Median pay for nurse anesthetists runs from $124,470 in Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area to $416,000 in Jacksonville — a 3.34× range across 141 metropolitan areas. The national median of $236,590 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of nurse anesthetists earn below $155,250 and ten per cent above $339,500 — a 2.19× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 43%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Jacksonville (FL) leads and Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville FL | $416,000 | $200.00 | 1.34 | 340 |
| Fayetteville NC | $331,760 | $159.50 | 2.07 | 90 |
| Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area | $323,490 | $155.53 | 2.26 | 100 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area | $323,470 | $155.51 | 0.86 | 40 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $321,030 | $154.34 | 0.73 | 2,310 |
| Peoria IL | $310,930 | $149.49 | 1.75 | 100 |
| Columbia MO | $310,170 | $149.12 | 2.44 | 90 |
| Hammond LA | $304,640 | $146.46 | 2.6 | 40 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $298,910 | $143.71 | 0.25 | 140 |
| Greensboro-High Point NC | $297,560 | $143.06 | 0.84 | 100 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton NJ | $294,910 | $141.78 | 2.48 | 140 |
| Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $290,090 | $139.47 | 1.35 | 30 |
| Rochester NY | $286,230 | $137.61 | 0.83 | 140 |
| West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area | $285,340 | $137.18 | 0.7 | 60 |
| Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $285,030 | $137.04 | 0.55 | 40 |
| Madison WI | $283,980 | $136.53 | 1.13 | 150 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha WI | $282,840 | $135.98 | 0.76 | 210 |
| Utica-Rome NY | $282,380 | $135.76 | 0.77 | 30 |
| South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $282,260 | $135.70 | 0.98 | 50 |
| Charleston WV | $280,250 | $134.74 | 6.52 | 220 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC | $279,570 | $134.41 | 0.76 | 40 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels TX | $279,410 | $134.33 | 0.53 | 200 |
| South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area | $279,280 | $134.27 | 1.11 | 80 |
| Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $278,960 | $134.12 | 1.16 | 60 |
| Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $278,670 | $133.98 | 1.75 | 110 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $124,470 | $59.84 | 0.94 | 50 |
| Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $169,250 | $81.37 | 1.49 | 30 |
| Joplin MO-KS | $170,770 | $82.10 | 1.04 | 30 |
| Salem OR | $174,260 | $83.78 | 0.64 | 40 |
| Birmingham AL | $175,850 | $84.54 | 4.31 | 750 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $178,290 | $85.72 | 0.67 | 30 |
| South Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $186,300 | $89.57 | 2.43 | 160 |
| Dothan AL | $187,980 | $90.37 | 4.41 | 90 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals AL | $188,760 | $90.75 | 2.82 | 50 |
| Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $190,630 | $91.65 | 1.27 | 110 |
Morgantown has 8.82× the national concentration of nurse anesthetists — the densest market in the country for this role, with 200 employed locally. Pay there is $278,530, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgantown WV | $278,530 | $133.91 | 8.82 | 200 |
| Charleston WV | $280,250 | $134.74 | 6.52 | 220 |
| Winston-Salem NC | $216,140 | $103.91 | 4.91 | 440 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington LA | $217,490 | $104.56 | 4.58 | 150 |
| Dothan AL | $187,980 | $90.37 | 4.41 | 90 |
| Birmingham AL | $175,850 | $84.54 | 4.31 | 750 |
| Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH | $264,420 | $127.13 | 4.11 | 190 |
| Sioux Falls SD-MN | $243,560 | $117.10 | 3.85 | 230 |
| Pocatello ID | $268,710 | $129.19 | 3.76 | 50 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ | $211,130 | $101.50 | 3.5 | 440 |
| Lewiston-Auburn ME | $247,470 | $118.98 | 3.49 | 60 |
| Panama City-Panama City Beach FL | $207,470 | $99.74 | 3.48 | 110 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $321,030 | $154.34 | 0.73 | 2,310 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $218,650 | $105.12 | 0.96 | 1,290 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $258,570 | $124.31 | 1.92 | 1,250 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $238,540 | $114.68 | 1.23 | 1,190 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $243,130 | $116.89 | 1.84 | 1,170 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL | $206,270 | $99.17 | 2.22 | 1,070 |
| Kansas City MO-KS | $218,080 | $104.85 | 2.68 | 980 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $277,550 | $133.44 | 2 | 910 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $265,880 | $127.83 | 0.56 | 840 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin TN | $211,450 | $101.66 | 2.27 | 830 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $214,690 | $103.22 | 1.63 | 770 |
| Birmingham AL | $175,850 | $84.54 | 4.31 | 750 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 29-1151. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 141 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 387 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.