How pay is spread out
CRNA pay has an unusually wide spread, from $155,250 at the 10th percentile to $339,500 at the 90th. Practice setting and overtime or call arrangements can account for part of that.
CRNA salary by state
State medians run from $126,600 in Utah to $341,210 in Alaska. The BLS does not publish an estimate for every state, and some of the figures below rest on few workers. Once prices are taken into account, Alaska comes out on top at about $333,300.
| Compared with the top state | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $341,210 | 90 | $333,350 | |
| New York | $321,030 | 2,450 | $297,470 | |
| Massachusetts | $295,550 | 500 | $279,460 | |
| California | $292,410 | 2,230 | $264,100 | |
| New Jersey | $291,350 | — | $267,770 | |
| Illinois | $286,830 | 1,140 | $286,950 | |
| Vermont | $283,060 | 40 | $288,960 | |
| West Virginia | $278,530 | 740 | $311,220 | |
| Montana | $277,380 | — | $293,070 | |
| New Hampshire | $275,980 | 490 | $264,950 | |
| Washington | $274,390 | 760 | $256,410 | |
| Wisconsin | $273,170 | 990 | $290,310 | |
| Iowa | $273,070 | 380 | $311,150 | |
| Oregon | $272,330 | 370 | $263,470 | |
| Minnesota | $266,190 | 2,130 | $269,910 | |
| South Carolina | $265,480 | 1,010 | $283,180 | |
| South Dakota | $263,930 | 400 | $297,940 | |
| Idaho | $263,130 | — | $275,550 | |
| Wyoming | $255,250 | 80 | $275,380 | |
| Virginia | $252,110 | 700 | $249,360 | |
| Arizona | $248,660 | 310 | $246,990 | |
| Maine | $247,470 | 380 | $254,990 | |
| Michigan | $247,010 | 2,300 | $256,720 | |
| Nebraska | $246,730 | 430 | $273,830 | |
| Texas | $244,990 | 4,060 | $252,420 | |
| North Dakota | $244,240 | 250 | $274,550 | |
| Missouri | $242,630 | 1,550 | $267,160 | |
| Connecticut | $236,960 | 480 | $228,700 | |
| Ohio | $231,810 | 2,300 | $249,870 | |
| Georgia | $224,630 | 1,170 | $233,280 | |
| North Carolina | $224,610 | 3,340 | $238,120 | |
| Arkansas | $224,280 | — | $257,980 | |
| Maryland | $223,140 | 840 | $212,600 | |
| Kentucky | $222,520 | 1,640 | $246,810 | |
| Louisiana | $222,130 | 900 | $251,830 | |
| Pennsylvania | $221,530 | 2,500 | $227,040 | |
| Kansas | $212,090 | 910 | $235,480 | |
| Tennessee | $211,450 | 1,690 | $230,160 | |
| Florida | $210,570 | 4,600 | $203,620 | |
| Mississippi | $198,410 | 480 | $228,180 | |
| Alabama | $190,300 | 1,810 | $214,250 | |
| Oklahoma | $156,830 | 990 | $178,530 | |
| New Mexico | $129,370 | — | $140,300 | |
| Utah | $126,600 | — | $128,050 | |
| Colorado | Not published | 800 | — | |
| Delaware | Not published | — | — | |
| District of Columbia | Not published | — | — | |
| Hawaii | Not published | — | — | |
| Indiana | Not published | 600 | — | |
| Nevada | Not published | — | — | |
| Rhode Island | Not published | 120 | — | |
Best-paying cities
Jacksonville, FL has the highest median at $416,000. Note that pay at this level does not always follow big-city living costs.
| Metro area | Median | Employed | Cost-adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, FL | $416,000 | 340 | $418,160 |
| Fayetteville, NC | $331,760 | 90 | $360,690 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $321,030 | 2,310 | $285,200 |
| Peoria, IL | $310,930 | 100 | $340,820 |
| Columbia, MO | $310,170 | 90 | $346,800 |
| Hammond, LA | $304,640 | 40 | $360,690 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $298,910 | 140 | $280,820 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | $297,560 | 100 | $320,420 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $294,910 | 140 | $298,320 |
| Rochester, NY | $286,230 | 140 | $294,980 |
Where the most jobs are
| Metro area | Median | Employed | Cost-adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $321,030 | 2,310 | $285,200 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $218,650 | 1,290 | $212,100 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $258,570 | 1,250 | $246,680 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $238,540 | 1,190 | $232,600 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $243,130 | 1,170 | $242,410 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $206,270 | 1,070 | $204,450 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $218,080 | 980 | $235,650 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $277,550 | 910 | $285,110 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $265,880 | 840 | $256,650 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $211,450 | 830 | $219,490 |
Pay by type of employer
More CRNAs work in physicians' offices (51%) than in general hospitals (32%), which surprises many people. Hospitals pay more, with a median of $260,990 against $222,530.
| Industry | Median | Employed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of Physicians | $222,530 | 26,270 | 51% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $260,990 | 16,620 | 32% |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | $201,370 | 4,080 | 8% |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $288,880 | 2,050 | 4% |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $244,810 | 870 | 2% |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals | $249,590 | 630 | 1% |
What nurse anesthetists do
- Manage patients' airway or pulmonary status, using techniques such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy, and extubation.
- Respond to emergency situations by providing airway management, administering emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
- Monitor patients' responses, including skin color, pupil dilation, pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ventilation, or urine output, using invasive and noninvasive techniques.
- Select, order, or administer anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs, fluids or blood products as necessary.
- Select, prepare, or use equipment, monitors, supplies, or drugs for the administration of anesthetics.
Hourly to annual
Anesthesia work often involves long shifts and call. The conversion uses the standard 2,080 hours, so a CRNA working more hours would earn more than it shows for the same rate.
How you get there
This is one of the longest nursing routes. The BLS notes that applicants need at least one year of experience as a registered nurse in critical care before starting a nurse anesthesia program.
Typical entry-level education: master's degree. Projected job growth, 2025–35: 9.7%, about 2,400 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections). The BLS still lists a master’s degree, but the Council on Accreditation says all U.S. programs are now at the doctoral level.
Compare with similar jobs
Questions people ask
How much does a CRNA make an hour?
The national median was $113.75 an hour in May 2025.
Do CRNAs make more than nurse practitioners?
Yes, by a wide margin at the national level: the CRNA median of $236,590 compares with a nurse practitioner median that is about $100,000 lower.
Where do CRNAs earn the most?
Alaska had the highest state median in the BLS data, at $341,210, followed by New York at $321,030.
General information, not career or financial advice. Pay depends on hours, location and employer. Confirm licensing rules with your state's board.