How Much Does an Informatics Nurse Make?

Nurse informaticists, sometimes called informatics nurses, work in the interdisciplinary area of information technology in healthcare organizations. They organize patient care software and electronic medical records, using their clinical nursing knowledge to optimize these systems.

This page explores nurse informaticist salaries using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other sources. Individuals can learn about general pay expectations and factors affecting nurse informaticist salaries below.

Additionally, NurseJournal features resources on how to become a nurse informaticist and an overview of the career.

Nurse informaticists become licensed as registered nurses (RNs) to work in settings like hospitals, physicians’ offices, and community health centers. The current average nursing informatics salary is $82,490, according to data gathered by Payscale in February 2023. These professionals typically earn $61,000-$98,000 annually.

That salary often comes with high job satisfaction. According to a 2020 survey from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), about 51% of nurse informaticists reported high job satisfaction, while about 48% said they were somewhat satisfied with their jobs.

As with many professions, nurse informaticists typically see salary increases as they gain more experience. In some cases, informatics nurses can see their pay potentially double throughout their careers.

According to the 2020 HIMSS report:

Advanced degrees can require a significant time and energy commitment, but nurse informaticists who hold graduate degrees tend to earn higher pay.

In the 2020 HIMSS report, over 20% of nurse informaticists with doctor of nursing practice degrees reported making $151,000 or higher. Over 10% of nurse informaticists with master of science in nursing (MSN) degrees earned similar salaries. In contrast, under 5% of nurse informaticists with bachelor’s or associate degrees reported earning this level of pay.

Location, cost of living, and population size affect nurse informaticist salaries. The following information explores the states with the highest and lowest pay for these professionals.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a government organization that collects comprehensive employment and salary information, does not provide salary data specifically for nurse informaticists. The following figures reflect salaries for health information technologists and medical registrars comparable to nurse informaticists.

Even within states, salaries vary among different areas. Employers in cities tend to offer higher salaries than employers in towns and rural areas, aligning with cities’ higher costs of living and higher population figures.

Since the BLS does not publish data for nurse informaticists, these tables also use data from the BLS category of health information technologists and medical registrars.

Source: BLS

Nursing informatics salaries are on par with RNs, higher than licensed practical nurses’ and nurse assistants’ pay, and somewhat lower than advanced nursing roles. The following information compares salaries for several nursing roles. Factors like certification and education can affect individual salary figures.

Salaries for nurse informaticists can vary considerably. Payscale data indicates that the base nurse informaticist salary can range from $63,000-$102,000. Still, the 2020 HIMSS survey reported that many nurse informaticists can make over $100,000 — and some under $60,000 — as well.

Many factors can influence nurse informaticist salaries. Certifications, education level, and years of experience can all help these professionals find roles with higher pay. The following steps offer ways to help increase nurse informaticists’ salary.

Payscale data in February 2023 indicates that nurse informaticists earn an average salary of $82,580, with salaries ranging from $61,000-$98,000. However, survey data from a 2020 HIMSS report found that 49% of informatics nurses earned over $100,000. This figure has risen from 33% in 2014, demonstrating that wages continue to increase.

Although the BLS does not publish projected career growth specifically for nurse informaticists, its projections indicate that healthcare occupations as a whole will grow by a faster-than-average 13% from 2021-2031. In addition, the BLS projects that RN employment will increase by 6% in the same period.

Yes. Even before the pandemic, 45% of nurse informaticists reported working remotely, according to the HIMSS report. The majority said they worked remotely anywhere from less than one day to two days per week, with 21% reporting that they worked remotely every day.

Among informatics nurses, clinical informatics managers earned the highest pay with an average salary of $102,060, according to Payscale in February 2023. Nursing informatics specialists earn relatively high salaries as well, with a median salary of about $80,000.