Public Health Nurse salary
A public health nurse earns about $86,110 a year — roughly $41.40/hour, with most earning between $69,910 and $92,720. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Public Health Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$86,110
Hourly
$41.40/hr
- Typical range
- $69,910–$92,720
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $124,490
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $60,750
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Government / civil-service pay scale
- Certified in Public Health (CPH)
- Federal vs state vs county employer
- Grant-funded program budgets
- Local cost of living and labor market
About Public Health Nurses
What they do
Public health nurses serve whole communities rather than individual patient loads — running immunization and TB clinics, investigating communicable disease reports, making home visits to new mothers and high-risk families, tracking outbreak data, and teaching prevention programs in schools and neighborhoods.
How to become a Public Health Nurse
Public health nurses hold an active RN license, and most health departments prefer or require a BSN because community health coursework is built into bachelor's programs. Experience in community settings helps, and the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential can strengthen candidacy for supervisory or program-lead roles.
What drives the pay
Government wage surveys don't separate public health nurses from other RNs, so these figures are modeled from registered nurse pay. Because most positions sit on civil-service or county pay scales and follow weekday clinic hours without shift or weekend differentials, earnings typically land below the hospital RN median — often traded against stronger pension and leave benefits.
Public Health Nurse pay by state
Where this role tends to pay the most.
| State | Annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $118,830 | +38% vs national |
| Hawaii | $103,330 | +20% vs national |
| Alaska | $101,610 | +18% vs national |
| Oregon | $101,610 | +18% vs national |
| Washington | $101,610 | +18% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $99,030 | +15% vs national |
| New York | $97,310 | +13% vs national |
| District of Columbia | $96,450 | +12% vs national |
Compare next
Roles nurses weigh against this one.
Public Health Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Public Health Nurses make?
- Public Health Nurses earn an estimated $86,110 a year — about $41.40 an hour, with most between $69,910 and $92,720. Public Health Nurses aren't reported as a separate role in public wage data, so this is a specialty estimate that starts from registered nurse pay.
- What is the hourly pay for Public Health Nurses?
- Most Public Health Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $41.40 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $33.61 to $44.58. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays Public Health Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Public Health Nurses, at roughly $118,830 a year, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states. State figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living.
- Why is Public Health Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Public Health Nurses as a separate occupation, so we start from registered nurse pay and apply the pay difference these nurses typically see. The figure is clearly labeled an estimate and sharpens as nurses submit their own pay.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
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
Public Health Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 0.92×, 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.