Median Annual Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track nurse informaticists separately. It groups them under "health information technologists and medical registrars," where the median wage is $67,310 (May 2024). HIMSS survey data and hiring-site listings put most nurse informaticists toward the upper end of that range, which fits a role with advanced responsibilities. Your own number still depends on employer, location, experience, education, and title.
Raising Your Earning Potential
The three biggest levers are education, certification, and experience. A higher degree, a certification, and more years on the job all push pay upward.
Education makes a real difference in a competitive field. You need an active RN license to hold any informatics job, and most roles ask for at least a bachelor's, though an MSN is fast becoming the standard. If you want to go further, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or a PhD in Nursing opens high-level leadership roles. In the HIMSS survey, informaticists with a doctorate reported the highest salaries: 61% earned well above the field average, a larger share than any other degree level. A master's is not required, but it helps you stand out and qualifies you for higher roles such as chief nursing informatics officer.
Certification is the next lever. It is not required across the board, but some employers mandate it, and it raises your profile. You need education, experience, and an active RN license to apply. Common options:
- Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC, formerly RN-BC) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
- Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) from HIMSS (entry level)
- Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) from HIMSS (professional level)
Experience matters too. The HIMSS survey found that informaticists with more than 11 years of experience were the top earners, often well ahead of newcomers.
How It Compares to Other Nursing Jobs
The BLS does not track nurse informaticists specifically. For the broader category, the median wage is $67,310, the 75th percentile sits at $92,410, and the top 10% earn more than $112,130 (May 2024). Survey and association data point to nurse informaticists clustering among the top earners in that group.
Where You Work
Hospitals and health systems are the primary employers, but the category's pay varies sharply by industry. These figures cover all jobs in the BLS category, not informatics nurses alone:
| Place of Employment | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | $189,930 |
| Scientific Research Facilities | $131,410 |
| Computer Systems Design Companies | $82,790 |
| Office Administrative Services | $78,390 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $69,600 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Your salary as a nurse informaticist could run higher or lower depending on your education, experience, and certification. As technology takes on a larger role in healthcare, expect both pay and opportunities in the field to keep climbing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a nurse informaticist make? The BLS does not list nurse informaticists separately. It groups them under "health information technologists and medical registrars," where the median wage was $67,310 in May 2024 and the top 10% earned more than $112,130. Survey and hiring data put nurse informaticists toward the upper end of that range.
Why isn't there an exact BLS salary for nursing informatics? The Bureau of Labor Statistics has no standalone occupation code for nurse informaticists, so it folds them into a broader category. That category mixes several roles, so the published figures are a floor and a frame, not a precise informatics number.
What degree do I need for nursing informatics? You need an active RN license, and most roles ask for at least a bachelor's. An MSN is fast becoming the standard, and a DNP or PhD opens senior leadership roles such as chief nursing informatics officer.
Does certification raise informatics pay? It can. Certification is not universally required, but some employers mandate it and it strengthens your profile. The main credential is the ANCC's Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC, formerly RN-BC), with HIMSS offering CAHIMS and CPHIMS.
Which employers pay nurse informaticists the most? Within the BLS category, pharmaceutical manufacturing and scientific research facilities post the highest average pay, well above hospitals. Most nurse informaticists still work in hospitals and health systems, where the category average is closer to $69,600.
Does experience increase nursing informatics salary? Yes. The HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey found that informaticists with more than 11 years of experience were the top earners, ahead of those newer to the field.