The median annual wage for registered nurses working in Santa Cruz, CA, sits at $170,960, per BLS survey data. It runs 103% above the national median of $84,200 for this occupation — pay here is notably stronger than the U.S. average. The middle 50% land between $122,310 and $210,360 — a 88,050 range that reflects differences in seniority, employer type, and specialization. The catch: Santa Cruz is roughly in line with the national cost of living (cost index 100 against a 100 baseline), so that headline number buys less than it would elsewhere. On an hourly basis that is about $82.19, useful for comparing contract or part-time offers.

For context, the national median for registered nurses across all U.S. metros in our data is $84,200.