San Mateo County registered nurse salary, 2025

544 people worked as registered nurses for San Mateo County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $203,980, overtime included.

What is the average registered nurse salary at San Mateo County?

Official pay range, hospital nurses1

$149,594 to $194,147

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for hospital nurses, the largest group, per diem rates aside

Average total pay, full-year registered nurses1

$203,980

average base pay $176,920

Based on the 316 of 544 registered nurses who worked the full year.

The largest group of San Mateo County's registered nurses (66 of 544) hold the title Ambulatory Care Nurse, with an official range of $149,594 to $176,779. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $177,009, $230 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$198,012
the middle registered nurse: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$11,854
average per full-year registered nurse
Starting salary
$152,859
bottom of the Public Health Nurse range
Average pay rank
6th
of 72 California employers

What does each registered nurse title at San Mateo County pay?

Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1

Hospital nurses

  1. Relief Nurse$148,533 to $185,640 · 51 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. Critical Care Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 49 people
    $197,229
  3. Medical Surgical Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 53 people
    $214,590
  4. Perioperative Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 7 people
    Fewer than 5
  5. Charge Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 14 people
    $240,062
  6. Clinical Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 6 people
    $205,404

Clinic nurses

  1. Ambulatory Care Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 66 people
    $177,009
  2. Charge Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 14 people
    $232,869
  3. Clinical Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 7 people
    $189,907
  4. Sart Nurse - Extra Help$194,667 to $230,090 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5

Other nurse titles

  1. Relief Nurse$148,533 to $185,640 · 16 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. Infusion Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  3. Long Term Care Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 8 people
    $214,265
  4. Perioperative Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 12 people
    $237,890
  5. Charge Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 8 people
    $234,681
  6. Clinical Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 16 people
    $207,676
  7. Sart Nurse - Extra Help$194,147 · 9 people
    Fewer than 5

Jail or juvenile hall nurses

  1. Relief Nurse$148,533 to $185,640 · 15 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. Correctional Health Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 45 people
    $207,869
  3. Correctional Health Nurse - Unclassified$149,594 to $176,779 · 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  4. Sart Nurse - Extra Help$149,594 to $176,779 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  5. Charge Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5

Behavioral health nurses

  1. Psychiatric Nurse$149,594 to $176,779 · 49 people
    $209,509
  2. Community Mental Health Nurse$161,574 to $180,648 · 16 people
    $179,387

Public health nurses

  1. Public Health Nurse$152,859 to $180,648 · 54 people
    $184,086
  2. Senior Public Health Nurse$152,901 to $191,090 · 11 people
    $205,971

Health system nurses

  1. Clinical Nurse$164,278 to $194,147 · 7 people
    $195,921

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Nurse practitioner and LVN pay at San Mateo County

Counted on their own, kept out of the registered nurse figures on this page. Each group's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each group's official ranges. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1

NursesPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Registered nurses544$149,594 to $194,147$203,980
Nurse practitioners77$194,667 to $230,090$214,709
LVNs38$86,528 to $102,294$118,843

Full-year nurse practitioners averaged $214,709, $10,729 more than registered nurses.

Does San Mateo County pay registered nurses more than other California employers?

Average total pay of full-year registered nurses: San Mateo County next to every California employer together.1

Full-year registered nurses at San Mateo County earned $22,816 more than the California average.

Average registered nurse pay in San Mateo County compared to nearby counties

Average total pay of full-year registered nurses across all employers in each county that borders San Mateo County, and how much more or less it pays.1

San Mateo County Shades match the state map.

Where does San Mateo County rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year registered nurses, by average total pay.1

All 72 California employers

San Mateo County ranks 6th of 72, above the middle employer.

San Mateo County
$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $138,446

Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.

Pension and health cover at San Mateo County

As reported by the county. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year registered nurse, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
2% at 62
the most common formula among San Mateo County's registered nurses
Employer pension contribution
$37,592
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$19,183
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about registered nurse pay at San Mateo County

What is the average registered nurse salary at San Mateo County?

Registered nurses at San Mateo County who worked the full year earned an average of $203,980 in 2025, overtime included. The middle registered nurse earned $198,012: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its registered nurse titles runs from $149,594 to $194,147.

How much overtime do registered nurses at San Mateo County earn?

Full-year registered nurses were paid an average of $11,854 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $4,822: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a registered nurse at San Mateo County?

$152,859 a year: the bottom of the official range for San Mateo County's Public Health Nurse title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year registered nurses averaged $203,980 in total pay.

How much does a nurse practitioner make at San Mateo County?

Full-year nurse practitioners at San Mateo County averaged $214,709 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $194,667 to $230,090.

What pension do registered nurses at San Mateo County get?

The most common pension formula among San Mateo County's registered nurses is 2% at 62, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $37,592 a year into the pension plan.

More public salaries at San Mateo County

Sources for the San Mateo County figures

Every person who held a registered nurse position at San Mateo County at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by San Mateo County.

How we read the data