Nurse Anesthetist Salary: Your 2024 Guide

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are among the highest-paid health care professionals because of the complexity of their work, the risk involved in preserving their patients' lives, and the additional training and education required.

In this role, you are an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) trained to administer anesthesia used for pain management. You work with a range of medical professionals, from surgeons to anesthesiologists and dentists to other registered nurses. You may also work in various medical settings, such as outpatient care centers, hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians’ offices, and military bases.

Discover what you can earn in this career field and the various factors that can affect nurse anesthetist salary figures.

What does a nurse anesthetist do?

A nurse anesthetist administers anesthesia or medicine that prevents pain or alleviates anxiety in individuals before they undergo a medical procedure, operation, or childbirth. Nurse anesthetists also monitor patients' vital signs while under anesthesia and after. In this role, you may also administer anesthesia to manage and relieve chronic pain as part of a pain management plan. These advanced practice nurses also perform these tasks:

• Meet with a patient before their procedure to review all medical history, complete a physical assessment, and notify the patient of all risks associated with anesthesia.

• Monitor a patient’s vitals both during and after a procedure or surgery.

• Stay with a patient after a procedure to assist in recovery and monitor vitals and level of comfort.

• Determine the dosage, method, and type of medication needed based on individual patients and length and type of procedure.

• Develop pain management strategies and plans.

You may work with various medical professionals as a nurse anesthetist, from surgeons to anesthesiologists, dentists to other registered nurses. You may also work in various medical settings, such as outpatient care centers, hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians’ offices, and military bases.

Sometimes, your nurse anesthetist duties will vary slightly depending on where you work. It’s also important to note that a nurse anesthetist is not an anesthesiologist. An anesthesiologist is a physician who specializes in anesthesia without a nursing background. 

Read more: What Does a Registered Nurse Do? Your Career Guide

How much do nurse anesthetists earn?

The average annual income for a certified registered nurse anesthetist ranges from $183,025 to $239,321, according to multiple job listing sites. The following table lists the income ranges provided by salary sites [1,2,3,4,5]:

Factors impacting nurse anesthetists’ salary

Your location, employer, level of experience, industry, and educational background are all factors that can impact your salary level as a nurse anesthetist.  Discover how each of these factors impacts your annual earnings.

Location

Your geographical location is likely to impact your earning potential as a nurse anesthetist. Metropolitan areas tend to have higher employment levels. Some of the highest-paying cities for this profession include Omaha, Los Angeles, and Fresno [5]: 

• Omaha, NE: $321,602 

• Los Angeles, CA: $250,225

• Fresno, CA: $246,173 

• Houston, TX: $225,814 

• Seattle, WA: $216,991 

• Miles City, MT: $210,000 

• Philadelphia, PA: $208,749 

Education 

According to Zippia, nurse anesthetists with a doctorate degree command the highest average annual salary at $207,415 [6]. With a master’s, you can expect to earn approximately $196,381 per year [6]. While it is currently possible to practice as a CRNA with a master's degree, you will need to earn a doctorate degree if you did not begin an accredited CRNA program by January 1, 2022 [7]. All CRNAs are now required to have a doctoral degree. 

Read more: What Is a Doctorate?

How do I qualify to become a nurse anesthetist?

While qualifications vary by state and even employer, consider these seven basic steps to becoming a nurse anesthetist: 

1. Earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). 

2. Earn your Registered Nurse (RN) license. 

3. Work as an RN to gain professional experience. 

4. Enroll in a Council of Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) accredited graduate program for nurse anesthetists to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or Doctor of Nurse of Anesthesia Practice (DNAP).

5. Pass the National Certification Examination (NCE) offered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) to earn your board certification.  

7. Apply for and maintain your state licensure as an APRN.

Experience

Your income typically increases steadily as you gain more experience. The average pay you can expect based on your number of years of experience, according to Glassdoor [4], is as follows: 

• 0–1 year: $162,052

• 1–3 years: $162,728

• 4–6 years: $167,079

• 7–9 years: $182,635

• 10–14 years: $223,156

• 15 or more years: $250,901

Industry and organization

In the United States, health care ranks as the highest-paying industry for nurse anesthetists, with a median total pay of $191,302 [4]. Physicians’ offices, medical-surgical centers, and other health practitioner practices have the highest concentration of nurse anesthetists, according to BLS [2]. The top-paying firms for certified registered nurse anesthetists include [7]:

• Trinity Health: $270,194

• Mayo Clinic: $267,277

• McLeod Health: $262,151

• Fairview Health Services: $258,615

• Allina Health: $258,369

Related job titles

Your job title as a nurse anesthetist may vary based on the certifications you hold, your location, years of experience, and more. Some nurse anesthetists may work in managerial roles, while some may find themselves in the field of education as professors. Others may work with a specific type of health care provider. These variations may impact your earnings. 

You may see some of these common job title variations: 

• Cardiothoracic nurse anesthetists work with patients undergoing operations or procedures involving the heart, such as cardiothoracic operations or heart transplants. In this role, you work alongside an anesthesiologist. 

• Chief nurse anesthetists manage other nurse anesthetists in addition to their own clinical duties. You will also work closely with patients to ensure their needs are met. 

• Nurse anesthesiology program director oversees the nurse anesthesiology program for a college or university. In this leadership role, you will be overseeing all faculty and staff in the program, design curriculum, and measures for assessment. An assistant nurse anesthesiology program director would assist in this role and would be another job title option for a nurse anesthetist. 

• Faculty professor or assistant professor, CRNA is an educator at a college university, teaching courses as part of a nurse anesthetist graduate degree program. Your salary will vary in this position by degrees you hold, certifications you’ve earned, your years of professional experience, and the school at which you work. 

Read more: 10 Popular Medical Majors for a Career in Health Care

Job outlook for nurse anesthetists

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 38 percent increase in job opportunities for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners between 2022 and 2032, with about 29,200 job openings slotted for each year within the forecast period [9]. This is a much faster rate than the average of 3 percent for all occupations in the US [9].

Get started with Coursera

Nurse anesthetists are highly-regarded professionals in the nursing field. If you’re ready to plan out your next steps to becoming a nurse anesthetist, consider enrolling in a course like Introductory Human Physiology or Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body is Telling Us, both offered on Coursera. Introductory courses like these can help supplement your learning as a nursing student and give you insight into the profession early on so you can better plan your next steps.