CRNA salary guide
Use this page as the broad CRNA compensation starting point. It benchmarks how CRNA pay is showing up across current Anesthesio job postings, then routes you into state salary pages, rankings, comparison guides, and offer evaluation once the question gets more specific.
As of September 2026, CRNAs in the United States earn a median of $285,000 per year on Anesthesio, with the middle half of salary-bearing postings between $250,000 and $340,000. The figures come from 1,504 active openings that publish pay, not from survey estimates, and refresh as postings change.
Median
25th percentile
75th percentile
Market signal from live postings
About 6,350 CRNA postings are active nationwide on Anesthesio. The tables below split posted pay by employment type and by practice setting, using every active posting that publishes compensation; a row appears only when at least ten postings support it. 38% of permanent postings advertise a sign-on bonus. Computed September 26, 2026.
| Employment type | Median | Middle range | Active postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent (employed / W-2) | $290,000 | $250,000 – $335,000 | about 2,150 |
| LocumsHourly rates annualized at 2,080 hours | $520,000 | $488,800 – $528,000 | about 2,800 |
| Per diemDaily rates annualized at 220 shifts | $395,200 | $356,200 – $424,300 | about 460 |
| Setting | Median | Middle range | Active postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital | $305,000 | $257,500 – $400,000 | about 2,100 |
| Ambulatory surgery center |
Locums and per diem figures convert posted hourly or daily rates to an annual equivalent so the rows compare on one scale; they are gross contract rates, not W-2 salaries with benefits. Postings without a published rate are excluded. Educational context only, not tax or legal advice.
Once the pay picture is clear enough, the next useful move is usually opening matching live jobs or pressure-testing a real package. Start broad with the live CRNA feed, then jump into the salary states that also have active market pages.
Median $400,000 on the linked salary page
Move from the CRNA salary guide into the matching live jobs page for California, then circle back to the salary page if you need more compensation context.
Open the highest-paying states view to rank published CRNAs salary markets by current median compensation, then drill into any state for local detail.
Start with the strongest state-level salary markets where Anesthesio has enough active compensation data to publish a useful snapshot.
Use the salary guide as the pay baseline, then move into broader compensation framing, role tradeoffs, live openings, or real offer modeling once the question gets more specific.
Zoom out from raw CRNA pay when the next question is bonuses, taxes, benefits, or contract structure.
Use the broad decision guide when pay alone is not enough and training runway, scope, or long-run fit matter too.
Use the CRNA-specific locums guide when salary research turns into travel, 1099, package, or state-market questions.
Practical market context, not a synthetic salary survey.
These salary pages are built from active CRNA job postings on Anesthesio that include structured compensation data. We use salary ranges from current listings, compute midpoints for directional market comparisons, and surface percentile bands to show spread rather than pretending the market has one exact number.
That means this page is best used for market orientation: understanding where current openings cluster, how wide compensation ranges look, and which states or metros are paying above or below the middle of the market right now.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists on Anesthesio’s live listings earn a median of $285,000 per year, with the middle half of salary-bearing postings between $250,000 and $340,000. That is based on 1,504 active openings that publish pay, and it moves as employers post and close roles.
A CRNA salary is the annual base compensation paid to a certified registered nurse anesthetist, an advanced practice nurse who administers anesthesia. Posted pay varies by state, practice setting, call burden, and whether the role is W-2, 1099, PRN, or locums; the current national median on Anesthesio is $285,000.
Yes. "Nurse anesthetist salary" and "CRNA salary" describe the same role; CRNA is the certification title. Anesthesio benchmarks both against the same 1,504 salary-bearing listings, so the $285,000 median applies to either search.
Anesthesio’s current CRNA salary data centers around a median of $285,000, with most active salary-bearing listings clustering between $250,000 and $340,000 compensation levels.
Use the highest-paying states page when you want the fastest shortlist of where published CRNA pay looks strongest right now. Use an individual state salary page once one market is interesting enough that you want a more local compensation read instead of a leaderboard.
| $300,000 |
| $250,000 – $374,400 |
| about 680 |
| Office-based | $290,000 | $285,000 – $462,500 | about 75 |
|---|
| Academic / teaching | $322,600 | $240,000 – $416,000 | about 9 (limited sample) |
|---|
| VA / federal | $156,867 | $150,662 – $193,637 | about 25 |
|---|
CRNA salary research hub
This guide is built for the big CRNA compensation questions that usually come before a specific employer or city decision: what the current market looks like, which states are worth opening next, how role-specific pay compares with broader anesthesia benchmarks, and when a salary question has become an offer-comparison question.
Start here when you want a role-level CRNA pay baseline built from active salary-bearing listings instead of forum anecdotes or static survey summaries.
Use the guide to decide which CRNA states deserve a deeper click next, especially when the search is still broad and compensation-led.
Move from this page into offer comparison once a CRNA search shifts from market research into evaluating two real packages.
Broad role-intent salary research first, then cleaner handoffs into state pages, rankings, compare guides, and tools.
The useful next click changes depending on whether you are comparing markets, sorting through role tradeoffs, or evaluating a real package. These are the cleanest handoffs from the broad CRNA salary guide.
Use the compensation guide when taxes, bonuses, benefits, contract structure, or broader anesthesia pay context matter more than one role-specific number.
Move from CRNA salary research into current openings once you know which market or compensation band deserves a closer look.
Open the rankings hub when you want the fastest cross-role view of where published anesthesia pay is strongest right now.
Use the CRNA rankings view to shortlist which state salary pages deserve the next click.
Use the role guide when compensation curiosity turns into a broader training, responsibility, or long-run career-fit question.
Model salary, bonus, benefits, and package shape once the question stops being theoretical and starts involving real offers.
These state salary pages currently have enough CRNA compensation signal to be useful directional reads. Start here if your search is already state-shaped.
Median $285,000
Open the CRNA salary page for Texas to inspect the market more locally.
Median $289,000
Open the CRNA salary page for Illinois to inspect the market more locally.
Median $400,000
Open the CRNA salary page for California to inspect the market more locally.
Median $315,000 on the linked salary page
Move from the CRNA salary guide into the matching live jobs page for Washington, then circle back to the salary page if you need more compensation context.
Median $300,000 on the linked salary page
Move from the CRNA salary guide into the matching live jobs page for New York, then circle back to the salary page if you need more compensation context.
Model W-2, 1099, bonus, benefits, and take-home math once two real CRNA packages are on the table.
Leave the role guide for the compensation hub when salary is only one part of the decision and you need broader help with bonuses, taxes, structure, or total package tradeoffs. Leave for the rankings hub when the next question is which anesthesia markets are paying strongest across roles, not just within CRNA compensation.
Use compare pages when you are still sorting through role-level tradeoffs like training, scope, geography, or long-run fit. Use the offer comparison tool once you have actual packages to evaluate and want a cleaner side-by-side view of salary, bonus, benefits, and structure.