How much do pediatric nurses make in 2026?
Pediatric nurses are paid from the registered nurse series: BLS OEWS May 2025 reports the SOC 29-1141 national median at $97,550 a year ($46.90 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $68,940 and the top 10% at $137,470. There is no paediatric-specific wage in the survey, and in this specialty the pooled figure hides an unusually wide setting effect. Paediatric practice spans outpatient clinics, school nursing and paediatric home care — which typically pay in the lower half of the RN distribution, in exchange for daytime hours and no call — through to freestanding children's hospitals, paediatric intensive care and paediatric haematology-oncology, which pay in the upper half with full shift differentials. CPN certification from the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board is the recognised credential and is commonly attached to a differential or ladder step. Registered nurse employment is projected to grow 4.9% through 2034 with roughly 189,100 openings a year. → Full pediatric nurse career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $97,550 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Pediatric Nurses earn a national median $97,550/yr ($46.90/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1141); the P10 to P90 range is $68,940 to $137,470.
- BLS publishes one registered nurse wage, so paediatric pay is a position inside the $68,940 to $137,470 RN range rather than a separate series.
- Setting drives the spread more than in most nursing specialties: clinics, schools and home care sit low in the band, while children's hospitals and paediatric intensive care sit high.
- CPN certification plus paediatric critical care or haematology-oncology experience is the clearest route from the $97,550 median toward the $112,350 P75.
US Pediatric Nurse Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do pediatric nurses earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1141; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1141, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a pediatric nurse earn at each career stage?
Paediatric pay follows setting, acuity and certification rather than a licence ladder above the RN. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS registered nurse distribution (SOC 29-1141).
By State
Which states pay pediatric nurses the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national registered nurse median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Paediatric geography is concentrated: freestanding children's hospitals exist in a limited number of metros, so the best-paying paediatric work is often a relocation decision rather than a local one. Nurse Licensure Compact membership governs how fast you can start in another member state, and school nursing pay follows district salary schedules rather than hospital rates.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($112,180), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
pediatric nurse pay by state — all 3 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay pediatric nurses the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the registered nurse national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a pediatric nurse’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does pediatric nurse pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Pediatric Nurses sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify pediatric nurse wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a pediatric nurse actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Pediatric Nurse Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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