As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit in the United States is $129,033. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $115,044 to $145,515, with most professionals earning between $102,308 and $160,521.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $145,515 | $12,126 | $2,798 | $70 |
| Average | $129,033 | $10,753 | $2,481 | $62 |
| 25th Percentile | $115,044 | $9,587 | $2,212 | $55 |
An entry-level Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit with less than 1 year of experience earns about $122,607. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $123,228. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $125,295. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $127,777, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $131,918.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit | $122,607 |
| Intermediate Level Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit | $123,228 |
| Senior Level Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit | $125,295 |
| Specialist Level Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit | $127,777 |
| Expert Level Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit | $131,918 |
| Entry Level | 5% |
| Mid Level | 4% |
| Senior Level | 3% |
| Top Level | 1% |
| Experienced | 2% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of March 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $104,860 in 2023 to approximately $104,884 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $129,033 | 71.9% | ||
| Bonus | $3,134 | 1.7% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $10,111 | 5.6% | ||
| 401K/403B | $6,476 | 3.6% | ||
| Disability | $2,115 | 1.2% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,371 | 3.5% | ||
| Pension | $5,551 | 3.1% | ||
| Time Off | $16,775 | 9.3% | ||
| Total Compensation | $179,566 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| High School | 3.6% |
| Associates | 17.0% |
| Bachelors | 47.3% |
| Masters | 31.3% |
| Doctorate | 0.9% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $129,033. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $62; the average weekly pay of Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $2,481; the average monthly pay of Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $10,753.
A Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $161,937.
The highest pay for Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $160,521.
The lowest pay for Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit is $102,308.
Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit directs nursing service activities for assigned intensive care unit patients. Delegates responsibilities to auxiliary and intensive care unit staff nurses; supervises preparation and maintenance of intensive care unit patient clinical records. Being a Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit manages inventory of solutions, supplies, medicines, narcotics, and equipment according to hospital policies, procedures and regulations. Evaluates intensive care unit staff performance and quality of service. Additionally, Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit coaches and develops nursing staff. Requires a bachelor's degree in nursing. Typically requires Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Requires Registered Nurse (RN). Typically reports to a director. The Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit manages subordinate staff in the day-to-day performance of their jobs. True first level manager. Ensures that project/department milestones/goals are met and adhering to approved budgets. Has full authority for personnel actions. To be a Head Nurse - Intensive Care Unit typically requires 5 years experience in the related area as an individual contributor. 1-3 years supervisory experience may be required. Extensive knowledge of the function and department processes.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Infection Control: Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical (rather than academic) sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often underrecognized and undersupported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Infection control and hospital epidemiology are akin to public health practice, practiced within the confines of a particular health-care delivery system rather than directed at society as a whole. Anti-infective agents include antibiotics, antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals and antiprotozoals. Infection control addresses factors related to the spread of infections within the healthcare setting (whether patient-to-patient, from patients to staff and from staff to patients, or among-staff), including prevention (via hand hygiene/hand washing, cleaning/disinfection/sterilization, vaccination, surveillance), monitoring/investigation of demonstrated or suspected spread of infection within a particular health-care setting (surveillance and outbreak investigation), and management (interruption of outbreaks). It is on this basis that the common title being adopted within health care is "infection prevention and control."
Mental Health: Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
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