Cath Lab Nurse salary
A cath lab nurse earns about $107,310 a year — roughly $51.59/hour, with most earning between $88,360 and $123,590. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Cath Lab Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$107,310
Hourly
$51.59/hr
- Typical range
- $88,360–$123,590
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $151,220
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $75,830
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Critical-care or cardiac ICU background
- On-call and callback pay
- Procedural sedation competency
- ACLS and cardiac device knowledge
- Hospital size and interventional volume
About Cath Lab Nurses
What they do
Cath lab nurses prep and circulate for coronary interventions, titrate moderate sedation, watch hemodynamic waveforms and rhythms in real time, assist during pacemaker and ablation procedures, manage arterial access sites afterward, and respond to STEMI activations at any hour when on call.
How to become a Cath Lab Nurse
The typical path runs through critical care: RNs spend time in an ICU, telemetry, or emergency unit first, then train into the cath lab under experienced staff. ACLS is required, many pursue CCRN or study alongside RCIS-credentialed techs, and comfort with rapid, high-stakes procedures is essential.
What drives the pay
Since official wage data folds cath lab nurses into the general RN category, these figures are derived from registered nurse pay with an upward adjustment. The premium reflects structural factors: mandatory call coverage with callback hours, procedural sedation responsibility, and the scarce critical-care background hospitals require for the role.
Cath Lab Nurse pay by state
Estimated cath lab nurse pay where this role tends to earn the most. Open a state for the full local picture.
| State | Est. annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $154,300 | +44% vs national |
| Hawaii | $149,950 | +40% vs national |
| Oregon | $141,910 | +32% vs national |
| Washington | $136,620 | +27% vs national |
| Alaska | $120,430 | +12% vs national |
| New York | $120,380 | +12% vs national |
| New Jersey | $117,150 | +9% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $115,010 | +7% vs national |
Why there is no cath lab nurse pay table by state
The federal wage survey behind these figures (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) measures nursing by occupation code, not by clinical specialty. There is a published figure for Registered Nurse in every state, but none for cath lab nurse specifically. Any state-by-state cath lab nurse table would be the registered-nurse figure with a specialty adjustment applied — a model, not a local measurement, so we do not publish one.
For pay where you live, use the measured data: registered nurse salary by state, then apply the specialty difference described above. Our methodology explains how that adjustment is derived and where it is weakest.
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Cath Lab Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Cath Lab Nurses make?
- Cath Lab Nurses earn an estimated $107,310 a year — about $51.59 an hour, with most between $88,360 and $123,590. Cath Lab Nurses aren't reported as a separate role in public wage data, so this is a specialty estimate that starts from registered nurse pay.
- What is the hourly pay for Cath Lab Nurses?
- Most Cath Lab Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $51.59 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $42.48 to $59.42. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays Cath Lab Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Cath Lab Nurses, at roughly $154,300 a year, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states. State figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living.
- Why is Cath Lab Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Cath Lab Nurses as a separate occupation, so we start from registered nurse pay and apply the pay difference these nurses typically see. The figure is clearly labeled an estimate and sharpens as nurses submit their own pay.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
Cath Lab Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.10×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2025. Last reviewed July 17, 2026. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed July 17, 2026.