How much do Registered Nurses make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

Percentile spread

For Registered Nurses, the published 10th percentile is $97,980 and the 90th percentile is $210,870. The difference is $112,890, which is 66.0% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $122,310 to the 75th at $210,360, covers $88,050.

The mean annual wage is $159,830, which sits below the median of $170,960. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median is 75.3% higher than the national median of $97,550 for Registered Nurses. In 2024 national prices the local median is $155,565, which is 59.5% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 21.9% higher than the California median of $140,270.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 109.896, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $170,960 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Registered Nurses at $155,565 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

16 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Registered Nurses. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ranks 6th of 17 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 36 miles away, with a median of $216,740 and employment of 22,930. That median is 26.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $196,282, against $155,565 here.
• San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $186,610 and employment of 41,750. That median is 9.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $161,409, against $155,565 here.
• Salinas, CA is 66 miles away, with a median of $134,910 and employment of 3,180. That median is 21.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $123,723, against $155,565 here.

Employment share

Registered Nurses accounts for 1.8% of wage-and-salary employment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (1,750 of 98,500). Nationally the occupation is 2.2% of employment (3,379,720 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.82 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.