Clinical nurse specialist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level clinical nurse specialist earnings begin at:

$58.28 per hour

$121,230 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level clinical nurse specialist earnings begin at:

$49.19 per hour

$102,320 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level clinical nurse specialist earnings begin at:

$44.45 per hour

$92,460 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level clinical nurse specialist earnings begin at:

$38.90 per hour

$80,900 per year

10th percentile

Starting level clinical nurse specialist earnings begin at:

$34.23 per hour

$71,210 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Clinical nurse specialist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Maryland $99,790
New Hampshire $99,700
Delaware $99,520
Arizona $99,500
Vermont $97,460
Pennsylvania $96,430
Illinois $95,990
Texas $95,970
Wisconsin $95,530
New Mexico $94,340
Michigan $94,300
Virginia $93,600
Georgia $93,550
Idaho $92,460
Maine $86,990
Montana $85,280
Nebraska $84,730
Utah $84,600
North Carolina $84,350
Florida $84,190
Wyoming $83,760
Indiana $83,500
Oklahoma $82,920
Ohio $82,510
South Carolina $82,360
Missouri $81,780
Tennessee $81,500
Kentucky $81,040
North Dakota $80,730
Louisiana $80,230
West Virginia $80,130
Kansas $79,320
Arkansas $78,940
Iowa $78,630
South Dakota $78,060
Mississippi $77,090
Alabama $77,080
Virgin Islands, U.S. $60,950
Guam $57,320
Puerto Rico $32,800
California $140,270
Hawaii $136,320
Oregon $129,010
Washington $124,200
Alaska $109,480
New York $109,440
New Jersey $106,500
Massachusetts $104,550
Nevada $103,670
Connecticut $102,740
District of Columbia $102,540
Minnesota $101,510
Rhode Island $100,640
Colorado $100,260

How do clinical nurse specialist salaries compare to similar careers?

Clinical nurse specialists earn about the same as related careers in Idaho. On average, they make less than physical therapists but more than speech language pathologists.

Career Median Salary
Physical therapist salary $99K
Diagnostic medical sonographer salary $100K
Dental hygienist salary $95K
Nurse educator salary $91K
Cardiovascular technologist and technician salary $100K
Acute care nurse practitioner salary $92K
Clinical nurse specialist salary $92K
Registered nurse salary $92K
Audiologist salary $95K
Speech language pathologist salary $84K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)