CRNA Salary 2026: What Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Earn

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are consistently among the highest-paid advanced practice nurses in the country — and in many markets they earn more than primary care physicians. With projected shortages driven by retiring anesthesiologists and growing demand for surgical and procedural anesthesia, 2026 CRNA compensation has remained elevated across most practice settings.

CRNA salary national overview (2026)

Percentile	Annual Salary (W-2)
10th percentile	$170,000
25th percentile	$185,000
Median (50th)	$202,000
75th percentile	$225,000
90th percentile	$255,000

These figures represent base salary for full-time employed CRNAs and exclude production bonuses, on-call pay, and locum premiums. CRNAs in independent or CRNA-only practice models with no anesthesiologist medical direction frequently earn at or above the 90th percentile.

CRNA salary by state — top 10 paying states

State	Median Annual Salary	Notes
Wyoming	$265,000	Rural premium, independent practice
Montana	$252,000	CRNA-only model, critical access hospitals
Oregon	$248,000	Independent CRNA practice permitted
California	$245,000	High cost of living + union hospitals
Wisconsin	$238,000	Strong rural demand, CRNA-driven facilities
Iowa	$235,000	Rural independent practice model
Alaska	$233,000	Hardship premium + rural critical access
Washington	$230,000	Pacific Northwest market rates
Nevada	$228,000	Strong Las Vegas hospital market
North Dakota	$226,000	Critical access rural premium

Practice setting breakdown

• Hospital-employed (MD-directed model): $185,000–$220,000. Most common in urban and suburban markets. Includes benefits, malpractice, retirement. Production bonuses are common ($5K–$25K annually based on case volume).
• CRNA-only / independent practice: $210,000–$280,000+. Common in rural critical access hospitals and states with independent practice authority. Higher earning ceiling but greater responsibility for quality oversight and call coverage.
• Locum tenens / travel CRNA: $250,000–$350,000 total compensation. Hourly rates typically $160–$225/hr. Housing stipend and travel reimbursement add $30K–$60K annually in value. Higher gross income offset by self-employment taxes and no employer benefits.
• Academic medical center: $170,000–$200,000. Lower base pay relative to community settings but protected time for education, strong benefit packages, and schedule stability.
• Ambulatory surgery center (ASC): $195,000–$240,000. Often partnership or equity arrangements after 2–3 years add to base.

W-2 vs 1099 — CRNA edition

CRNAs who locum as 1099 contractors face a significant tax arithmetic reality: self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top of income tax for the first ~$160K of net earnings, then 2.9% above that. At $300K 1099 gross, effective total tax burden commonly runs 40–45%. The math typically still favors 1099 at premium locum rates — a CRNA at $200/hr for 44 weeks generates ~$352,000 gross vs $202,000 W-2 base — but the after-tax gap is smaller than the gross gap suggests.

Key 1099 deductions for CRNAs: malpractice insurance premium (~$5K–$12K annually), professional liability tail coverage when contracts end, CME, AANA membership, licensing fees across multiple states, and the Section 199A deduction if eligible.

Negotiation and total comp checklist

• Call pay — on-call rates of $15–$30/hr plus activation bonus ($75–$150/case called in) can add $15K–$40K annually depending on call frequency
• Production bonus — threshold-based (e.g., $5K bonus for every 50 cases above 1,200/year) or RVU-based
• Tail coverage — get it in writing who pays tail if you leave; mature-claims-made policies can cost $20K–$40K if you cover tail yourself
• CRNA governance — in group/anesthesia department models, confirm the MD/CRNA ratio and supervision requirements; this affects both caseload and earnings ceiling
• Non-compete — CRNA non-competes of 1–2 year, 25–50 mile radius are common; negotiate shorter radius or buyout clause

What we see at Ava Health

CRNA is one of our highest-priority sourcing specialties. The pipeline is thin — there are approximately 55,000 active CRNAs in the U.S. — and candidate response rates on outreach are lower than most nursing specialties because top CRNAs are rarely looking. Retained search, referral networks, and AANA conference outreach produce better results than cold email. Our matches for CRNA roles weigh heavily on state license and independent practice authority alignment.

Related: Anesthesiologist Compensation 2026, Nurse Practitioner Salary Guide, Travel Nurse Salary Guide, PA Compensation Guide 2026.