How Much Does a CRNA Make a Year?

National Averages and Medians

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an average salary of $154,390 for nurse anesthetists as of May 2012. The lowest-paid 25 percent of CRNAs earned up to $128,620 and the highest -paid 25 percent earned $176,060 or more. A 2012 salary survey by medical recruiting firm Locum Tenens reported a higher average salary of $167,607, while a 2011 survey by the Medical Group Management Association placed the figure placed the average lower at $151,539. The American Medical Group Association's 2012 salary survey cited a median income of $170,465 for CRNAs. In 2009, in a major survey of its members, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists reported a median salary of $180,000.

Variation

Averages make a useful benchmark, but your real-world income will depend pretty heavily on your workplace and where you live. For example, doctors' offices are the top employer in the BLS survey, paying an average salary of $149,660. Hospitals employ fewer anesthetists, but pay them an average salary of $163,220. Outpatient clinics offer similar salaries: an average $163,290. Your geographic location makes a pretty big difference as well. Wyoming had the country's highest-paid CRNAs at an average of $215,720 a year. In New Mexico, nurse anesthetists averaged just $121,010 a year. If you're thinking about relocating, remember that salary paints only part of the picture. It's important to consider benefits and living costs as well.

Comparisons

CRNAs are consistently among the highest-paid of all nurses. In comparison, the AMGA survey reports median salaries of $103,373 for nurse-midwives and $96,372 for nurse practitioners. For registered nurses as a group, the BLS reports a median salary of $65,470. If you're considering a career as a nurse anesthetist, the comparison with other practitioners is even more thought-provoking. In the AMGA survey anesthetists out-earned dentists, who had a median income of $169,747. Modern Healthcare magazine's 2012 review of physician salary surveys shows that salaries for many primary-care physicians, including family doctors and internists, fall in the same range.

Becoming an Anesthetist

Becoming an anesthetist takes a heavy investment in time and effort. First you need to earn your bachelor's degree in nursing, which usually takes four years of full-time study. Then you have to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, or NCLEX-RN, and get your state nursing license. You need to spend at least one year practicing as an acute-care nurse, then go back to school for a master's or doctoral degree from an accredited nurse anesthesia program. Finally, you have to pass a certification exam administered by the National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.