Critical Care Nurse Salary in Alabama: $79,500 Average

Home › Healthcare Practitioners and Technical › Critical Care Nurse › Alabama

Average base salary, Alabama

$79,500 / year

≈ $6,650 per month · $38.22 per hour

LocationOr metro area

BLS May 2025 state data for Alabama · median $80,000

25th percentile
$65,500Average
$79,50075th percentile
$86,500

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (occupation group), with detailed role definition from O*NET, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.

Critical Care Nurse salary by state

Alabama$79,500

Alaska$119,000

Arizona$103,000

Arkansas$84,500

California$155,500

Colorado$103,000

Connecticut$109,000

Delaware$103,000

District of Columbia$110,500

Florida$94,000

Georgia$98,500

Hawaii$128,500

Idaho$96,000

Illinois$97,500

Indiana$92,500

Iowa$83,500

Kansas$85,000

Kentucky$89,000

Louisiana$87,000

Maine$95,000

Maryland$102,500

Massachusetts$122,000

Michigan$97,500

Minnesota$107,000

Mississippi$81,500

Missouri$89,000

Montana$94,500

Nebraska$91,500

Nevada$109,500

New Hampshire$101,500

New Jersey$114,000

New Mexico$98,500

New York$117,500

North Carolina$93,500

North Dakota$86,500

Ohio$91,000

Oklahoma$88,000

Oregon$127,500

Pennsylvania$97,500

Rhode Island$105,000

South Carolina$90,500

South Dakota$80,000

Tennessee$88,500

Texas$98,500

Utah$94,000

Vermont$100,000

Virginia$97,000

Washington$126,000

West Virginia$90,000

Wisconsin$98,000

Wyoming$91,500

About this role

Critical Care Nurse is a professional role within the function in the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical job family.

Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.

What Critical Care Nurses do

Typical education: Bachelor's Degree

Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.

Top skills: Monitoring Speaking Social Perceptiveness Service Orientation Reading Comprehension Critical Thinking

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).

Critical Care Nurse pay by experience level

Entry level$71,500

Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)

Early career$83,000

A few years in (about the 25th percentile)

Experienced$101,000

Mid-career median pay

Senior$116,500

Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)

Top earners$142,500

Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)

Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.

Job outlook

+4.9%

projected change in jobs, 2024–2034

189,100

projected openings per year

Growing about as fast as average

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.

Critical Care Nurse salary by industry

Hospitals

2,020,230 workers

$108,000

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,902,960 workers

$108,000

Hospitals, Privately Owned

1,730,350 workers

$107,500

Ambulatory Health Care Services

648,820 workers

$101,000

Offices of Physicians

232,420 workers

$94,000

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities

198,830 workers

$91,500

Home Health Care Services

198,180 workers

$97,000

Hospitals, Local Government Owned

181,690 workers

$104,500

Outpatient Care Centers

173,380 workers

$116,500

Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS

169,640 workers

$120,500

National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.

How this role compares

Critical Care Nurse pays 35% below the average across 91 roles in the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical job family (family average $162,000).

Similar-paying roles in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Acute Care Nurse$105,000

Dental Hygienist$102,500

Genetic Counselor$108,500

Speech-Language Pathologist$101,500

Audiologist$101,000

Nuclear Medicine Technologist$109,000

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$100,500

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist$99,500

Chiropractor$93,500

Radiation Therapist$119,000

Careers related to Critical Care Nurse

Nurse Practitioner$142,000

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$69,500

Nurse Midwive$142,000

Nursing Assistant$44,000

Physician Assistant$146,000

Nurse Anesthetist$257,000

Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Critical Care Nurse make?

The average base salary for a Critical Care Nurse in the United States is $105,000 per year, or about $50.48 per hour.

What is the typical salary range?

Pay typically falls between $83,000 and $116,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.

How does this compare with other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical roles?

The Healthcare Practitioners and Technical job family averages $162,000 across 91 roles tracked by WePayFairly.

Need a defensible market price for this role?
WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.

Explore Market Data Our Methodology