Registered nurse pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance
Median salary
$170,960$82.19 per hour · $14,247 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Registered nurse salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes
Registered nurses pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (CA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47.11/hr | $8,165 | $97,980 | $72,892 |
| 25th percentile | $58.80/hr | $10,193 | $122,310 | $87,735 |
| MedianMedian | $82.19/hr | $14,247 | $170,960 | $116,463 |
| 75th percentile | $101.14/hr | $17,530 | $210,360 | $141,239 |
| 90th percentile | $101.38/hr | $17,573 | $210,870 | $141,567 |
Is $170,960 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for registered nurses next to both.
Registered nurses pay in California and across the U.S.
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Registered nurse pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions
What is the median salary for registered nurses in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The BLS median annual wage for registered nurses in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $170,960 in May 2025, about $14,247 a month or $82.19 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $140,270, so the metro pays 22% above the state.
What is the hourly pay for registered nurses in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median hourly wage for registered nurses in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $82.19 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $47.11 an hour and one in ten earned more than $101.38.
How many registered nurses work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
BLS estimated 1,750 jobs for registered nurses in the metro in May 2025, or 17.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.82 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for registered nurses in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
BLS wage estimates for registered nurses in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $97,980 at the 10th percentile to $122,310 at the 25th, $210,360 at the 75th, and $210,870 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do registered nurses take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
On a median gross salary of $170,960, an estimated $116,463 lands in net take-home pay per year ($4,479 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $54,497 (an effective rate of 31.9%).
How much do registered nurses make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
On the median annual salary of $170,960, gross monthly income is $14,247. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $9,705 per month (or $4,479 every two weeks).
Is $170,960 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
At $170,960, the median salary for registered nurses is 153.9% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 212% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.