CRNA Salary

CRNA SalaryThis year, over 5,000 nurse anesthetists participated in a CRNA career survey given by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.  This is the most prestigious and considered the de-facto professional organization of choice for nurse anesthetists in the United States.  In addition, it is the biggest survey filled out by professional CRNAs.  I’ve summarized the CRNA salary results from the AANA career survey and compared it with CRNA data released by the US government via BLS.  I hope this information helps aspiring students with research on their CRNA career.  In addition, my fellow nurse anesthetists may be able to use these data points to negotiate their job offers.

Average CRNA Salary

Average CRNA SalaryNurse Anesthetist Salary Map

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Notes:
The darker the green color equivocates to a higher the average CRNA salary.
Tier 1 = Top 25% CRNA Salary in the US
2nd Tier = Top 50% CRNA Salary in the US
Tier 3 = Top 75% CRNA Salary in the US
Tier 4 = Bottom 25% CRNA Salary in the US
Data source: American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

For the current year, the average CRNA full compensation in the United States is US$201,996.  To compare, the median CRNA full compensation is US$200,000.  This is up about 5% higher than the previous year.  In short, this shows strong demand for CRNA jobs and the shortage of candidates.

Last year, the average CRNA full compensation in the United States was US$195,906.  Meanwhile, the median CRNA full compensation was US$190,000.

To clarify, when considering the full CRNA compensation, this includes the straight nurse anesthetist salary IN ADDITION TO other components.  These other components include:

  • Call pay income
  • Overtime income
  • Bonus income
  • Part time /contract income
  • Other income from anesthesia services.

When considering only the salary component, the average CRNA salary is US$177,911.  Meanwhile, the median CRNA salary is US$178,000.  This is the best figure to use as it’s the most simple and is guaranteed (compared to bonus, overtime, etc.)

As a comparison, according to the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average CRNA salary was US$181,040.  In conclusion, these two sources show the average CRNA salary is approximately US$180,000 across the US.

Anesthetist Salary Depends on Experience with Limited Upside

Anesthetist Salary Depends on Experience with Limited UpsideAccording to the AANA career survey, CRNAs with more experience generate higher salary.  The data below shows the median nurse anesthetist salary increasing with more job experience.

  • 1 year or less experience Median Anesthetist Salary: US$150,000.

These are considered opening offers for recent CRNA school graduates

  • 2-5 years experience Median Anesthetist Salary: US$165,000
  • 6-10 years experience Median Anesthetist Salary: US$175,619
  • 11-20 years experience Median Anesthetist Salary: US$185,000
  • 21-30 years experience Median Anesthetist Salary: US$185,000
  • 31 or more years experience Median Anesthetist Salary: US$185,000

However, it does seem that the median CRNA salary maxes out at the 11-20 years experience mark of US$185,000.

Is important to note that the average age of CRNA responding to the CRNA career survey is 47 years old.  51% of respondents have practiced for 10 years or less, and 28% have practiced 11-20 years.

CRNA Salary by Workplace

CRNA Salary by WorkplaceWith the median CRNA full compensation of US$200,000, it makes sense to compare the compensation received from different work arrangements.  As expected, hospitals paid the most (US$204,000) for CRNAs.  Next, military / government (US$195,000) CRNAs earned the most, followed by employees in other settings (US$192,000).  The lowest workplace was employee of a group (US$191,000).  From lowest to highest, the certified registered nurse anesthetist salary difference is only 7%.  In short, most CRNA’s are paid comparably the same regardless of where they work.

From the CRNA survey, nearly 75% of CRNAs work as an employee in a hospital or in a group.  Approximately 15% are independent contractors.  The remainder CRNAs are in the military, self-employed or are in other workplaces.

CRNA Multiple Employment Arrangements

CRNA Multiple Employment ArrangementsInterestingly, in the AANA career survey:

  • 36% of CRNAs reported having more than one employment arrangement
  • 64% of CRNAs reported only having one arrangement

This means, nearly 1/3 of all CRNAs have multiple jobs with different employers.

However, CRNAs with more than one arrangement earned approximately only 4% more than CRNAs with only one arrangement.

This data point might mean CRNAs with with full-time well paying employers don’t need to seek additional employment opportunities.

CRNA Benefits

CRNA BenefitsAccording to the AANA CRNA career survey from +5,000 real CRNAs:

  • 75% of full time CRNAs reported receiving paid time off (PTO)
  • The remaining 25% of CRNAs received traditional time off (TTO)

With Traditional time off, CRNAs receive the median of 7 days holiday, 26 days of vacation and 12 medical leave days.  For paid time off policies, CRNAs reported an average of 32 days and a median of 30 paid days off.  In short, this is approximately one month of paid time off.

The survey also reported that 97% of full time CRNAs (we can consider this everyone) reported receiving standard benefits.  Standard benefits include insurance, retirement, association dues, education reimbursement and day care costs.  Reimbursements may include items like Board of Nursing fees.  In conclusion, it never hurts to ask when you’re negotiating your CRNA job offer!

When considering insurance benefits, more than 70% of CRNAs receive vision, life insurance, dental, malpractice and health insurance.

Over 50% of CRNAs report receiving other ancillary benefits like reimbursements for professional conference fees, association dues and continuing education.

Many States and hospitals will offer different CRNA benefits.  For example, for CRNA Salary in NYC, I found most New York hospitals do not match a 401k and retirement savings plan.  The reason is because many hospitals in New York actually fund a separate retirement plan where they contribute each year depending how long you work there.  Usually in the first year of employment, the hospital will not contribute anything.  However, in each category of employment length the hospital will contribute between 5% to 10% of your annual salary.

Overall, CRNA benefits can be considered quite generous.  Certainly, this may be due to the shortage of qualified CRNA applicants versus the number of jobs on the market.

CRNA Salary By State

Be sure to check out CRNA Salary by State for more information on how much money CRNAs make and the impact of taxes at each State.

Best CRNA Programs

best crna schoolsWe spent hundreds of hours studying all CRNA schools and interviewing over 125 nurse anesthetists to create our exclusive list of Best CRNA Schools.  If you’re a nurse anesthetist researching CRNA Salary, please visit the Best CRNA programs and let us know feedback and comments on your CRNA School program to help prospective nurse anesthetist students.

CRNA Salary Conclusion

In conclusion, although salary is just one aspect of being a CRNA, it’s important to have the knowledge of average CRNA salary information for your research, career and job negotiation.  Do you agree with the CRNA salary statistics released in the AANA CRNA Career Survey?  Please share your thoughts with the community below.

 

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