Quick answer: The San Francisco metro employs about 41,750 registered nurses (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through the state board for the specific credential you are pursuing.
Compare health care programs enrolling now:
Licensing
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Health care is licensed credential by credential rather than as a field, so there is no single permit to work in it. Each path on this page has its own accreditor and its own examination - CCNE or ACEN and the NCLEX for nursing, ARC-PA and the PANCE for physician assistants, ACPE and the NAPLEX for pharmacy, and so on - and every one of them is issued state by state.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with the state board for the specific credential you are pursuing.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 15 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Registered Nurses in the San Francisco area earn a median $186,610 per year, above the national median of $97,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Health Care Pay in San Francisco, CA
Metric
San Francisco metro
California
National
Median annual wage
$186,610
$140,270
$97,550
10th percentile
$119,290
$101,260
$68,940
25th percentile
$137,120
$122,440
$80,330
75th percentile
$215,630
$173,170
$112,350
90th percentile
$223,770
$213,320
$137,470
Employment
41,750
338,940
3,379,720
Location quotient
0.81
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The San Francisco median of $186,610 is above the national median of $97,550, and above the California statewide median of $140,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.81 means registered nurses are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Health care hiring follows the local care network - the hospital systems, clinics and long-term care facilities in a metro are what create the openings.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in San Francisco?
The median annual wage for registered nurses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is $186,610, above the national median of $97,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many registered nurses work in the San Francisco area?
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area employs about 41,750 registered nurses (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do registered nurses in San Francisco need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Health care is licensed credential by credential rather than as a field, so there is no single permit to work in it. Each path on this page has its own accreditor and its own examination - CCNE or ACEN and the NCLEX for nursing, ARC-PA and the PANCE for physician assistants, ACPE and the NAPLEX for pharmacy, and so on - and every one of them is issued state by state. Confirm current requirements with the state board for the specific credential you are pursuing.
Can I study health care online from San Francisco?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies the state board for the specific credential you are pursuing.
Is San Francisco a better market than the rest of California?
The San Francisco metro median is $186,610 against a statewide median of $140,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
