As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Head of Nursing in the United States is $222,016. According to Salary.com, salaries can range from a low of $172,705 to a high of $325,004, with most professionals earning between $196,205 and $275,924.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $275,924 | $22,994 | $5,306 | $133 |
| Average | $222,016 | $18,501 | $4,270 | $107 |
| 25th Percentile | $196,205 | $16,350 | $3,773 | $94 |
An entry-level Head of Nursing with less than 1 year of experience earns about $206,221. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $208,533. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $210,459. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $213,541, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $217,393.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Head of Nursing | $206,221 |
| Intermediate Level Head of Nursing | $208,533 |
| Senior Level Head of Nursing | $210,459 |
| Specialist Level Head of Nursing | $213,541 |
| Expert Level Head of Nursing | $217,393 |
| Entry Level | 7% |
| Mid Level | 6% |
| Senior Level | 5% |
| Top Level | 4% |
| 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 April 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in Head of Nursing compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $206,007 in 2023 to approximately $209,865 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of Head of Nursing 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 of Nursing information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Head of Nursing job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Head of Nursing and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $222,016 | 75.6% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $13,672 | 4.7% | ||
| 401K/403B | $10,435 | 3.6% | ||
| Disability | $1,776 | 0.6% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,056 | 2.1% | ||
| Pension | $12,211 | 4.2% | ||
| Time Off | $27,325 | 9.3% | ||
| Total Compensation | $293,491 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| High School | 1.1% |
| Associates | 11.1% |
| Bachelors | 22.2% |
| Masters | 57.9% |
| Doctorate | 7.7% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of Head of Nursing is $222,016. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Head of Nursing is $107; the average weekly pay of Head of Nursing is $4,270; the average monthly pay of Head of Nursing is $18,501.
A Head of Nursing'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 of Nursing earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Head of Nursing is $280,029.
The highest pay for Head of Nursing is $325,004.
The lowest pay for Head of Nursing is $172,705.
Plans and directs all nursing personnel. Develops and implements nursing policies, objectives, and initiatives. Reviews nursing department operations to ensure compliance with established standards. Ensures that all patients receive the highest quality care. Requires a master's degree in area of specialty. Typically reports to top management. Manages a departmental function within a broader corporate function. Develops major goals to support broad functional objectives. Approves policies developed within various sub-functions and departments. Comprehensive knowledge of the overall departmental function. Typically requires 8+ years of managerial experience.
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.
Assisted Living: Assisted living exemplifies the shift from "care as service" to "care as business" in the broader health care arena predicted more than three decades ago. A consumer-driven industry, assisted living offers a wide range of options, levels of care, and diversity of services (Lockhart, 2009) and is subject to state rather than federal regulatory oversight. "Assisted living" means depends on both the state and provider in question: variations in state regulatory definitions are significant and provider variables include everything from philosophy, geographic location and auspice, to organizational size and structure.
Life Insurance: Life Insurance can be defined as a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurance company, where the insurer promises to pay a sum of money in exchange for a premium, upon the death of an insured person or after a set period
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.)
With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.
