Santa Clara County registered nurse salary, 2025

4,345 people worked as registered nurses for Santa Clara County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $242,999, overtime included.

What is the average registered nurse salary at Santa Clara County?

Official pay range, health system nurses1

$146,474 to $264,530

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

Average total pay, full-year registered nurses1

$242,999

average base pay $204,325

Based on the 1,889 of 4,345 registered nurses who worked the full year.

The largest group of Santa Clara County's registered nurses (1,786 of 4,345) hold the title Clinical Nurse III, with an official range of $183,606 to $246,085. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $236,021, within the range.

Median total pay
$231,645
the middle registered nurse: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$16,296
average per full-year registered nurse
Starting salary
$150,028
bottom of the Public Health Nurse I range
Average pay rank
2nd
of 72 California employers

What does each registered nurse title at Santa Clara 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

Health system nurses

  1. Clinical Nurse I - Eh$146,474 to $178,038 · 195 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. Clinical Nurse II - Eh$155,289 to $188,752 · 41 people
    Fewer than 5
  3. Clinical Nurse I$157,437 to $191,360 · 47 people
    $190,101
  4. Clinical Nurse I - U$157,437 to $191,360 · 12 people
    Fewer than 5
  5. Clinical Nurse II$166,914 to $202,883 · 525 people
    $197,705
  6. Clinical Nurse III - Eh$170,818 to $228,937 · 14 people
    Fewer than 5
  7. Clinical Nurse II Longevity - A$171,088 to $207,956 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  8. Clinical Nurse III$183,606 to $246,085 · 1,786 people
    $236,021
  9. Clinical Nurse III Longevity - A$188,200 to $252,231 · 229 people
    $260,165
  10. Clinical Nurse III Longevity - B$192,789 to $258,386 · 217 people
    $274,643
  11. Clinical Nurse III Longevity - C$197,375 to $264,530 · 152 people
    $277,793
  12. Per Diem Clinical Nurse$232,858 to $294,418 · 839 people
    $271,684

Jail or juvenile hall nurses

  1. Clinical Nurse I - Eh$146,474 to $178,038 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. Clinical Nurse II - Eh$155,289 to $188,752 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  3. Clinical Nurse II$166,914 to $202,883 · 30 people
    $268,409
  4. Clinical Nurse III$183,606 to $246,085 · 97 people
    $307,405
  5. Clinical Nurse III Longevity - A$188,200 to $252,231 · 9 people
    $376,436
  6. Clinical Nurse III Longevity - B$192,789 to $258,386 · 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  7. Clinical Nurse III Longevity - C$197,375 to $264,530 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  8. Per Diem Clinical Nurse$232,858 to $294,418 · 58 people
    Fewer than 5

Public health nurses

  1. Public Health Nurse I$150,028 to $181,732 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5
  2. Public Health Nurse II$168,214 to $203,911 · 69 people
    $194,751
  3. Public Health Nurse III$181,064 to $219,461 · 10 people
    $212,493

Behavioral health nurses

  1. Clinical Nurse III$183,606 to $246,085 · fewer than 5 people
    Fewer than 5

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 Santa Clara 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 nurses4,345$146,474 to $264,530$242,999
Nurse practitioners122$225,842 to $303,566$292,304
LVNs430$84,735 to $102,351$102,834

Full-year nurse practitioners averaged $292,304, $49,305 more than registered nurses.

Does Santa Clara County pay registered nurses more than other California employers?

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

Full-year registered nurses at Santa Clara County earned $61,835 more than the California average.

Average registered nurse pay in Santa Clara County compared to nearby counties

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

Santa Clara County Shades match the state map.

Where does Santa Clara County rank among California employers?

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

All 72 California employers

Santa Clara County ranks 2nd of 72, above the middle employer.

Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County's registered nurses
Employer pension contribution
$15,151
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$24,732
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about registered nurse pay at Santa Clara County

What is the average registered nurse salary at Santa Clara County?

Registered nurses at Santa Clara County who worked the full year earned an average of $242,999 in 2025, overtime included. The middle registered nurse earned $231,645: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its registered nurse titles runs from $146,474 to $264,530.

How much overtime do registered nurses at Santa Clara County earn?

Full-year registered nurses were paid an average of $16,296 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $5,933: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a registered nurse at Santa Clara County?

$150,028 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Clara County's Public Health Nurse I title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year registered nurses averaged $242,999 in total pay.

How much does a nurse practitioner make at Santa Clara County?

Full-year nurse practitioners at Santa Clara County averaged $292,304 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $225,842 to $303,566.

What pension do registered nurses at Santa Clara County get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Clara County's registered nurses is 2% at 62, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $15,151 a year into the pension plan.

More public salaries at Santa Clara County

Sources for the Santa Clara County figures

Every person who held a registered nurse position at Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County.

How we read the data