Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Salary Guide

A NICU nurse provides specialized care for newborns born prematurely or with conditions that may require advanced care, surgery or life support. This role involves close monitoring of a hospital's youngest patients and may include:

  • Checking vital signs 

  • Alerting and updating physicians

  • Administering medication

  • Managing catheters, IVs, incubators and ventilators

  • Changing dressings

  • Responding to emergencies

  • Supporting and educating families

How do you become a NICU nurse?

To practice as a NICU nurse, you must first become a licensed RN by:

  • Earning an associate or bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited institution

  • Passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)

  • Obtaining a state license to practice as a registered nurse

Review your nursing board's licensure guidelines in advance, as each state may have additional requirements. 

Once licensed, gain experience caring for neonatal or pediatric patients and work toward a specialty certification. Consider applying to a NICU residency program for new graduates or a fellowship program that helps experienced nurses transition into the field. 

What credentials/licensing does a NICU nurse require?

Specialty certifications show employers you've acquired the knowledge and expertise to care for NICU patients. Several credentials are available, including:

Managers, administrators and educators can earn the Acute Critical Care Knowledge Professional (CCRN-K Neonatal) certification.

Average Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Salary

$48.56/hour

The average salary for a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse is $48.56 per hour. This is 8% higher than the nursing US average of $44.91.

Last updated on March 28, 2024. Based on active jobs on Vivian.com.

Salaries for Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse compared to Registered Nurse National Averages

$48.56/hour

8% higher than the nursing US average.

$44.91/hour

United States

Where do Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses get paid the most?
StateAverage Hourly SalaryMax Hourly Salary
New York$59$74
Virginia$54$64
Colorado$48$52
Pennsylvania$47$49
Texas$43$50
Georgia$41$43
Florida$39$45
Illinois$38$54
Maryland$37$49
What are the highest paying Employers and Agencies for Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse jobs?

Last updated on March 28, 2024. Information based on active jobs on Vivian.com and pay data from BLS and around the web.

A Nurse holding a file folder

Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Career Guide

Use our exclusive Career Guides to research the education, qualifications, skills and responsibilities for a variety of healthcare disciplines and specialties employers are hiring now.

Go to the guide
Was this page helpful?

Get alerts about new jobs and salary trends

Be the first to know about new jobs for Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses with the salary that suits you.

How can you increase your pay as a NICU nurse?

Consider working holidays, nights and weekends to boost your earnings as a NICU nurse. Many healthcare facilities offer pay differentials to encourage RNs to work less popular shifts.

In the long term, consider earning a master's or doctoral degree as an advanced practice nurse. Neonatal Nurse Practitioners earn an average of $58.46 per hour in staff roles, based on Vivian’s salary data on April 11, 2023.

How much does a staff NICU nurse make?

Staff nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) earned an average of $43.53 per hour, according to Vivian's data on April 11, 2023. This specialty paid 6.4% more than the average staff registered nurse (RN) salary of $40.91 per hour on this date.

Is NICU nursing a growing career?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates a 6% growth in all RN jobs between 2021 and 2031, according to May 2021 data. Although BLS doesn't have separate data for neonatal nursing jobs, Zippia predicts a 12% growth in the employment of NICU nurses between 2018 and 2028, per its website on April 11, 2023.

What states employ the most NICU nurses?

BLS doesn’t collect employment data by nursing specialty, but we can look at Vivian’s job postings to see which states had the highest demand for NICU nurses on April 11, 2023. The states with the most job postings for staff NICU nurses on this date were:

  • Texas

  • Florida

  • Illinois

  • Virginia

  • Maryland

  • Tennessee

  • Idaho

  • New Mexico

  • District of Columbia

What types of employers/facilities have the most NICU nurses employed?

According to the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, most NICU nurses are employed in hospitals with neonatal intensive care units. Neonatal nurses work in more than 1,380 NICUs in the United States, according to data in the Neonatal Solutions NICU Directory on April 11, 2023. Some NICU RNs work outside hospitals, providing follow-up care in patient homes after discharge.

How does NICU nurse pay compare to similar healthcare jobs?

On average, staff and travel NICU nurses are paid more than intensive care unit nurses but less than pediatric intensive care unit nurses, based on data from Vivian on April 11, 2023.

Featured Blog Posts

Open article Choosing Nursing Specialties: A Guide for New and Experienced RNs
NICU nursing specialties
Choosing Nursing Specialties: A Guide for New and Experienced RNs
Find the career you’ve always wanted, aligned with your passion and professional goals.
Open article Why Are Fewer Nurses Enrolling in RN-to-BSN Programs?
Stacker Story #6 Feature Image - RN-to-BSN Programs
Why Are Fewer Nurses Enrolling in RN-to-BSN Programs?
Learn what’s behind the drop in nursing students and what’s being done about it.
Open article Nursing Dress Code: What You Wear Impacts Patient Perception and Trust
Nursing Dress Code - Scrubs
Nursing Dress Code: What You Wear Impacts Patient Perception and Trust
Does appearance actually matter as a nurse? Many studies say it does. Learn why.
See more Blog Posts

Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse FAQs

What is a Neonatal ICU RN?

Neonatal intensive care unit nurses, also called NICU nurses, care for the most vulnerable patients and make a difference in the lives of infants and their parents. They frequently work in children’s hospitals, medical centers, and public and private hospitals with NICUs. Neonatal ICU nursing is among the highest paying nursing specialties. Work setting, along with several other factors, impacts a NICU nurse’s salary.

NICU nurses are registered nurses who specialize in caring for newborn infants with serious health issues, such as birth defects, congenital infections, premature birth, and other critical illnesses or specialized needs. They may care for premature or sick infants for weeks or even months until they’re healthy enough to go home.

Prospective neonatal ICU nurses must complete the educational requirements to become registered nurses. They must earn at least an Associate Degree in Nursing from a nursing program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). However, many facilities prioritize NICU nurse applicants with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. All graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN licensing exam to become an RN.

How a Neonatal ICU RN salary is based

Naturally, time and experience affect how a neonatal ICU RN’s salary is based. Most NICUs require nurses to have a year or more of experience in pediatrics or postpartum/labor and delivery or at least in another area of critical care. Besides impacting base salary, most won’t accept new graduates and many hesitate to accept RNs who only have adult med-surg experience. Once an RN has the experience to transfer to NICU nursing, entry-level NICU nurses usually have smaller starting salaries than those with several years of experience. 

Another primary factor that can impact base earnings is where a NICU RN works, which includes work setting and geographically. Nurses typically earn more working in hospitals, the most common work settings for NICU RNs, but each facility may have differing salary bases. Geography also plays a huge role in the size of a NICU nurse’s paycheck, which includes the state and city. Urban areas tend to pay more than rural areas. Nurses in northern and western states also tend to earn more than those located in the north-central and southeastern parts of the country. California typically is the highest paying state in most nursing specialties. This trend generally holds true for NICU nurses but not always.

NICU nurse salaries are often also based on level of education. Since many hospitals prefer BSN-educated NICU RNs, base salaries will likely reflect this preference. While a nurse with a BSN can expect to earn more than one with an ADN, nurses with advanced degrees can expect to earn even more. 

It’s customary for NICU nurses to have certifications in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Completion of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program is also required. Specialty certifications aren’t required, but they’re often recommended and can impact salary and career advancement.

How to increase your Neonatal ICU RN salary

As with most jobs, NICU nurses can expect their salaries to rise with time and experience. However, you can potentially accelerate the pace at which your salary increases while advancing your career through additional education and professional certifications.

Pursue an advanced practice RN position by completing an accredited graduate nurse practitioner program specifically for neonatal nurse practitioners, which can be a master’s DNP or post-master’s program. Within eight years of graduation from your program, take the neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP-BC) certification exam through the National Certification Corporation (NCC).

Other specialized education can also help increase your salary. The Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) from the American Academy of Pediatrics is usually required for employment. It utilizes a blended learning approach that educates you on the care of newborns at birth with a focus on critical communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. The S.T.A.B.L.E. Program is a neonatal education program exclusively focused on the post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick infants.

Specialty certifications can further increase an ICU RN’s salary. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses offers CCRN (Neonatal) certification after obtaining 1,750 hours in the direct care of critically ill neonatal patients within a two-year period or 2,000 hours within a five-year period and passing an examination. After 24 months of specialty experience and a minimum of 2,000 hours in direct care, earn RNC Certification for Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing (RNC-NIC) through the NCC through examination.

What professional certifications can potentially increase my salary as a Neontal ICU RN?

Earning your Neonatal Neuro-Intensive Care (C-NNIC), Acute/Critical Care Knowledge Professional (CCRN-K Neonatal), Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN-Neonatal), Care of the Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate (C-ELBW) or Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety (ONQS) often increases your salary potential as a neonatal ICU nurse or makes you eligible for another position with greater responsibilities, which also might include a bump in wages.

Can having a Neonatal Neuro-Intensive Care (C-NNIC) boost my salary as a Neonatal ICU RN?

Yes, having a Neonatal Neuro-Intensive Care (C-NNIC) or any relevant professional certification has the potential to boost your salary as a neonatal intensive care nurse.

Can having a Acute/Critical Care Knowledge Professional (CCRN-K Neonatal) boost my salary as a Neonatal ICU RN?

Yes, having a Acute/Critical Care Knowledge Professional (CCRN-K Neonatal) or any relevant professional certification has the potential to boost your salary as a neonatal intensive care nurse.

Can having a Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN-Neonatal) boost my salary as a Neonatal ICU RN?

Yes, having a Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN-Neonatal) or any relevant professional certification has the potential to boost your salary as a neonatal intensive care nurse.

Can having a Care of the Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate (C-ELBW) boost my salary as a Neonatal ICU RN?

Yes, having a Care of the Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate (C-ELBW) or any relevant professional certification has the potential to boost your salary as a neonatal intensive care nurse.

Can having a Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety (ONQS) boost my salary as a Neonatal ICU RN?

Yes, having a Obstetric and Neonatal Quality and Safety (ONQS) or any relevant professional certification has the potential to boost your salary as a neonatal intensive care nurse.

Where can I learn more about working as a NICU Nurse?

Take a look at Vivian's NICU Nurse Career Guide for more information, including required education, responsibilities, pros and cons and more.