California DNP Salary

Through 2028, healthcare will be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the American economy, expanding by nearly 2 million jobs and climbing by a 14% rate, almost three times the expected growth in all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Featured Programs: Sponsored School(s) Sponsored School(s) All school search, finder, or match results, … Continue reading “California DNP Salary”

Through 2028, healthcare will be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the American economy, expanding by nearly 2 million jobs and climbing by a 14% rate, almost three times the expected growth in all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Continued job growth is one big reason why the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree continues to be in high demand. In just a one-year period (2017-18), enrollment in DNP programs rose by 12%, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported.

The state of California, as the most populous in the nation, is likely to be a hotspot of high wages and job availability for those with DNP degrees, which could include job titles such as nurse administrator, nursing instructor, midwife, registered nurse, nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetists.

SEE ALSO: California DNP Programs with Online Options

Average Doctor of Nursing Practice DNP Salaries in California

In fact, according to BLS data, all six of those job titles enjoy six-figure wages here in California. Here’s a summary of DNP job statistics in our state:

How Much Does a DNP Make in California?

The average salary ranges from $101,320 to $212,210, and all six jobs have six-figure wages in California.

Average annual California salary

Nurse Anesthetists$212,210
Nurse Midwives$139,990
Nurse Practitioners$133,780
Nurse Administrators$125,770
Registered Nurses$106,950
Postsecondary Nursing Instructors$101,320

Registered nursing jobs are most prominent, and nurse midwife jobs are the least common.

California employment per 1,000 jobs

Registered Nurses17.316
Nurse Administrators2.029
Nurse Practitioners0.789
Postsecondary Nursing Instructors0.199
Nurse Anesthetists0.07
Nurse Midwives0.041

Taking an average across cities and metro areas, the Vallejo-Fairfield area has the highest typical salary.

Average salary by city, top 5

Vallejo-Fairfield$163,950
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$151,808
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade$142,382
Salinas$137,730
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$133,583

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California Nurse Practitioner

The most common job title for DNP graduates is nurse practitioner, which in all states allows the DNP graduate to perform many of the same functions as a doctor, though California has one of the most restrictive practice environments in the U.S. Still, wages for this job are quite high across the state.

Average annual nurse practitioner wage by city/metro area, top 10

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$150,790
Vallejo-Fairfield$145,400
Salinas$140,610
Modesto$135,330
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$135,230
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$134,700
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara$133,710
Fresno$133,090
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade$130,040
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$129,770

Nurse practitioner jobs are most common in Madera, followed by Redding and Fresno.

Nurse practitioner employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area, top 10

Madera1.985
Redding1.466
Fresno1.434
Vallejo-Fairfield1.114
Modesto1.015
Santa Rosa1.008
Yuba City1.003
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario0.998
Chico0.954
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande0.941

California Registered Nurse

While registered nurse jobs don’t usually require a DNP degree, many nurses may seek jobs as RNs or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, or APRNs. Wages for RNs are high in most California cities, peaking in Salinas at $131,710.

Average annual registered nurse wage by city/metro area, top 10

Salinas$131,710
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$128,990
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$128,610
Santa Cruz-Watsonville$127,440
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade$120,530
Vallejo-Fairfield$115,900
Stockton-Lodi$111,140
Napa$106,060
Modesto$106,040
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara$104,680

Among all six DNP jobs we studied, RN positions are the most plentiful across California and the rest of the U.S. Chico has the highest concentration of these jobs, and all cities in the top 10 have RN employment rates of at least 18 per 1,000 jobs.

Registered nurse employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area, top 10

Chico31.358
Napa25.031
Modesto24.627
Redding24.006
Vallejo-Fairfield21.744
Hanford-Corcoran21.328
Fresno20.513
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario20.057
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade19.128
Stockton-Lodi18.39

California Nurse Administrator

DNP graduates who want to work in healthcare leadership positions may be interested in positions as nurse administrators, or medical and healthcare managers, which is how the BLS classifies this job. These positions are generally expansive within healthcare organizations, which helps push typical salaries up. In California, the Vallejo-Fairfield area offers the highest wage for nurse administrators, $157,240.

Average annual nurse administrator wage by city/metro area, top 10

Vallejo-Fairfield$157,240
Salinas$140,870
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$140,650
Santa Cruz-Watsonville$140,390
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$137,440
Yuba City$135,690
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara$125,650
San Diego-Carlsbad$125,580
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade$125,170
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$125,100

Nurse administrator is the second most-common DNP job among the six we analyzed in California, and these jobs are most plentiful in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville area.

Nurse administrator employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area, top 10

Santa Cruz-Watsonville3.483
Redding3.149
Vallejo-Fairfield2.899
Modesto2.866
Chico2.677
Hanford-Corcoran2.634
Madera2.468
Fresno2.369
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura2.141
Santa Rosa2.119

California Postsecondary Nursing Instructor

The rapid growth in DNP enrollment and nursing education generally means that qualified instructors in postsecondary nursing programs will continue to be in high demand. While data was not available in every California city, nursing instructors can expect to earn six figures in at least four California metro areas, led by the San Diego-Carlsbad area.

Average annual postsecondary nursing instructor wage by city/metro area

San Diego-Carlsbad$102,470
Fresno$102,270
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade$102,230
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$100,650
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$99,710
Napa$81,060

Postsecondary nursing instructor jobs are the fourth-most common of the jobs we studied, and they are most prevalent in Napa.

Postsecondary nursing instructor employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area

Napa0.558
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario0.375
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim0.219
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward0.177
San Diego-Carlsbad0.166
Fresno0.104
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade0.093

California Nurse Anesthetist

With the highest overall California wage, nurse anesthetists are likely to be the highest-paid DNP degree-holders. Their expected salary level is highest in the San Francisco metro area, where they make nearly a quarter-million dollars per year.

Average annual nurse anesthetist wage by city/metro area

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$242,890
Vallejo-Fairfield$237,260
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade$233,940
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$187,930

Generally, these jobs will be challenging to find, but in California, they are most prevalent in the Vallejo area.

Nurse anesthetist employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area

Vallejo-Fairfield0.78
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade0.123
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward0.115
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim0.075

California Nurse Midwife

Many DNP programs offer an education track in midwifery, which is the practice of assisting women through pregnancy, labor and after birth. Given the importance of the role in helping bring new life into the world, nurse midwives have the second-highest typical salary in California, and while the sample size is limited, wages are high from Southern to Northern California.

Average annual nurse midwife wage by city/metro area

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$147,820
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$129,130

Of the two metro areas with data, nurse midwife jobs are more common in San Francisco than Los Angeles.

Nurse midwife employment per 1,000 jobs by city/metro area

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward0.103
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim0.035

Conclusion

As the American population continues aging and laws extend healthcare coverage to people who previously couldn’t afford it, the need for healthcare professionals will continue to grow, and for those with a DNP degree or an interest in pursuing one, California is an ideal place to launch a career.

Resources

Our analysis of BLS data consisted of the average annual wage and employment per 1,000 jobs for California and metro areas for six DNP-related job titles: medical and health services manager, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, postsecondary nursing instructor and registered nurse. We used a custom table function, which can be accessed here.

Indeed.com data was culled from the site in mid-February 2020, including job titles, employers, locations, employer ratings and salaries (where available).

All other sources are linked directly in the text.