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Nursing Informatics Salary Guide: How Much Can You Make?
How much can you make as a nursing informatics specialist? Discover expected salaries and how experience, education, certification and job scope affect salaries.
Estimating average salaries for nursing informaticists
The HIMSS 2023 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey provides the most recent industry data on nursing informatics-specific salary estimates, with more than 1,100 respondents.
According to their data, 60% of nurse informaticists report a salary greater than $100,000.
- The most common salary range for informatics nurses is $101,000-$125,000 annually (over 25%)
- The next most common range is $76,000-$100,000 (just under 25%)
Salaries are influenced by a number of factors, including state of employment, type of healthcare facility, and specific roles and responsibilities of the job. However, the HIMSS data represents a useful benchmark for what professionals in the field can make.
Limitations in Official Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Salary Data
Unfortunately, the BLS does not break down salaries in the field of nursing specifically enough to identify informatics-specific salary estimates.
BLS categories include:
- All registered nurses ($98,430 average annual salary), and
- Medical and health service managers ($137,730 average annual salary)
This broadly encompasses all types of nurses in both clinical practice and leadership, management, or administrative positions.*
The range between these two figures roughly correlate to the HIMSS report’s findings; over 40% of respondents in their survey reported salaries in the range of $101,000–$150,000.
However, overall average salaries are not indicative of what you can expect to earn after graduating with a degree in nursing informatics with little experience in the field.
Reasonable salary expectations for entry-level informaticists
The HIMSS report also breaks down salaries by years of nursing informatics experience. Those with 0 to 5 years of experience in nursing informatics most commonly reported an average annual salary of $76,000–$100,000, with many also reporting $51,000–$75,000.
However, earning a graduation education is also associated with higher reported salary ranges independent of experience.
Increased earning potential with advanced education, years of experience
Higher degree levels also correlate with higher salary ranges, as well as informatics-related certifications.
HIMSS found that nurse informaticists with informatics-related certifications tended to report higher salaries than those without certifications.
Those who earn a master’s degree or doctoral degree more commonly earn salaries in the highest ranges. HIMSS data indicates more than 15% of doctoral degree holders in the field of nursing informatics earn greater than $201,000 per year.
Graduate degree holders, by salary band, according to the survey:
Salary Range | Master’s | PhD/NP/Doctorate |
| $50,000 or less | Under 5% | Under 5% |
| $51,000 to $75,000 | 5-10% | Under 5% |
| $76,000 to $100,000 | 20-25% | 10-15% |
| $101,000 to $125,000 | 25-30% | 25-30% |
| $126,000 to $150,000 | 15-20% | 15-20% |
| $151,000 to $175,000 | 5-10% | 10-15% |
| $176,000 to $200,000 | 5-10% | 5-10% |
| $201,000 or more | 5-10% | 15-20% |
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Nursing informatics jobs do not all pay the same
Nursing informatics includes a wide range of jobs, including nursing informatics specialist, clinical informatics specialist, clinical analyst, or Chief Nursing Informatics Officer (CNIO). Compensation can rise as responsibilities become more complex.
Some professionals focus on clinical systems, data analysis, workflow optimization or user support, while others lead major implementations, manage informatics teams or help set technology strategy for an entire healthcare organization. That makes it difficult to attach one salary figure to the field as a whole.
Your earning potential can depend on your experience, education, employer, location and, importantly, how much responsibility you take on for people, systems and organizational decisions.
Turn your nursing experience into greater career opportunity
Increasing your earning potential in nursing informatics means building the experience, technical knowledge and leadership skills needed to take on greater responsibility.
Graduate education can help you deepen your expertise in areas such as healthcare data, clinical information systems, emerging technologies such as AI, interoperability and workflow optimization while preparing for more advanced roles.
If you are ready to expand what you can contribute and where your career can go, we are ready to help you reach new heights.
Learn about our informatics programs
* BLS pay estimates calculate the median annual wage for various occupations. Per the BLS the median wage for an occupation is: "The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey." Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2024. BLS median wage estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geographic market in which you want to work, and degree level and field, will affect career outcomes, including starting salary and earnings as an experienced employee. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the median salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, particular wage or salary, or other career growth.