Operating Room Nurse salary
A operating room nurse earns about $101,090 a year — roughly $48.60/hour, with most earning between $82,070 and $108,840. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Operating Room Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$101,090
Hourly
$48.60/hr
- Typical range
- $82,070–$108,840
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $146,150
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $71,310
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Perioperative certification (CNOR)
- Call coverage
- Surgical specialty
- Metro labor market
About Operating Room Nurses
What they do
Operating room (perioperative) nurses manage the surgical environment — circulating, scrubbing in, maintaining sterile technique, and advocating for the patient throughout an operation.
How to become an Operating Room Nurse
OR nurses are RNs who complete perioperative training (such as AORN’s Periop 101) and often earn the CNOR certification after experience in the surgical suite.
What drives the pay
Public wage data doesn’t separately track OR nurses; values are based on registered nurse pay. The premium reflects specialized perioperative skills and call coverage for after-hours and emergency cases.
Operating Room Nurse pay by state
Where this role tends to pay the most.
| State | Annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $139,500 | +38% vs national |
| Hawaii | $121,310 | +20% vs national |
| Alaska | $119,280 | +18% vs national |
| Oregon | $119,280 | +18% vs national |
| Washington | $119,280 | +18% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $116,250 | +15% vs national |
| New York | $114,230 | +13% vs national |
| District of Columbia | $113,220 | +12% vs national |
Compare next
Roles nurses weigh against this one.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
Operating Room Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.08×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2024. Last reviewed June 1, 2025. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed June 1, 2025.