Psychiatric Registered Nurse Salary in the United States

How much does a Psychiatric Registered Nurse make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Psychiatric Registered Nurse in the United States is $91,628 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $44.

However, a Psychiatric Registered Nurse's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $112,034
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $83,700 to $102,309
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $76,483

Key Factors That Influence Psychiatric Registered Nurse Salaries

A Psychiatric Registered Nurse's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Psychiatric Registered Nurse Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Psychiatric Registered Nurse's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $88,266
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $88,501
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $91,627
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $96,026
  • Expert (over 8 years): $96,340
Levels Salary
Entry Level Psychiatric Registered Nurse$88,266
Intermediate Level Psychiatric Registered Nurse$88,501
Senior Level Psychiatric Registered Nurse$91,627
Specialist Level Psychiatric Registered Nurse$96,026
Expert Level Psychiatric Registered Nurse$96,340

Top Paying Cities for Psychiatric Registered Nurses

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $115,570
  • San Francisco: $114,304
  • Oakland: $111,896

What Skills Can Increase a Psychiatric Registered Nurse's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Accountability (Mentioned in 4.51% Job Postings): Setting and holding oneself and others to stated expectations by associating tasks with our business's mission, values, and goals.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 3.91% Job Postings): Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer term care. Acute care services are generally delivered by teams of health care professionals from a range of medical and surgical specialties. Acute care may require a stay in a hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care centre or other short-term stay facility, along with the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community. Hospital-based acute inpatient care typically has the goal of discharging patients as soon as they are deemed healthy and stable. Acute care settings include emergency department, intensive care, coronary care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and many general areas where the patient could become acutely unwell and require stabilization and transfer to another higher dependency unit for further treatment.
  • Data Collection (Mentioned in 1.72% Job Postings): Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established system, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes. Data collection is a component of research in all fields of study including physical and social sciences, humanities, and business. While methods vary by discipline, the emphasis on ensuring accurate and honest collection remains the same. The goal for all data collection is to capture quality evidence that allows analysis to lead to the formulation of convincing and credible answers to the questions that have been posed.
Skills Demand Percentage
Accountability 4.51%
Acute Care 3.91%
Data Collection 1.72%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Psychiatric Registered Nurse's salary.

  • Telecommunications: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Collective Bargaining: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
  • Data Collection: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Telecommunications $98,041
7%
Collective Bargaining $95,293
4%
Data Collection $95,293
4%

Psychiatric Registered Nurse Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Psychiatric Registered Nurse roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Psychiatric Registered Nurse positions in Healthcare typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Psychiatric Registered Nurse as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Psychiatric Registered Nurse

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit$109,953$53.020%

How Education impacts a Psychiatric Registered Nurse's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Psychiatric Registered Nurses enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Psychiatric Registered Nurse with a Associate's Degree is between $82,114 and $86,534).

Psychiatric Registered Nurse Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Psychiatric Registered Nurse
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 2.8%
High School 2.8%
Associates 36.2%
Bachelors 55.3%
Masters 5.0%
Doctorate 0.7%

Psychiatric Registered Nurse Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Psychiatric Registered Nurse's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$83,700
Average $91,628/year
$102,309
$6,975
Average $7,636/month
$8,526
$1,610
Average $1,762/week
$1,967
$40
Average $44/hour
$49
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $102,309 $8,526 $1,967 $49
Average $91,628 $7,636 $1,762 $44
25th Percentile $83,700 $6,975 $1,610 $40

Most common benefits for Psychiatric Registered Nurse

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Psychiatric Registered Nurse

Here are companies hiring for Psychiatric Registered Nurse and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Psychiatric Registered Nurse

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Psychiatric Registered Nurse?

The Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit industry offers the highest average compensation for Psychiatric Registered Nurse roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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.

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