Pay by state · 53 areas
Clinical Nurse Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Clinical Nurse Specialists earn the most in California at $140,270 a year and the least in Alabama at $77,080 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $97,550. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $140,270California
- National median
- $97,550BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $77,080Alabama
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for clinical nurse specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$140,270
- 2Hawaii$136,320
- 3Oregon$129,010
- 4Washington$124,200
- 5Alaska$109,480
Lowest median pay
- 1Alabama$77,080
- 2Mississippi$77,090
- 3South Dakota$78,060
- 4Iowa$78,630
- 5Arkansas$78,940
All states
Clinical Nurse Specialist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of clinical nurse specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $140,270 | $122,440 | $173,170 | 338,940 | $126,689 |
| 2 | HIHawaii | $136,320 | $101,200 | $144,140 | 12,940 | $123,983 |
| 3 | OROregon | $129,010 | $107,220 | $134,420 | 39,730 | $124,815 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $124,200 | $103,100 | $134,240 | 69,260 | $116,061 |
| 5 | AKAlaska | $109,480 | $97,700 | $129,100 | 7,510 | $106,957 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $109,440 | $94,840 | $129,660 | 205,810 | $101,408 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $106,500 | $99,710 | $127,730 | 92,680 | $97,882 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $104,550 | $87,460 | $136,110 | 88,200 | $98,859 |
| 9 | NVNevada | $103,670 | $86,850 | $120,270 | 27,070 | $103,692 |
| 10 | CTConnecticut | $102,740 | $86,120 | $121,840 | 40,110 | $99,160 |
| 11 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $102,540 | $85,850 | $127,800 | 11,440 | $93,302 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $101,510 | $88,940 | $114,760 | 70,110 | $102,929 |
| 13 | RIRhode Island | $100,640 | $81,840 | $107,100 | 10,090 | $98,397 |
| 14 | COColorado | $100,260 | $84,590 | $108,930 | 54,490 | $97,291 |
| 15 | MDMaryland | $99,790 | $83,740 | $107,340 | 52,910 | $95,075 |
| 16 | NHNew Hampshire | $99,700 | $82,880 | $108,400 | 15,390 | $95,714 |
| 17 | DEDelaware | $99,520 | $85,900 | $111,720 | 14,290 | $99,711 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $99,500 | $81,810 | $108,580 | 73,150 | $98,831 |
| 19 | VTVermont | $97,460 | $82,210 | $105,210 | 7,410 | $99,492 |
| 20 | PAPennsylvania | $96,430 | $80,610 | $104,730 | 146,520 | $98,830 |
| 21 | ILIllinois | $95,990 | $80,020 | $105,960 | 138,910 | $96,030 |
| 22 | TXTexas | $95,970 | $79,170 | $105,100 | 271,380 | $98,880 |
| 23 | WIWisconsin | $95,530 | $81,920 | $102,610 | 68,060 | $101,525 |
| 24 | NMNew Mexico | $94,340 | $80,960 | $102,750 | 17,980 | $102,308 |
| 25 | MIMichigan | $94,300 | $82,080 | $103,450 | 104,950 | $98,008 |
| 26 | VAVirginia | $93,600 | $80,090 | $103,030 | 77,490 | $92,578 |
| 27 | GAGeorgia | $93,550 | $79,090 | $106,330 | 100,950 | $97,151 |
| 28 | IDIdaho | $92,460 | $80,900 | $102,320 | 16,880 | $96,823 |
| 29 | MEMaine | $86,990 | $79,890 | $101,460 | 16,540 | $89,634 |
| 30 | MTMontana | $85,280 | $80,210 | $100,800 | 10,950 | $90,105 |
| 31 | NENebraska | $84,730 | $79,240 | $99,640 | 24,720 | $94,037 |
| 32 | UTUtah | $84,600 | $80,050 | $105,130 | 27,420 | $85,572 |
| 33 | NCNorth Carolina | $84,350 | $78,770 | $102,040 | 111,120 | $89,424 |
| 34 | FLFlorida | $84,190 | $78,660 | $101,180 | 229,940 | $81,411 |
| 35 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $84,120 | $81,370 | $102,250 | 470 | N/A |
| 36 | WYWyoming | $83,760 | $77,890 | $101,100 | 5,330 | $90,365 |
| 37 | INIndiana | $83,500 | $78,750 | $100,410 | 68,980 | $89,468 |
| 38 | OKOklahoma | $82,920 | $77,350 | $98,910 | 38,270 | $94,396 |
| 39 | OHOhio | $82,510 | $79,200 | $99,030 | 143,730 | $88,937 |
| 40 | SCSouth Carolina | $82,360 | $77,320 | $97,230 | 49,750 | $87,852 |
| 41 | MOMissouri | $81,780 | $76,050 | $98,560 | 76,310 | $90,049 |
| 42 | TNTennessee | $81,500 | $75,460 | $95,250 | 72,200 | $88,712 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $81,040 | $75,670 | $97,200 | 50,300 | $89,886 |
| 44 | NDNorth Dakota | $80,730 | $69,620 | $93,080 | 11,340 | $90,750 |
| 45 | LALouisiana | $80,230 | $69,040 | $93,600 | 48,970 | $90,957 |
| 46 | WVWest Virginia | $80,130 | $68,160 | $99,770 | 23,430 | $89,534 |
| 47 | KSKansas | $79,320 | $73,300 | $94,700 | 33,800 | $88,067 |
| 48 | ARArkansas | $78,940 | $66,640 | $90,280 | 29,400 | $90,801 |
| 49 | IAIowa | $78,630 | $68,290 | $85,940 | 34,420 | $89,595 |
| 50 | SDSouth Dakota | $78,060 | $65,070 | $84,280 | 14,710 | $88,118 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $77,090 | $64,930 | $84,500 | 29,060 | $88,657 |
| 52 | ALAlabama | $77,080 | $63,500 | $83,380 | 54,340 | $86,779 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $39,880 | $38,170 | $49,340 | 21,270 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For clinical nurse specialists, the adjustment does not change the leader: California is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $126,689.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Clinical Nurse Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays clinical nurse specialists the most?
California reports the highest median wage for clinical nurse specialists at $140,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Hawaii ($136,320) and Oregon ($129,010).
Which state pays clinical nurse specialists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Alabama reports the lowest median for clinical nurse specialists at $77,080 a year, $63,190 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $84,120 and Puerto Rico reports $39,880.
In which states do clinical nurse specialists earn over $100,000?
14 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is California; the lowest of them is Colorado at $100,260. The rest report less, down to $77,080 in Alabama.
Is the highest-paying state the best for clinical nurse specialists after cost of living?
Yes. California stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $126,689 in national-average dollars from a raw $140,270. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.