Pay Differences Across California

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Mar 24, 2010

Southern California is a very large area. The areas that pay the worst are:

Orange County

San Diego

Reason for this is: everyone wants to live here, and doesn't care if they make less money.

I live in the Inland Empire, which is east or Orange County, and north of San Diego. Yes, we make 30 to 32/hr out here to start, BUT you can get newer homes for around 150k (since the housing market crashed). That's not happening in Orange County or San Diego.

I believe Bakersfield also pays well for the area, and as you had mentioned, fresno and such, but it's because no one wants to live there. They have to pay more to recruit nurses typically. Although that is changing now that many New Grads can't find jobs.

caliotter3 · Mar 24, 2010

I've always thought that SoCal pays much lower because there is a larger base of available employees, with more hitting the market every time one of the schools graduates a new crop of NCLEX takers. The more people competing for jobs, the less they are willing to accept for pay. When I have met other nurses, they have acknowledged that they are willing to work for less because they want to be working. Supply and demand.

linRdsNay · Mar 24, 2010

thanks all...thats what i was thinking :)

Music in My Heart · Mar 24, 2010

I'd also be curious as to the rate of unionization in SoCal vs. NorCal. Y'also gotta consider bennies in the mix.

boogeysmomRN · Mar 25, 2010

Southern California is a very large area. The areas that pay the worst are:
Orange County
San Diego
Reason for this is: everyone wants to live here, and doesn't care if they make less money.
I live in the Inland Empire, which is east or Orange County, and north of San Diego. Yes, we make 30 to 32/hr out here to start, BUT you can get newer homes for around 150k (since the housing market crashed). That's not happening in Orange County or San Diego.
I believe Bakersfield also pays well for the area, and as you had mentioned, fresno and such, but it's because no one wants to live there. They have to pay more to recruit nurses typically. Although that is changing now that many New Grads can't find jobs.

I work in San Diego as a new grad and our salary starts at 30 for ADNs and 32 for BSNs and we get a bump after orientation is over. A friend works in LA and I know she is getting a little less than we are in San Diego, so I guess it all depends on the hospital you are at.

Surgical1968 · May 3, 2010

linRdsNay you have observed something that I have also carefully looked into before. California pays very different salaries for RNs, but the difference between Northern Cal and Souther Cal is striking. Southern Cal has many areas with very high costs of living but the nursing pay is somewhat low. I have never understood why they pay nurses so low in LA, Orange Cnty, and San Diego compared to up north. I have observed that in Northern Cal they pay very well in the Bay Area which is a very desireable place to live (but expensive). The central valley of California also pays extremely well and it is probably the best financial option when you look at nurse pay versus cost of living. Others have mentioned that this was because it was not desireable but I do not think that is the whole story. There are plenty of areas in the U.S. that are not desireable but the nursing pay is quite low. I have nothing to do with the nursing union but I think that is part of the reason why. The California Nurses Assoc. is very strong in Northern Cal and I really think that is part of why the pay and benefits are so high there. I work in the OR for example and only in Northern Cal do OR Nurses get paid 50% of their salary to be on standby (on call). No nurse I work with has ever been paid that in any other state or area they have worked. This is just one example. We make more here being on call than nurses make in other parts of California for their hourly rate. I am not bragging, I am trying to make a point that nurses in Southern Cal and elsewhere are not paid enough.

mdfog10 · May 3, 2010

I believe that the difference in pay rates between Northern and Southern California is because Northern California to a large degree has been "unionized" since the 1940s. Southern Ca is catching up in union membership and pay but there is still a large gap. I work for a hospital system that has hospitals from sacramento to san diego. Sacramento area is at least 7-10$ less and LA is $12/hr less. Hospitals always state it is cost of living, etc. But the reality is they pay you what they can get away with. :twocents:

Surgical1968 · May 7, 2010

Yes Mdfog10 I agree it is because Northern Cal is unionized so strongly. I actually work at a non union hospital but they have no choice but to compete with the union hospitals so they offer us just as good of a deal. I assure you they only offer this high pay because they have to, not because they want to. Northern California is one of the few places in the country that nurses are paid what they should be and are given a great deal of respect. I hope this trend goes elsewhere in the U.S. Nursing is a very hard job but hosptials and other employers will pay as low as they can for us. For some reason, they want to pay us low for the job we do. Yes we can work overtime and make decent money, but who wants to work 60 hours a week, especially in a physically demanding job like this. Most nurses I know cannot work more than 32 hours because of the demands of the job. I don't really believe that hospital administrators and HR departments understand how difficult our jobs really are, nor do I think most really want to know. We as a group need to respect our industry and get the pay up for our profession.

By the way I don't know who you work for with hospitals across the state but I do know Kaiser pays nurses in Fresno and Sacramento the same as their nurses in the Bay Area. I know that UC Davis Med Center in Sacramento pays their nurses well too and they have fantasic retirement benefeits. It is not uncommon to to make $60 per hour in the San Francisco Bay Area with ten years nursing experience and $50 plus per hour in Sacramento and other parts of the central valley of Northern California. These are day shift hourly rates without differentials. I wanted to move to Southern California at one time but I was astonished at how low they pay in all of Southern California. Nurses down there need to demand more. They are not being paid right for the cost of living down there.....just my opinion.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · May 7, 2010

Well it's because most people will take the pay cut for orange county or san diego.

In the inland empire it's not that expensive....since the crash (but even before) you could find reasonable houses....

Now brand new ones can go for 150k to 200k. Nurses here start at 32/hr, a nurse with 10 years experience would easily make 40/hr.

Not quite the same salary as the bay area, but definitely cheaper housing wise.

nurseJU · May 7, 2010

How about for SNF/LTC in San Francisco? I am curious as to how much a new grad may start off making in this specialty area.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · May 13, 2010

How about for SNF/LTC in San Francisco? I am curious as to how much a new grad may start off making in this specialty area.

Well, if you can even get a job in one of those (yes, competition is so rough, that even nursing homes are competitive), I think I had a friend start at one at 35/hr a year ago. They paid lower typically then the hospitals around the area. I would imagine if you were able to land a job though, you could find one for 40/hr +. Really low salary considering the cost of living.