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.
Critical Care Nurse Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Critical Care Nurses is $97,550 a year ($46.90/hr), according to 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: Certified Critical Care Nurse, Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), ICU Critical Care NP (Intensive Care Unit Critical Care Nurse Practitioner), ICU Nurse (Intensive Care Unit Nurse), Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse (ICU RN).
How much do Critical 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, Critical 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 Critical 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 Critical Care Nurse a growing career?
Critical Care Nurses4.9%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.9% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Critical 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 a Critical 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 critical care nurses.
- Bachelor's Degree50.0%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)35.7%
- Master's Degree10.7%
- Post-Master's Certificate3.6%
What does a Critical Care Nurse do?
Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
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
- Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
- Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
- Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
- Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.
- Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
- Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
- Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.
- Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where critical 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
- Monitoring4.1/5
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Active Learning3.9/5
- Writing3.4/5
- Science3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Coordination3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Operations Monitoring3.4/5
- Instructing3.3/5
- Time Management3.3/5
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Human resources software
- Information retrieval or search software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Critical Care Nurse?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic3.9
Investigativeprimary5.0
Artistic1.7
Socialprimary5.6
Enterprising2.2
Conventionalprimary4.2
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.
Critical Care Nurse: frequently asked questions
How much do Critical Care Nurses make?
Critical 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 a Critical Care Nurse?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Critical Care Nurses, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Critical 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 a Critical 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: evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Medical software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Critical Care Nurses the most?
The highest state medians for Critical Care Nurses are California ($140,270), Hawaii ($136,320), Oregon ($129,010) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Critical Care Nurse?
O*NET scores Critical Care Nurses highest on the Social, Investigative and Conventional 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 that lines up most closely with ISFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.