California nursing pay

allnurses Guide · Jul 25

Well the pay in California can very greatly due to the high average cost of living. seriousely we have some of the highest housing costs and taxes outside of New York and New Jersey, My hsband and I are in the solid top 20% of wage erners here and we couldn't afford to the rent the house we own (been in his family for two generations.) And we are not in a large metropolitan area. WE are about 45 minutes to 2 hours from Los Angeles based on traffick patterns. I have worked with an ADN in the same hospital for close to 20 years and make $97/Hour.Still most of our bills are paid and we managed to get our son through his bachelor's degree without a single student loan.

I would leave California if I could but it's not feasible right now.

Anyway - I hope this sort of answered your questions

Hppy

Ruth E. Raleigh · Jul 26

The cost of living is VERY high here in California, be it Northern California, or Southern California. Like the above post said it depends on where you live I.e., close to a major city such as Los Angeles, or out more towards the lesser populated areas. The most expensive cost you will have is housing. Next the taxes. If you are single, the taxes are roughly 28 percent every 2 weeks. For instance, if you make 6K per month, then the taxes taken out can average about 1K every 2 weeks as there is state income tax, in addition to social security, Medicare and other taxes. Going to another state, such as Texas where there is NO state income tax, could probably net you another 20K per year in your pocket. EVERYONE wants to come to California! Beware that because of that, the taxes and general cost of living are so high. Finally, California has the highest welfare state in the nation with A LOT of fraud and abuse going on with persons receiving Medicaid, or Medi-cal here in California, who have more financial assets than most of us could never hope to own. All of us living here are paying for that through the high taxes imposed on our hard-earned pay.

Red Shirt 6, CNA · Jul 30

image.png.88313b4fb480f854f61bd6d3abd16112.png

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Aug 1

San Francisco NP here. Nurses in union-represented hospitals are paid well but that is because the cost of living is high. So to answer your question whether it's a fair pay, I would say it is absolutely fair because you can afford to live here with a nurse's salary. Unfortunately, in San Francisco, it would be hard for a new grad to get a job apart from getting into a competitive new RN grad program. Individual salary negotiation in a hospital represented by a union does not exist, rather, the union facilitates collective bargaining and a contract is made that details RN pay (or NP, CRNA, etc) through a step-wise progression based on years of experience.

Career Columnist / Author · Aug 3

As a new graduate in California, your primary goal should be to secure a job. After gaining a year or two of experience, you will become more marketable and competitive in premium locations. Consider taking a long-term approach.

bluescoop, BSN, RN · Aug 4

I'm an RN in San Francisco but only make $50/hr.