The short answer is that in 2026, most staff pediatric nurses make anywhere from $76,000 to $88,000 annually. If you’ve looked around online, however, you’ll likely have seen figures as low as $46,000 and as high as $162,000 for the same position. They’re both correct, but they tell two distinct stories about two very different kinds of nurse, practicing in different specialties and in different states.
This guide cuts through the clutter. It discusses the actual “average” and why sources differ from one another, how pay varies with experience and specialty, which states pay the most and above all, how travel pediatric nursing alters the equation.
Pediatric Nurse Salary — The National Average in 2026
The most reliable range for a staff pediatric RN in 2026 is $76,000–$88,000 per year, or roughly $18–$25 per hour. Here’s how the major sources break down:
- Salary.com (June 2026): $85,500/year ($41/hour) — range $73,400–$92,700
- ZipRecruiter (June 2026): $76,348/year ($36.71/hour) — range $60,000–$111,500
- PayScale (June 2026): $21.37/hour average
The difference in resources is not just a theoretical one and it makes sense to explain it before using any of these figures as a gauge for your own salary. Compensation information reported by facilities tends to be captured by salary.com, so this is the type of information that may be skewed toward mid-career staff nurses. ZipRecruiter features live job postings and can include part-time positions or entry-level positions that can drag down the average. When Pediatric Nurse Practitioners ($116,000–$135,000+) are added in, the average salary of staff RNs increases. If they are removed, it decreases.
Here’s one comparison to note: The median salary for RNs in the United States is $93,600 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2024. However, pediatric staff nurses make a little less than this. The data doesn’t always back up that notion that specialization in pediatrics means you’re above the general nursing average, anyway at least in terms of staff jobs. However, it is drastically different for advanced practice and travel nursing jobs.
Pediatric Nurse Salary by Experience
Experience is one of the most reliable drivers of pay in pediatric nursing. Here’s how it breaks down across career stages:
| Experience Level | Average Hourly Rate | Approximate Annual Salary |
| Under 1 year | $29–$31/hr | $60,000–$64,000 |
| 1–4 years | $32–$35/hr | $67,000–$73,000 |
| 5–9 years | $36–$41/hr | $75,000–$85,000 |
| 10+ years | $42–$50+/hr | $87,000–$104,000+ |
| Top 10% earners | $53+/hr | $111,500–$124,000+ |
The transition from entry-level to mid career is big about 25-30% over five years in most markets. This top 10% includes experience, specialty, geographic location and sometimes certifications. A year one pediatric nurse with a base salary of $30/hr can reasonably double that without ever leaving the bedside by receiving five years of experience, specialty certification and a job in a pediatric intensive care unit.
Pediatric Nurse Salary by State — Highest and Lowest Paying
Where you work often matters more than any other single factor. The difference between the highest and lowest paying states for pediatric nurses is more than $87,000 per year that’s a bigger gap than the entire average salary in some lower-paying markets.
Highest-paying states for pediatric nurses:
| State | Average Annual Salary |
| California | $137,690 |
| Washington | ~$85,644 ($1,647/week) |
| New York | Top tier nationally |
| Massachusetts | Top tier nationally |
| Connecticut | Top tier nationally |
| Alaska | Top tier nationally |
| New Jersey | Top tier nationally |
| Oregon | Above national average |
| Hawaii | Above national average |
| Nevada | Above national average |
Source: Nurse.org, Salary.com (2026)
California stands alone at the top. Pediatric nurses in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose make between $157,000 and $162,000 per year, about double the amount a nurse would make in a less expensive state. Some of this is related to California’s cost of living, but part of it is because nurses in California must perform a legally mandated nurse-to-patient ratio, which results in a structurally high demand for nurses all year round.
Lowest-paying states: Alabama (~$50,560/year), along with lower-cost states across the South and Midwest. In cities like Des Moines, Columbus (Georgia) and Baton Rouge, salaries range from $70,030 to $73,190.
For nurses in lower-paying markets who aren’t ready to relocate permanently, travel nursing offers a way to access higher-paying markets on a contract basis, more on that below.
Salary by Specialty — Not All Pediatric Nurses Are Paid the Same
“Pediatric nurse” covers an enormous range of roles, and the pay reflects that. A Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and a Pediatric Office Nurse are both technically pediatric nurses — but their salaries are nearly $90,000 apart.
| Specialty | Average Annual Salary |
| Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (NP) | $116,761–$135,161 |
| Pediatric ER Nurse | ~$115,727 |
| PICU Nurse | $82,522–$92,700 |
| Pediatric Oncology Nurse | ~$67,621 |
| Pediatric Clinic Nurse | ~$67,498 |
| Pediatric Office Nurse | ~$46,369 |
Source: Salary.com (2026)
The pattern is clear: acuity drives pay. The higher the clinical stakes and complexity of the environment, the higher the salary. A Pediatric ER or PICU nurse earns nearly triple what a Pediatric Office Nurse earns not because one works harder, but because the specialized skills, licensing requirements and institutional demand are different.
The practical takeaway: your specialty within pediatrics often matters more than your state. A PICU nurse in a mid-tier state like Tennessee can outearn a Pediatric Office Nurse in California. If income is a priority, the unit you work on is at least as important as the zip code.
Travel Pediatric Nurse Salary — The Income Multiplier
This is the section most salary articles skip entirely, and it’s where the numbers change most dramatically.
Travel pediatric nurses earn an average of $2,344 per week as of August 10, 2026, based on 2,493 active job listings tracked by Vivian.com. That’s 7% higher than the overall travel nursing average of $2,187/week and it translates to roughly $121,888 per year annualized, which is 38–60% above what a staff pediatric nurse earns in most markets.
For nurses in higher-demand markets, the numbers go further. Travel pediatric nurses in New York are currently averaging $2,667 per week (Trusted Health, July 2026). In high-demand periods in California, weekly rates for pediatric specialties can climb toward $3,000 or more.
The comparison to staff nursing is significant:
| Employment Type | Annual Equivalent |
| Staff pediatric nurse (national avg.) | $76,000–$88,000 |
| Travel pediatric nurse (national avg.) | ~$121,888 |
| Travel pediatric nurse in New York | ~$138,684 |
That’s not a marginal difference. For a nurse with 1–2 years of experience who’s ready to take on the flexibility that travel requires, the income gap is substantial enough to accelerate retirement savings, pay off student loans faster, or build savings that a staff salary makes difficult.
Travel pediatric nursing is also particularly well-suited to the specialty because pediatric units consistently appear among the most in-demand travel placements, children’s hospitals are concentrated in major metros, and smaller regional hospitals regularly need specialized pediatric coverage they can’t hire for locally.
If you’re exploring travel assignments, SkillGigs lets you search pediatric positions directly from hospitals — with visible pay rates and no agency markup sitting between you and the employer.
Explore pediatric assignments on SkillGigs
How to Increase Your Salary as a Pediatric Nurse
If you’re currently earning below the range you want, there are clear, documented paths to close that gap:
- Pursue the CPN or CCRN-Pediatric certification. The Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) and CCRN-Pediatric credentials are tied to pay bumps at most hospital systems — either as a one-time bonus or as a step increase on the pay scale. If your facility offers either, the certification pays for itself quickly.
- Move into a higher-acuity specialty. Going from a pediatric clinic or school nursing role into a PICU or Pediatric ER setting can increase your base pay by $20,000–$50,000 annually without leaving pediatric nursing entirely.
- Consider a geographic move — or a travel contract. California and Washington pay 40–60% more than lower-tier states. If relocating permanently isn’t realistic, a travel contract in a high-pay state gets you access to those rates for 13 weeks at a time.
- Explore travel nursing. The annualized income gap between staff and travel pediatric nursing is $35,000–$50,000 in most markets. For nurses with 1+ years of experience, it’s one of the highest-leverage income moves available without changing specialty or earning an advanced degree.
- Work toward an NP or advanced practice degree. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners earn $116,000–$135,000+ — roughly 40–55% more than staff RNs in the same specialty. The investment in education has a clear payoff in pediatrics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Pediatric Nurse Make Per Hour?
The average hourly rate for a staff pediatric nurse in 2026 runs between $37 and $42, with entry-level nurses starting around $29–$31/hour and top earners clearing $53+/hour. PayScale puts the average at $34.95/hour, while Salary.com reports $41/hour. The difference reflects which roles and experience levels each source captures in its data.
Do Pediatric Nurses Make More Than Regular Nurses?
Not consistently, for staff positions. The BLS reports the national RN average at $93,600 (May 2024), while staff pediatric RN averages cluster between $76,000 and $88,000, slightly below the broader nursing average. Where pediatric nurses do earn above average is in travel nursing, where the specialty commands a 7% premium over the travel nursing average overall.
What State Pays Pediatric Nurses The Most?
California is the highest-paying state by a significant margin, with average annual salaries of $137,690 and major cities like San Francisco and Oakland reaching $157,000–$162,000. Washington, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut round out the top tier.
How Much Do Travel Pediatric Nurses Make?
Travel pediatric nurses earn an average of $2,344 per week as of August 2026, based on 2,493 active jobs tracked by Vivian.com — equivalent to roughly $121,888 annually. In New York, the average climbs to $2,667/week. That’s 38–60% above what most staff pediatric nurses earn in the same period.
What is The Highest-Paying Pediatric Nursing Specialty?
Among RN roles, Pediatric ER nurses average around $115,727/year and PICU nurses earn $82,522–$92,700. At the advanced practice level, Pediatric Nurse Practitioners earn $116,761–$135,161. The highest-acuity environments consistently pay the most within pediatric nursing.
Is Pediatric Nursing a Good Career Financially?
It’s a solid career that pays above the national median wage, with a clear path to higher income through specialty, certification, and geography. It’s not the highest-paying nursing specialty — CRNAs, NPs, and critical care nurses in other fields can earn more — but the combination of consistent demand, meaningful work, and a defined income growth path makes it a financially reasonable long-term choice. Travel nursing adds a meaningful income ceiling that staff positions don’t offer.
