A fully loaded CRNA costs a practice or surgery center $342,812 a year in 2026, about $51,000 more than the $291,396 average salary that shows up in most compensation surveys, according to Becker's ASC's July 30, 2026 review of Marit Health payroll data covering 559 nurse anesthetists. The gap comes from payroll taxes, malpractice coverage, benefits, and retirement contributions that never appear on a job posting.
That math matters more every year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median nurse anesthetist wage at $236,590 as of May 2025 and projects the field will grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, adding roughly 5,300 jobs to reach 59,800 total. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) counts nearly 70,000 CRNAs practicing nationwide, with about 12% nearing retirement and almost one in five already juggling three or more contracts at once. For a practice or ASC budgeting anesthesia coverage, the number on a compensation survey is only the starting point.
The line items behind the base salary
Becker's ASC broke down what turns a $291,396 average salary into a $342,812 loaded cost. Payroll taxes at the standard 7.65% FICA rate add about $22,292. Malpractice coverage averaged $5,968 in 2024. Health, dental, and vision benefits run $7,000 to $10,000 a year, and a typical 3% to 5% retirement match adds $8,700 to $14,570. Continuing education, licensing, and professional dues bring another $2,000 to $4,000. An administrator who compares a candidate's requested salary only against last year's survey number risks underbudgeting by close to that same $51,000 gap.
| Cost component | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Average reported salary | $291,396 |
| Payroll taxes (7.65% FICA) | About $22,292 |
| Malpractice insurance | About $5,968 |
| Health, dental, vision benefits | $7,000 to $10,000 |
| Retirement match (3% to 5%) | $8,700 to $14,570 |
| CE, licensing, professional dues | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Fully loaded annual cost | $342,812 |
Source: Becker's ASC, "The $51K gap between a CRNA's salary and what ASCs actually pay," July 30, 2026, citing Marit Health, IRS, and KFF data.
Why administrators are budgeting for more anesthesia
Two forces are pushing that loaded cost higher. The share of ASCs expecting to pay an anesthesia stipend jumped from 28% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, Becker's ASC reported, as more centers lean on contractor coverage rather than direct employment. Among ASCs that use contractors, 44% now pay a stipend on top of billed services, while 36% still use contractors without one. A stipend guarantees a contracted CRNA a minimum payment regardless of case volume, a hedge more centers are buying as thinner case schedules make it harder to cover anesthesia pay from collections alone.
Reimbursement has not kept pace. Professional anesthesia reimbursement fell 5.5% between 2019 and 2023, and UnitedHealthcare cut CRNA reimbursement by 15% in select states, the same Becker's ASC analysis found. A center that once covered anesthesia pay from billed services alone increasingly has to subsidize it directly.
What CRNAs actually earn in 2026
Compensation varies widely by percentile, region, and state. Becker's ASC's April 9, 2026 breakdown of 492 Marit Health salaries put the average CRNA salary at $276,434, with a 25th percentile of $238,000, a 75th percentile of $305,000, and a 95th percentile of $400,000. Total compensation ran highest in the Southwest region at $300,000 and lowest in the Rocky Mountain region at $251,500.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National average salary (492 salaries) | $276,434 | Marit Health via Becker's ASC, Apr. 9, 2026 |
| 25th percentile | $238,000 | Marit Health via Becker's ASC |
| 75th percentile | $305,000 | Marit Health via Becker's ASC |
| 95th percentile | $400,000 | Marit Health via Becker's ASC |
| Southwest region average | $300,000 | Marit Health via Becker's ASC |
| Rocky Mountain region average | $251,500 | Marit Health via Becker's ASC |
| Alaska state average | $311,110 | Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026, via Becker's ASC |
| California state average | $283,780 | Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026, via Becker's ASC |
| National median wage | $236,590 | Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 |
Gender and setting split the numbers too. Male CRNAs reported average total compensation of $287,500 against $272,500 for female CRNAs, and CRNAs in non-academic settings averaged $280,000 versus $261,500 in academic roles, the same Becker's ASC breakdown found. The spread across percentile, region, and setting is wide enough that a practice pricing a single opening off one national average risks missing the actual local market by tens of thousands of dollars.
Bonuses and the new graduate market
About 80% of CRNAs are now offered a signing bonus, averaging around $20,000 and running higher in hard-to-fill markets, AANA reported in its 2026 coverage of CRNA contracts and compensation. New graduates face similar pressure to recruit: the average starting package for a new CRNA is $263,000, made up of a $251,500 base salary, a $5,500 average bonus, and $6,000 in other income. Among 130 new graduate salaries Becker's ASC reviewed, the average sign-on bonus was $40,000 and the average relocation bonus was $5,000.
Working CRNAs reported an average 40-hour week and 6.5 weeks of paid time off, on top of an average base salary of $259,708. Thirty-two percent reported other income, averaging $11,457, and 31% reported a bonus averaging $5,269. Those add-ons are part of why the loaded cost of a CRNA runs so far past the base number a job posting advertises.
The staffing math ahead
Average CRNA compensation climbed from about $181,000 in 2019 to around $270,000 in AANA's most recent reporting, an increase that outpaces the roughly 19% inflation recorded over the same stretch. BLS projects the nurse anesthetist workforce will grow 10% by 2035, from 54,500 jobs in 2025 to 59,800, while AANA counts 12% of the current workforce nearing retirement and nearly one in five CRNAs already holding three or more contracts at once.
That combination, slow supply growth against a wave of coming retirements, is one reason the loaded cost of a CRNA keeps outrunning the salary line a practice budgeted the year before.
Sources
- Becker's ASC, "The $51K gap between a CRNA's salary and what ASCs actually pay," July 30, 2026
- Becker's ASC, "CRNA pay breakdown in 10 stats," April 9, 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners," Occupational Outlook Handbook, data as of May 2025
- American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, "CRNA Contracts and Compensation in 2026: Pay Trends, Bonuses, and Negotiation Strategy," 2026
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