Explore CRNA salary ranges, hourly rates, and how locum tenens work changes earning potential in 2026.
CRNA compensation sits at the top of the advanced practice market.
In 2026, most Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists earn between $223,200 and $256,000, with total compensation often exceeding that range once call pay, incentives, and shift differentials are included.
More importantly, CRNA income is not fixed. It expands based on practice model, subspecialty skill and schedule structure. That’s what separates CRNAs from most other APP roles.
| Source | What it Measures | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, May 2024) | Mean annual wage | $231,700 |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, May 2024) | Median annual wage | $223,210 |
| Salary.com (April 2026) | Average annual salary (employer-reported) | $242,877 |
| Medscape 2024 APRN Compensation Report | Average total compensation | $256,000 |
CRNA compensation is often understated because most benchmarks separate base salary from total compensation. Incentives, call coverage, and shift premiums regularly push real earnings well beyond reported averages.
CRNA salary variation comes down to what each dataset captures:
The gap between BLS ($231,700) and Medscape ($256,000) reflects the difference between base pay and total compensation. The most accurate way to interpret CRNA income is to view salary as a range shaped by incentives, call coverage, and practice model.
CRNA compensation is fundamentally hourly, even in salaried roles.
| Compensation Type | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| W-2 employed (BLS national mean) | $111 per hour |
| Locum tenens market range | $125 to $325 per hour |
Sources: BLS OEWS (May 2024) and public locum market data from the industry.
The top end reflects cardiac-trained CRNAs, OB coverage, independent practice states and short-notice or crisis assignments.
CRNAs operate in one of the widest hourly bands in healthcare. The spread is not random. It reflects how facilities price risk, coverage gaps, and autonomy.
CRNAs are already specialists. But within nurse anesthesia, subspecialty focus and practice setting can shift the pay band meaningfully.
The highest-earning CRNAs tend to combine subspecialty skill with schedule flexibility. A cardiac-trained CRNA who takes locum assignments in underserved markets is operating at the top of the pay band.
BLS state-level data shows wide variation, with the highest-paying states running nearly double the lowest.
Rural and critical access facilities consistently pay above urban benchmarks. Stroudwater Associates and NRHA (2024) report a rural CRNA median of $251,500, well above the BLS national median of $223,210. The rural premium is structural: these facilities rely on CRNAs as the primary anesthesia workforce.
Facilities are not pricing cost of living. They are pricing coverage risk. That’s why rural hospitals and independent practice states consistently pay more.
BLS data shows CRNA median annual pay increased from $212,650 in May 2023 to $223,210 in May 2024, while the mean rose from $214,200 to $231,700.
SullivanCotter (2025) reports even steeper growth in total cash compensation: median CRNA TCC has risen 22.9 percent since 2022, with year-over-year gains of 9.6 percent (2022-2023), 6.7 percent (2023-2024), and 5.2 percent (2024-2025). The growth rate is decelerating but still running well above general wage inflation. SullivanCotter also reports that 80 percent of employers now offer sign-on bonuses (median $20,000), 44 percent pay shift differentials, and 48 percent offer retention bonuses.
BLS data also shows 53,800 CRNA jobs in 2024. AANA now says all nurse anesthesia programs are approved to award doctoral degrees for entry into practice, and programs range from 36 to 51 months. Supply responds slowly to demand signals, which is why the shortage projection persists.
Medscape’s 2024 report found a ~$30,000 compensation gap between male and female CRNAs.
This gap is influenced by differences in hours worked, subspecialty mix, leadership roles, and negotiation patterns. While not unique to anesthesia, the size of the gap makes it a meaningful factor in overall compensation trends.
CRNA locum rates range from $125 to $325 per hour depending on demand, geography, and assignment urgency. The four scenarios below use representative rates from within that band.
To exceed $500,000 per year, CRNAs typically target cardiac or OB assignments at the top of the rate band, pick up additional call coverage, or combine both.
CRNA compensation is one of the clearest examples in healthcare where clinical autonomy translates directly into earning power.
In independent practice environments, CRNAs are not just providers. They are the primary anesthesia workforce, which fundamentally shifts how they are valued and compensated.
A $200-300 locum hourly rate is not just a raise over $111 W-2 pay. It’s a different financial model.
1099 CRNAs take on:
They also unlock:
Locum work shifts CRNAs from a fixed income model to a variable one. Rate is just the starting point. Structure determines the outcome.
Most CRNAs do not optimize this alone. Barton partners with Earned, a wealth and tax firm built specifically for doctors and advanced practice providers, to give locum clinicians entity formation, tax planning, and long-term financial strategy designed around how healthcare providers earn.
CRNA compensation is not static. The early-career, mid-career, and late-career earning profiles differ meaningfully.
The highest earners are not defined by hours worked. They are defined by how they structure their work.
The locum industry has a baseline problem. Smaller or less established agencies routinely cut corners that cost physicians real time and real money: credentialing delays that push start dates, licensing gaps that leave physicians exposed, malpractice coverage that turns out to be less than it looked, and invoices that drag on after the assignment ends.
Barton Associates differentiates on three verified features.
Physician-led clinical leadership. Barton has a Chief Medical Officer and physician-led clinical oversight, a structure that is unheard of in the locum staffing category.
Earned partnership for physician financial life. Barton partners with Earned, a wealth and tax firm built specifically for doctors, to give locum clinicians access to entity formation, tax planning, and long-term financial strategy designed around physician income.
Reflective-practice continuing medical education platform. Barton operates a continuing medical education platform built around reflective practice on clinical work physicians are already doing.
A reliable locum partner shows up in the moments when something goes wrong. Ask any agency how it handles a credentialing delay, a clinical concern at a site, or a mid-assignment malpractice question. The answer separates established partners from everything else.
Barton coordinates your job search from start to finish!
We’ll schedule a phone consultation to discuss your interests, goals, and work history to find the right opportunities.
Your Barton rep will submit your information to the facility you want to take an assignment at and work on next steps.
Barton handles licensing, credentialing, and travel arrangements before you arrive so you’re ready on day one.
Most CRNAs earn between $223,000 and $256,000, with higher earnings depending on incentives, call coverage, and work structure.
W-2 roles average about $111 per hour. Locum rates range from $125 to $325 per hour, with most assignments falling between $190 and $225.
Yes. Higher hourly rates combined with flexible scheduling often result in higher total income.
Rural hospitals, independent practice states, and high-demand specialties like cardiac and OB anesthesia.
Yes, but uneven. Shortages are most pronounced in rural and high-acuity settings.
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