CRNA Salary (2026): Complete Nurse Anesthetist Pay Guide

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in the United States earn a national median of $248,893 per year — roughly $119.66/hour. CRNAs consistently rank among the top three highest-paid nursing specialties alongside Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives, and earn substantially more than the median for registered nurses overall. CRNA pay continues to climb, driven by anesthesia provider shortages at critical-access hospitals, the gradual expansion of CRNA scope-of-practice in additional states, growing demand from outpatient surgery centers (ASCs), and the structural supply constraint of a doctorate-required entry pathway.

The national median is only the middle of the distribution. Three numbers describe the real range of CRNA compensation:

• Entry-level CRNAs (10th percentile): $163,323/year — typically newly certified CRNAs in their first 1–2 years of practice, often as W2 staff anesthetists at academic medical centers or larger hospital systems, working through orientation and gaining subspecialty experience before progressing to independent case management.
• Median CRNA (50th percentile): $248,893/year — the working CRNA with 3–10 years of practice experience, frequently at hospital staff positions in metropolitan or community medical centers, in Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) model groups, or in transitional roles between W2 employment and 1099 independent contracting.
• Top-earning CRNAs (90th percentile): $357,154/year — senior CRNAs in high-demand opt-out states, sole-anesthesia-provider CRNAs at critical-access hospitals (CAHs), 1099 independent contractor CRNAs through anesthesia staffing groups, locum tenens anesthetists working full-time travel assignments, and senior CRNAs with cardiac, OB, or trauma subspecialty experience commanding premium W2 compensation.

Geographic location explains a meaningful share of the gap, but state CRNA practice authority often matters more. CRNAs in Jacksonville, FL earn a median of $437,632, while colleagues in Fayetteville, AR earn around $90,651. The gap reflects three powerful drivers: state practice authority (independent vs supervised), facility setting (critical-access hospital vs metropolitan academic medical center), and call-coverage arrangements.

CRNA Salary vs Nurse Anesthetist Salary — Are They the Same?

Yes. CRNA salary, nurse anesthetist salary, certified registered nurse anesthetist pay, and anesthesia nurse pay all describe the same compensation. CRNA is the credential awarded by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) after a candidate completes a Master's degree in nurse anesthesia. from a Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)-accredited program and passes the National Certification Examination (NCE). Every nurse anesthetist practicing legally in the U.S. holds the CRNA credential — there is no separate, lower-tier title. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA, formerly American Association of Nurse Anesthetists) is the profession's national society. The same job goes by several names in salary surveys and job ads:

• Nurse anesthetist salary / nurse anesthetist pay
• CRNA salary / CRNA pay / CRNA hourly rate
• Certified registered nurse anesthetist salary
• Anesthesia nurse salary / anesthesia provider pay
• APRN-CRNA salary / advanced practice CRNA pay

All of these reference SOC code 29-1151 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey — the data source used throughout this site. Anesthesiologists (MD/DO, SOC 29-1211) are tracked under a separate, higher-paid SOC code; this site reports CRNA pay only. Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs) are tracked under a third adjacent SOC code and represent a separate licensure track.

CRNA Hourly Pay and W2 vs 1099 Compensation

Most CRNAs work as W2 hospital employees with annual salary, paid call coverage, productivity bonuses, CME stipends, and retirement match. The national median hourly equivalent of $119.66/hour reflects employed-staff pay. A meaningful second segment works as 1099 independent contractors through anesthesia staffing groups — these positions frequently pay $200–$300+/hour for general cases and substantially more for cardiac, OB, or trauma coverage, but contractors carry their own malpractice, retirement, and tax obligations.

Locum tenens CRNAs — temporary contract anesthetists who travel between facilities — can earn the equivalent of $357,154+ annualized when working full-time, plus housing and travel reimbursement. The trade-off is schedule unpredictability and the operational overhead of running a one-person business. Major locum staffing groups (CompHealth, Locumtenens.com, Staff Care, Weatherby Healthcare, Anesthesia Staffing Solutions, NAPA Anesthesia, Sheridan Healthcare) connect contract CRNAs to coverage gaps across critical-access hospitals, ASCs, and specialty surgical centers.

2026 CRNA Salary Projection

Nurse anesthetist pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 5.20% over the past five years, driven by anesthesia provider shortages at critical-access hospitals, the gradual expansion of CRNA scope-of-practice in additional states (currently 25+ states have CMS opt-out status), increasing demand from outpatient surgery centers, and the structural supply constraint of a doctorate-required entry pathway (DNP / DNAP — Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice — required for all new CRNA program entrants since 2022). The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nurse anesthetist employment growth among the fastest of any healthcare profession through 2033, putting continued upward pressure on wages — especially for CRNAs willing to work in underserved rural markets, opt-out states, or as locum tenens contractors.

Three factors explain why one CRNA at a Texas critical-access hospital can earn nearly double what a colleague at a metropolitan academic medical center takes home: state practice authority, facility setting, and call coverage and employment model.

1. State Practice Authority: The CRNA Pay Multiplier

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows individual states to "opt out" of physician supervision requirements for CRNA anesthesia care under 42 CFR §482.52. Twenty-plus states have opted out, granting CRNAs full independent practice authority for CMS billing purposes. Hospitals and surgery centers in opt-out states — especially those in rural or underserved areas — often pay CRNAs significantly more, both because they're the sole anesthesia provider on staff and because Medicare reimbursement flows directly to the CRNA rather than through a supervising anesthesiologist.

States like Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Kansas, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Kentucky show CRNA medians well above the national average for this reason. By contrast, urban states with restrictive supervision rules and a dense anesthesiologist workforce — California, New York, parts of Florida — tend to compress CRNA wages relative to local cost of living. The opt-out vs supervision distinction is among the single largest non-experience pay drivers in U.S. healthcare.

2. Facility Setting: Critical Access vs Academic Center vs ASC

Critical-access hospitals (CAHs) — Medicare-designated facilities in rural areas with fewer than 25 beds — typically pay CRNAs at the top of the market. Many CAHs employ a single CRNA who serves as the sole anesthesia provider, often with on-call coverage built into the base contract. Sign-on bonuses of $25,000–$75,000 plus federal student loan repayment through the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program are common in CAH recruiting.

Academic medical centers and Level-1 trauma hospitals pay slightly less in base salary but offer subspecialty experience (cardiac, neuro, transplant, pediatric), strong retirement benefits (often defined-benefit pension at not-for-profit health systems), academic appointments, and stronger institutional support. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) — outpatient facilities for elective procedures — fall in the middle: predictable Monday–Friday daytime hours, no overnight call, and pay competitive with hospital staff positions. Major ASC chains (USPI, Surgery Partners, AmSurg, SCA Health, Tenet's USPI) compete actively for CRNA talent.

3. Call Coverage and Bonus Structure

CRNA total compensation often includes call pay, holiday differentials, and productivity bonuses that can add 15–25% to base salary. Hospitals structure call differently — some pay a flat per-hour rate for call coverage whether or not the CRNA is activated, others pay only when called in. CRNAs working busy trauma rotations or OB epidural call frequently double their base pay through call coverage. When comparing job offers, the total-compensation number — base + call + bonus + benefits + retirement match — matters far more than headline base salary.

4. Employment Model: W2 Hospital Staff vs 1099 Contractor vs Locum Tenens

The single largest near-term pay lever for an experienced CRNA is employment model:

• W2 hospital staff CRNA — base salary plus call coverage, benefits, retirement match, CME stipend, malpractice coverage, and structured PTO. Predictable income with strong long-term benefits at not-for-profit health systems including pension eligibility.
• Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) model — CRNAs working under physician anesthesiologist medical direction in 4:1 or 3:1 supervision ratios; common at major hospital systems and academic medical centers. W2 pay structure with strong benefits.
• 1099 independent contractor — contract CRNAs through anesthesia staffing groups (NAPA Anesthesia, Sheridan Healthcare, US Anesthesia Partners, Envision Anesthesia); higher per-case or per-hour pay but contractor carries malpractice, retirement, and tax obligations.
• Locum tenens CRNA — temporary travel assignments through locum agencies (CompHealth, Locumtenens.com, Staff Care, Weatherby Healthcare); $250–$400+/hour all-in with housing and travel reimbursement on top, supporting $400,000–$600,000+ annualized at full utilization in opt-out market.
• Solo independent CRNA practice (opt-out states) — established CRNAs in opt-out states can launch independent anesthesia practices serving ASCs, dental practices, plastic surgery centers, and office-based procedures.

For a complete city-by-city breakdown of CRNA salaries — including BLS percentile data (10th, 25th, 50th/median, 75th, 90th), local cost-of-living adjustments, and 2026 salary projections — browse the 1,664+ metro areas tracked in our dataset below.