Salaries Are Up: 5 Pay Stats for 2023

AORN Member Salary Survey Numbers Are In

Find out how your salary compares through AORN’s just updated salary calculator.

All nurses received a significant pay bump in 2023. That’s according to AORN’s just published 2023 salary survey results.

Every year AORN surveys members on compensation trends in all perioperative settings across the country. The survey looks at income trends such as salary, benefits, overtime, bonuses, and job satisfaction.

Results from the 2023 survey are now in the AORN Compensation Calculator. This tool can help nurses compare their own salary with the 2023 survey numbers.

Five 2023 Salary Survey Trends

On the pay front, numbers from this year look hopeful compared to the past two years.

1. Staff Nurse Salaries Grew by $5,500

Staff nurses got a solid raise. A two-year long trend of only a modest pay bump changed for staff nurses—they earned $84,900 in 2023. This is $5,500 more than in 2022 and $9,300 more than in 2021.

2. Nurse Leader Salaries Jumped By $7,900

Nurse leaders are in the black after a few years with very modest increases and climbing inflation. They earned $131,500 in 2023, which is $7,900 more than in 2022 and $6,200 more than in 2021.

3. Travel Nurses Made 21% More

Travel nurses’ higher salary is not likely a surprise, but it is significant. In 2023 travel nurses made $18,100 more in annual income compared to staff nurse pay.

4. Hiring Bonuses Rose Significantly

Nurses in their first year of employment in 2023 saw the best hiring bonus in years. More nurses (19%) received a hiring bonus than last year (14%). This could be an indication of more nurses hired in 2023. The bonus amount they received grew, too, with 61% of hiring bonuses at $10,000 or more.

5. Higher Pay = Higher Job Satisfaction

Very satisfied nurses earned $1,700 more than nurses who were only somewhat satisfied with their job. Reported reasons for job satisfaction ranked in order as follows:

• The job itself
• Coworkers (fellow nurses)
• Other surgical team members
• Job scheduling
• Compensation
• Benefits
• Management
• Career Opportunities

Staffing Improvements & Pay Worries

Shortage Numbers Improving

A significant reprieve in the nursing shortage is indicated in 2023 numbers. This is measured by the median percentage of vacant full-time nursing positions reported by nurse leaders. In 2022, leaders reported 18% open positions, but in 2023 they reported only 11% open positions.

For comparison, open positions increased steadily from 3% to 9% from 2012–2019.

Some Nurses Feeling Underpaid

Despite higher pay, job compensation remained the number one reported reason for leaving a job. Burnout ranked as the third reason for leaving a job, behind benefits.

Overall, survey respondents were most frustrated about their work/pay balance in three key areas. They said ...

• Pay is not adequately compensating work.
• Pay is not matching the level of skill required for the perioperative specialty.
• Travel nurses continue to remain in use and are getting paid more.

Discontent with Travel Nurse Use

Surveyed nurses concerned about travelers being used to address staffing shortages noted three key complaints. One, travel nurses get paid more than staff nurses for the same work. Two, there is an ongoing cycle of traveler training. Three, a criticism of management ... that compensation and benefits are not structured to retain staff nurses.

Read the Full Report

See the complete 2023 salary survey results in the December issue of AORN Journal.

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