Psychiatric Nurse salary
A psychiatric nurse earns about $100,480 a year — roughly $48.31/hour, with most earning between $82,740 and $115,720. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Psychiatric Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$100,480
Hourly
$48.31/hr
- Typical range
- $82,740–$115,720
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $141,590
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $71,010
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Psychiatric certification (PMH)
- Inpatient vs outpatient setting
- Shift differentials
- Metro labor market
About Psychiatric Nurses
What they do
Psychiatric / mental-health nurses care for patients with behavioral-health needs — assessing risk, managing psychiatric medications, de-escalating crises, and supporting therapeutic milieus on inpatient units and in the community.
How to become a Psychiatric Nurse
Psych nurses are RNs who develop behavioral-health experience and may earn the PMH-BC (psychiatric-mental health) certification; the advanced-practice version (PMHNP) is a separate NP track.
What drives the pay
Public wage data doesn’t separately track psychiatric RNs; values are based on registered nurse pay. Demand for behavioral-health staffing and safety-related differentials keep pay near or slightly above the RN median.
Psychiatric Nurse pay by state
Estimated psychiatric 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 | $144,480 | +44% vs national |
| Hawaii | $140,410 | +40% vs national |
| Oregon | $132,880 | +32% vs national |
| Washington | $127,930 | +27% vs national |
| Alaska | $112,760 | +12% vs national |
| New York | $112,720 | +12% vs national |
| New Jersey | $109,700 | +9% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $107,690 | +7% vs national |
Why there is no psychiatric 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 psychiatric nurse specifically. Any state-by-state psychiatric 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would be the registered-nurse figure with a specialty adjustment applied — a model, not a local measurement, so we do not publish one.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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Psychiatric Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Psychiatric Nurses make?
- Psychiatric Nurses earn an estimated $100,480 a year — about $48.31 an hour, with most between $82,740 and $115,720. Psychiatric 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 Psychiatric Nurses?
- Most Psychiatric Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $48.31 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $39.78 to $55.63. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays Psychiatric Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Psychiatric Nurses, at roughly $144,480 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 Psychiatric Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Psychiatric 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
Psychiatric Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.03×, 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.