Med-Surg Nurse salary
A med-surg nurse earns about $97,550 a year — roughly $46.90/hour, with most earning between $80,330 and $112,350. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Med-Surg Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$97,550
Hourly
$46.90/hr
- Typical range
- $80,330–$112,350
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $137,470
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $68,940
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Med-surg certification (CMSRN)
- Patient ratios and unit acuity
- Nights and weekend differentials
- Hospital vs system pay scale
- Metro labor market
About Med-Surg Nurses
What they do
Medical-surgical nurses care for adult inpatients with a wide mix of conditions — post-operative recovery, infections, and chronic-disease flare-ups — usually managing four to six patients at once. Med-surg is the most common hospital nursing role and the training ground many specialties recruit from.
How to become a Med-Surg Nurse
Med-surg nurses are RNs who build broad bedside experience and can earn the CMSRN (Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse) credential after about two years of practice.
What drives the pay
Public wage data doesn’t separately track med-surg nurses, so figures are based on registered nurse pay — and because med-surg is effectively the general hospital RN role, its estimate tracks the RN median closely rather than carrying a specialty premium.
Med-Surg Nurse pay by state
Estimated med-surg 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 | $140,270 | +44% vs national |
| Hawaii | $136,320 | +40% vs national |
| Oregon | $129,010 | +32% vs national |
| Washington | $124,200 | +27% vs national |
| Alaska | $109,480 | +12% vs national |
| New York | $109,440 | +12% vs national |
| New Jersey | $106,500 | +9% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $104,550 | +7% vs national |
Why there is no med-surg 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 med-surg nurse specifically. Any state-by-state med-surg 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would be the registered-nurse figure with a specialty adjustment applied — a model, not a local measurement, so we do not publish one.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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Med-Surg Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Med-Surg Nurses make?
- Med-Surg Nurses earn an estimated $97,550 a year — about $46.90 an hour, with most between $80,330 and $112,350. Med-Surg 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 Med-Surg Nurses?
- Most Med-Surg Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $46.90 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $38.62 to $54.01. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays Med-Surg Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Med-Surg Nurses, at roughly $140,270 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 Med-Surg Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Med-Surg 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
Med-Surg Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.00×, 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.