Pay Increases Dipped, Staffing Improved: 6 Salary Survey Takeaways

All nurses received a modest pay bump in 2024, seeing less wage increases than in 2023. Overall, periop nurse salaries remain at or below the current inflation rate.

Still, the outlook is promising for the new year on several fronts such as a declining staffing shortage, according to AORN’s just published 2024 Salary Survey results. The annual look at periop nurse compensation tracks trends like salary, benefits, overtime and even job satisfaction across the country.

Here are six takeaways from the survey that sum up the good, the less than good, and the hopes for 2025: 

1. Staff Nurse Salaries Grew, But Less Than Last Year

Staff nurses got a more modest bump in average annual income to $89,200 in 2024. This is an increase of $4,300 from last year, which is less of an increase from the $5,500 jump between 2022 to 2023.  

2. Nurse Leaders Earned the Least Increase

Nurses in the VP, assistant VP, director, and assistant director roles averaged $135,600 annual pay in 2024. This is up by $4,100 from 2023. However, they saw a $7,900 gain from 2022 to 2023, and a $6,200 gain from 2021 to 2022—so 2024 gains are down.

3. Hiring Bonuses Are Up, Again

There’s a steady increase in both the quantity and dollar amount of new hire bonuses seen over the past several years. More respondents said they received a hiring bonus this year at a rate of 22% in 2024, compared to 19% in 2023, and 14% in 2022. Among those who received a 2024 hiring bonus, 63% of them reported the bonus was $10,000 or more. Slightly less nurses (61%) reported this dollar amount for their hiring bonus in 2023.

4. Travel Nurse Use Keeps Going Down

Reported travel nurse use was down in 2024 to 55%. This is a further decrease from 63% in 2023. For comparison, hiring travel nurses to fill staff vacancies jumped from 46% in 2020 to 68% in 2022.

5. Gaps in Staffing and Related Patient Safety Risks Are Steadily Declining

Vacant positions dipped again in 2024 to 8%, down from 11% in 2023 and 18% in 2022. Reported patient safety concerns owing to short staffing are also looking better, with an uptick in no or rare patient risk events at 41% in 2024. This is a positive sign, considering that only 29% of respondents could say the same in 2022.

Delayed or canceled surgeries owing to short staffing decreased too, tracking at 53% in 2024. This is down from 61% shortage-induced cancellations in 2023 and 68% in 2022.

6. Pay Dissatisfaction is Up

A 10% increase in reported dissatisfaction in 2024 is notable. This year, among almost a quarter of survey respondents who shared comments, 69% of them mentioned dissatisfaction with compensation, up from 59% last year. Why? Their comments fell into three pay concerns:

• Pay not keeping up with rising costs of living
• Lack of adequate compensation for the periop specialty
• New nurses earning more than senior nurses

As one nurse put it: “The new graduates should not be making the same or more than a nurse with 5 to 10 years of experience. It’s insulting for hospital systems to not pay their experienced nurses what they’re worth. That’s why nurses jump hospitals so frequently.”

How does your pay compare?

You can find out with the just-updated AORN Compensation Calculator. Access is free to AORN members.

Find more 2024 salary survey results in the December issue of AORN Journal.