Explore the factors that can impact your annual earnings as a nurse anesthetist, from education to experience.
![[Featured Image] A nurse anesthetist cares for a patient in an operating room.](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2EzyPmGeIpEIfVf3eimrGO/5e4f73dbc9fb56e3e9d23261718980f3/GettyImages-975943958.jpg?w=1500&h=680&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive&auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=1000)
The earning potential for nurse anesthetists in the United States is notably high. Below are some important facts to know:
The average annual wage for a nurse anesthetist is $214,200 per year [].
Philadelphia, PA, Alhambra, CA, and Miles City, MT, are among the top-paying cities for nurse anesthetists.
You can earn significantly more by working for outpatient care centers and certain health care 辞谤驳补苍颈锄补迟颈辞苍蝉.听
Discover how factors such as education, experience, industry, and location can impact your salary as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Afterward, consider enrolling in the Integrative Nursing Specialization to learn how to develop a plan of integrative care, apply integrative therapies, educate patients about benefits and risks, and more.听
A nurse anesthetist administers anesthesia or medicine that prevents pain or alleviates anxiety in individuals before they undergo a medical procedure, operation, or childbirth. Nurse anesthetists also monitor patients' vital signs while under anesthesia and after. In this role, you may also administer anesthesia to manage and relieve chronic pain as part of a pain management plan. These advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) also perform these tasks:
Meet with a patient before their procedure to review all medical history, complete a physical assessment, and notify the patient of all risks associated with anesthesia.
Monitor a patient鈥檚 vitals both during and after a procedure or surgery.
Stay with a patient after a procedure to assist in recovery and monitor vitals and level of comfort.
Determine the dosage, method, and type of medication needed based on individual patients and the length and type of procedure.
Develop pain management strategies and plans.
You may work with various medical professionals as a nurse anesthetist, from surgeons to anesthesiologists, dentists to other registered nurses. You may also work in various medical settings, such as outpatient care centers, hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians鈥 offices, and military bases.
Sometimes, your nurse anesthetist duties will vary slightly depending on where you work. It鈥檚 also important to note that a nurse anesthetist is not an anesthesiologist. An anesthesiologist is a physician who specializes in anesthesia without a nursing background.听
The average annual income for a certified registered nurse anesthetist ranges from $194,353 to $258,000, according to multiple job listing sites. The following table lists the income ranges provided by salary sites [, , , , ]:
| US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) | Glassdoor* | Payscale | Indeed | Salary.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $214,200 | $258,000 | $194,353 | $234,367 | $234,893 |
*Glassdoor salary information represents the median total pay. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.
Your location, employer, level of experience, industry, and educational background are all factors that can impact your salary level as a nurse anesthetist. Discover how each of these factors impacts your annual earnings.
Your geographical location is likely to impact your earning potential as a nurse anesthetist. Metropolitan areas tend to have higher employment levels. Some of the highest-paying cities for this profession include Philadelphia, Alhambra, and Miles City[闭:听
Philadelphia, PA: $271,733听
Alhambra, CA: $267,561听
Miles City, MT: $267,518听
Lawndale, CA: $265,614听
Los Angeles, CA: $250,199听
New York, NY: $248,414听
Omaha, NE: $238,048听
Houston, TX: $226,314听
Geneva, NY: $216,943听
According to Zippia, nurse anesthetists with a doctorate degree command the highest average annual salary at $207,415 []. With a master鈥檚, you can expect to earn approximately $196,381 per year []. While it is currently possible to practice as a CRNA with a master's degree, you will need to earn a doctorate degree if you did not begin an accredited CRNA program by January 1, 2022 []. All CRNAs are now required to have a doctoral degree.
While qualifications vary by state and even employer, consider these six basic steps to becoming a nurse anesthetist:
1. Earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).
2. Earn your Registered Nurse (RN) license.
3. Work as an RN to gain professional experience.
4. Enroll in a Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) accredited graduate program for nurse anesthetists to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP).
5. Pass the National Certification Examination (NCE) offered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) to earn your board certification.
6. Apply for and maintain your state licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse.
Read more: How Long Does it Take to Become a Registered Nurse (RN)?
Your income typically increases steadily as you gain more experience. The median total pay you can expect based on your number of years of experience, according to Glassdoor [], is as follows:聽
0鈥1 year: $168,000
1鈥3 years: $170,000
4鈥6 years: $191,000
7鈥9 years: $194,000
10鈥14 years: $199,000
15 or more years: $203,000
All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of October 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.
In the United States, outpatient care centers rank as the highest-paying industry for nurse anesthetists, with an average annual wage of $263,960 []. Physicians鈥 offices have the highest concentration of nurse anesthetists, according to the BLS []. The top-paying firms for certified registered nurse anesthetists include []:
Trinity Health: $270,194
Mayo Clinic: $267,277
McLeod Health: $262,151
Fairview Health Services: $258,615
Allina Health: $258,369
Your job title as a nurse anesthetist may vary based on the certifications you hold, your location, years of experience, and more. Some nurse anesthetists may work in managerial roles, while some may find themselves in the field of education as professors. Others may work with a specific type of health care provider. These variations may impact your earnings.
You may see some of these common job title variations:
Cardiothoracic nurse anesthetists work with patients undergoing operations or procedures involving the heart, such as cardiothoracic operations or heart transplants. In this role, you work alongside an anesthesiologist.
Chief nurse anesthetists manage other nurse anesthetists in addition to their own clinical duties. You will also work closely with patients to ensure their needs are met.
A nurse anesthesiology program director oversees the nurse anesthesiology program for a college or university. In this leadership role, you will be overseeing all faculty and staff in the program, designing curriculum, and developing measures for assessment. An assistant nurse anesthesiology program director would assist in this role and would be another job title option for a nurse anesthetist.
Faculty professor or assistant professor, CRNA is an educator at a college or university, teaching courses as part of a nurse anesthetist graduate degree program. Your salary will vary in this position by the degrees you hold, certifications you鈥檝e earned, your years of professional experience, and the school at which you work.听
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 35 percent increase in job opportunities for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners between 2024 and 2034, with about 32,700 job openings slotted for each year within the forecast period []. This is a much faster rate than the average of 3 percent for all occupations in the US [].
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US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes291151.htm.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/nurse-anesthetist-salary-SRCH_KO0,17.htm.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
Payscale. 鈥, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Nurse_Anesthetist_(CRNA)/Salary.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
Indeed. 鈥, https://www.indeed.com/career/certified-registered-nurse-anesthetist/salaries.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
Salary.com. 鈥, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/recruiting/nurse-anesthetist-salary.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
Zippia. 鈥, https://www.zippia.com/certified-registered-nurse-anesthetist-jobs/education/.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). 鈥, https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/dnp-fact-sheet.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
Zippia, 鈥, https://www.zippia.com/salaries/certified-registered-nurse-anesthetist/.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm#tab-6.鈥 Accessed October 25, 2025.
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