Side-by-side distribution
Nurse
$46.89/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 53.1%
- Live roles
- 34,948
Surgeon
$402,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 40.7%
- Live roles
- 706
Highest-paying jobs
Structural Heart Nurse Practitioner
Registered Nurse (RN), Hospice Community Health Nurse (Weekends)
Substitute Nurse: Candidate Pool:
Relief Veterinary Assistant/ Veterinary Nurse - Santa Monica
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist - CRNA
Experienced Dermatology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
Experienced Dermatology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
Psych Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP, Psych APRN)
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Independent Contractor
Highest-paying jobs
Oral Surgeon
Cardiovascular Surgeon
Physician Orthopedic Surgeon (Total Joint)
Mohs Surgeon - Established Volume - Seattle/Puget Sound
Cardiac Surgeon Clinical Associate
Thoracic Surgeon
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Cardiac Surgeon – AdventHealth Heart & Vascular Institute
Physician - Orthopedic Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon - Fargo, ND
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Advocate Health
|
$99,320 | 1,622 |
| AD AdventHealth | $93,725 | 1,363 |
CVS Health
|
$137,259 | 935 |
Trinity Health
|
$99,237 | 599 |
DaVita
|
$99,840 | 545 |
CenterWell
|
$122,720 | 532 |
BAYADA Home Health Care
|
$69,680 | 519 |
| BI Beth Israel Lahey Health | $131,186 | 436 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Skilled Wound Care
|
$250,000 | 114 |
|
Aspen Dental
|
$7,250 | 20 |
| ME Medivet | $84,294 | 12 |
| MO Montefiore | $171,340 | 10 |
|
Trinity Health
|
$730,000 | 9 |
|
Rochester Regional Health
|
$325,000 | 9 |
| HM Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians | $591,225 | 8 |
|
Platinum Dermatology Partners - Physicians
|
$450,000 | 7 |
Nurse salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $199,680 | 96 |
| Seattle | $150,977 | 56 |
| Los Angeles | $148,950 | 52 |
| Boston | $117,915 | 231 |
| Sydney | $100,478 | 19 |
| Chicago | $99,216 | 112 |
| Atlanta | $98,675 | 31 |
| Austin | $98,384 | 35 |
| Denver | $97,521 | 139 |
| New York | $96,824 | 388 |
Surgeon salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $375,000 | 6 |
| New York | $350,000 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $250,000 | 6 |
| London | $82,627 | 5 |
Nurse vs Surgeon: which pays more?
The median for Nurse is $46.89/hr per year (typically $40.15/hr–$52.91/hr), versus $402,750 for Surgeon ($150,000–$603,000). That puts Surgeon about 313% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Nurse and Surgeon are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.