caregivers.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where acute care nurses work
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 59% |
|---|---|
| Ambulatory healthcare services | 19% |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 6% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 5% |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Speaking4.1/5
- Critical Thinking4.1/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Writing4.0/5
- Active Learning4.0/5
- Monitoring4.0/5
- Learning Strategies3.4/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation4.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Coordination4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0/5
- Instructing3.5/5
- Time Management3.5/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Acute Care Nurse?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary3.7
Investigativeprimary5.7
Artistic1.8
Socialprimary5.8
Enterprising1.8
Conventional3.3
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Acute Care Nurse: frequently asked questions
How much do Acute Care Nurses make?
Acute Care Nurses earn a median of $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 91% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $46.90/hr. The middle half earn between $80,330 and $112,350. The top 10% earn $137,470 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Acute Care Nurse?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Acute Care Nurses, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 57.1% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Acute Care Nurse a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.9% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 189,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Acute Care Nurse do?
Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their families. A core O*NET task: discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.
Which states pay Acute Care Nurses the most?
The highest state medians for Acute Care Nurses are California ($140,270), Hawaii ($136,320), Oregon ($129,010) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Acute Care Nurse?
O*NET scores Acute Care Nurses highest on the Social, Investigative and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ISFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.