Wound Care Nurse salary
A wound care 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.
Wound Care 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
- CWOCN / WCC certification
- Hospital consult service vs wound clinic vs home health
- Ostomy and continence scope of practice
- Facility pressure-injury quality programs
- Regional wage variation
About Wound Care Nurses
What they do
Wound care nurses evaluate wound etiology and staging, select debridement and dressing protocols, fit and troubleshoot ostomy appliances, photograph and document healing progress for reimbursement, and consult across units to prevent hospital-acquired pressure injuries — blending direct treatment with staff education and quality reporting.
How to become a Wound Care Nurse
Entry starts as an RN, usually with bedside experience in med-surg, home health, or surgical units where complex wounds are common. Formal specialization comes through a WOCN-accredited education program leading to the CWOCN credential, while the Wound Care Certified (WCC) designation offers an alternative route recognized by many employers.
What drives the pay
Wage surveys report wound care nurses inside the broader registered nurse category, so these figures are modeled from RN pay. The specialty carries credential requirements that add a modest premium, but the largely daytime, consult-based schedule removes the night and weekend differentials bedside nurses collect — offsetting forces that keep typical earnings close to the overall RN median.
Wound Care Nurse pay by state
Estimated wound care 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 wound care 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 wound care nurse specifically. Any state-by-state wound care 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.
Compare next
Roles nurses weigh against this one.
Wound Care Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Wound Care Nurses make?
- Wound Care Nurses earn an estimated $97,550 a year — about $46.90 an hour, with most between $80,330 and $112,350. Wound Care 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 Wound Care Nurses?
- Most Wound Care 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 Wound Care Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Wound Care 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 Wound Care Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Wound Care 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
Wound Care 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.