Registered Nurses in California
The median registered nurse in California earns $140,270 a year and keeps $98,340 of it — $8,195 a month.
Take-home pay, California
$98,340
from $140,270 gross · $3,782 every two weeks · 29.9% effective tax rate
Gross median from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates, May 2025 estimates (source file). Tax computed here from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and California revenue department tables. Single filer, 2026 tax year, annual liability rather than paycheck withholding.
By filing status
Filing status changes the standard deduction and the bracket widths, so the same salary yields a different answer.
| Filing status | Federal tax | State tax | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $22,399 | $8,800 | $98,340 |
| Married filing jointly | $13,199 | $4,771 | $111,569 |
| Head of household | $18,656 | $8,800 | $102,083 |
Every state, ranked by what you keep
Gross pay and take-home pay do not rank the same way. A state can pay less and still leave you with more.
| # | State | Median salary | Take-home | Tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $140,270 | $98,340 | 30% |
| 2 | Washington | $124,200 | $96,157 | 23% |
| 3 | Hawaii | $136,320 | $95,878 | 30% |
| 4 | Oregon | $129,010 | $88,980 | 31% |
| 5 | Alaska | $109,480 | $85,849 | 22% |
| 6 | Nevada | $103,670 | $81,762 | 21% |
| 7 | New York | $109,440 | $80,404 | 27% |
| 8 | New Jersey | $106,500 | $79,159 | 26% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $99,700 | $78,969 | 21% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $104,550 | $77,373 | 26% |
| 11 | Connecticut | $102,740 | $77,032 | 25% |
| 12 | Arizona | $99,500 | $76,743 | 23% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $100,640 | $76,452 | 24% |
| 14 | Texas | $95,970 | $76,345 | 20% |
| 15 | Colorado | $100,260 | $75,660 | 25% |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $102,540 | $75,219 | 27% |
| 17 | Minnesota | $101,510 | $74,863 | 26% |
| 18 | Maryland | $99,790 | $74,656 | 25% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $96,430 | $73,708 | 24% |
| 20 | Delaware | $99,520 | $73,615 | 26% |
| 21 | Vermont | $97,460 | $73,471 | 25% |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $95,530 | $72,353 | 24% |
| 23 | New Mexico | $94,340 | $71,906 | 24% |
| 24 | Illinois | $95,990 | $71,752 | 25% |
| 25 | Michigan | $94,300 | $71,413 | 24% |
| 26 | Georgia | $93,550 | $70,723 | 24% |
| 27 | Virginia | $93,600 | $70,110 | 25% |
| 28 | Idaho | $92,460 | $69,829 | 24% |
| 29 | Florida | $84,190 | $68,058 | 19% |
| 30 | Wyoming | $83,760 | $67,755 | 19% |
| 31 | Tennessee | $81,500 | $66,165 | 19% |
| 32 | Utah | $84,600 | $65,505 | 23% |
| 33 | Nebraska | $84,730 | $65,462 | 23% |
| 34 | Ohio | $82,510 | $65,389 | 21% |
| 35 | Montana | $85,280 | $65,367 | 23% |
| 36 | North Carolina | $84,350 | $65,313 | 23% |
| 37 | North Dakota | $80,730 | $65,309 | 19% |
| 38 | Maine | $86,990 | $65,303 | 25% |
| 39 | Indiana | $83,500 | $65,139 | 22% |
| 40 | South Carolina | $82,360 | $64,227 | 22% |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $82,920 | $63,915 | 23% |
| 42 | South Dakota | $78,060 | $63,745 | 18% |
| 43 | Missouri | $81,780 | $63,456 | 22% |
| 44 | Louisiana | $80,230 | $63,251 | 21% |
| 45 | Kentucky | $81,040 | $63,123 | 22% |
| 46 | West Virginia | $80,130 | $62,421 | 22% |
| 47 | Arkansas | $78,940 | $61,931 | 22% |
| 48 | Iowa | $78,630 | $61,810 | 21% |
| 49 | Kansas | $79,320 | $61,005 | 23% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $77,090 | $60,711 | 21% |
| 51 | Alabama | $77,080 | $59,467 | 23% |
Registered Nurses in California: questions
What is the average registered nurses salary in California?›
The median is $140,270 a year, about $67.44 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 estimates. Median means half of registered nurses in California earn more and half earn less.
What is the take-home pay on $140,270 in California?›
About $98,340 a year — $8,195 a month, or $3,782 every two weeks — for a single filer in the 2026 tax year, after $22,399 federal income tax, $10,731 in Social Security and Medicare, and $8,800 California income tax.
Do registered nurses earn more in California than elsewhere?›
Yes. At $140,270, California pays $46,670 above the $93,600 median across all states, ranking 1 of 51 on gross pay. On take-home pay after tax it ranks 1.
Where do registered nurses keep the most money?›
Ranked by take-home rather than gross, the best-paying states for this occupation are California ($98,340), Washington ($96,157), Hawaii ($95,878). Gross pay and take-home pay do not rank the same way, because state income tax varies from nothing to over 10%.
What is the effective tax rate on $140,270 in California?›
29.9% of gross pay, combining federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax. The marginal rate — what you would pay on the next dollar earned — is 40.9%.