Nurse Salary in Canada | Breakdown by Province

June 4, 2026 The Canadian Magazine of Immigration

In Canada, the median wage for nurses is $43.27/hr.

Nurses in Canada: job prospects, employment requirements, licensing.

Nurses in Canada, primarily registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses classified under NOC 31301, provide direct patient care, assess health conditions, administer treatments and medications, educate patients and families, and deliver health promotion programs in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, community settings and other healthcare environments. Approximately 363,100 people worked in this occupation in 2023. Job prospects are strong with labour demand slightly exceeding supply nationally through 2033, projecting about 179,800 job openings compared to 159,500 job seekers, driven by healthcare demands from an aging population, retirements, and ongoing shortages.

Median hourly wages stand at about 43.27 Canadian dollars nationally, with typical ranges from 30.00 to 55.00 dollars or more per hour depending on experience, location, province, shift premiums, and overtime. Most positions require a bachelor’s degree in nursing, successful completion of the national licensing examination, and provincial or territorial registration, with work conditions often involving full-time or part-time shift schedules that include days, nights, evenings, weekends and holidays, physically and emotionally demanding patient care, high-pressure situations, and strong emphasis on teamwork, infection control, and compassionate care.

Registered Nurse Licensing

Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces and territories for this occupation.

REGISTERED NURSE (R.N.) (NOC 31301)
2025	Wages/hr
Community/Area	Low	Median	High
Canada	30.00	43.27	54.37
Newfoundland and Labrador	33.65	44.00	52.00
Prince Edward Island	31.50	42.00	49.98
Nova Scotia	30.20	41.50	50.00
New Brunswick	31.00	44.77	49.00
Quebec	27.00	40.00	50.00
Ontario	29.00	42.00	55.00
Manitoba	34.00	45.00	52.40
Saskatchewan	38.00	47.13	52.20
Alberta	30.00	47.50	54.49
British Columbia	35.00	47.58	57.00
Yukon Territory	33.00	48.50	60.88
Northwest Territories	45.00	58.00	69.23
Nunavut	45.00	57.99	71.57
Source: Job Bank. 2026

In 2022, the median salary for a registered nurse is $40/hr.

REGISTERED NURSE (R.N.) (NOC 31301)
2022	Wages ($/hour)
Province/Territory	Low	Median	High
Canada	27.03	40	49
Newfoundland	30	40.83	45.18
PEI	26.69	40	45
Nova Scotia	27	39	44.5
New Brunswick	32	39.57	45
Quebec	24.25	37	45.44
Ontario	26	38.92	48
Manitoba	32	42	48
Saskatchewan	35	45	49.3
Alberta	33.3	45	50.59
British Columbia	31	42	48
Yukon Territory	40	49	52
NWT	39	50.12	60
Nunavut	32	54.5	60
Source: Job Bank. 2023

In 2020, the median salary for nurses is $38.14/hour.

REGISTERED NURSES AND REGISTERED PSYCHIATRIC NURSES (NOC 3012)
2020	Wages ($/hour)
Province/Territory	Low	Median	High
Canada	24.04	38.14	48
Newfoundland and Labrador	29.71	40.02	45.7
Prince Edward Island	26.5	38.95	42.44
Nova Scotia	24	38	42
New Brunswick	23.24	39	43.25
Quebec	23	35	44
Ontario	23.5	36.15	47
Manitoba	29	40	45
Saskatchewan	35	44	48.5
Alberta	28	44.9	50.59
British Columbia	25	40.02	46
Yukon Territory	33.77	45.28	61.41
Northwest Territories	38.44	55.74	72.57
Nunavut	34.94	67.83	86.69
Source: Job Bank. Dec 2020

Nurse Job Prospects in Canada (2019-2021)

Labour demand and labour supply projections (2019-2021)
Newfoundland and Labrador	Fair
Prince Edward Island	Good
Nova Scotia	Good
New Brunswick	Good
Québec	Good
Ontario	Fair
Manitoba	Good
Saskatchewan	Fair
Alberta	Good
British Columbia	Good
Yukon	Good
Northwest Territories	Good
Nunavut	Good
Source: Job Bank. Dec 2020

In 2019, nurses reported higher wages in Nunavut.

REGISTERED NURSES AND REGISTERED PSYCHIATRIC NURSES (NOC 3012)
2019	Wages ($/hour)
Province/Territory	Low	Median	High
Canada	23.85	37	46
Newfoundland and Labrador	29.97	40	43.96
Prince Edward Island	25.5	38	41.25
Nova Scotia	21.25	37	41
New Brunswick	24.41	38	40.49
Quebec	22.5	33	41.5
Ontario	22.68	36.06	45.47
Manitoba	26.8	40	46
Saskatchewan	32	44	48
Alberta	27	43	50
British Columbia	25	38	43.65
Yukon Territory	33.77	45.28	61.41
Northwest Territories	38.44	55.74	72.57
Nunavut	34.94	67.83	86.69
Source: Job Bank. May 2019*

In 2017, registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses registered higher median wages in Nunavut.

REGISTERED NURSES AND REGISTERED PSYCHIATRIC NURSES (NOC 3012-A)
2017	Wages ($/hr)
Province/Territory	Low	Median	High
Canada	22.8	36	45.64
Nunavut	39.46	58.3	80.53
Northwest Territories	34.9	52.87	70.8
Yukon	38	43.12	49.53
Alberta	25	42	49.31
Saskatchewan	31.28	44.03	48
Manitoba	25	39	45
Ontario	22	35	45
British Columbia	23	37	43
Newfoundland and Labrador	27.92	38.09	42.8
Québec	21.75	32.5	41
New Brunswick	24.05	37.86	40.25
Prince Edward Island	22.15	35.63	40.25
Nova Scotia	19	36	40.05
Source: Job Bank. September 2017*

*Wages are reviewed and updated on the Job Bank Web site on an annual basis.

According to Canada’s Job Bank, in 2016, the median wage for nurses was $36.00/hr.

Salaries for nurses vary by province. In 2016, for example, in Prince Edward Island, registered nurses had the lowest wage ($19.00/hr) while in Nunavut nurses had the highest wage ($80.53/hr).

REGISTERED NURSES AND REGISTERED PSYCHIATRIC NURSES (NOC 3012-A)
2016	Wages ($/hr)
Province/Territory	Low	Median	High
CANADA	22	36	45
Nunavut	39.46	58.3	80.53
Northwest Territories	34.9	52.87	70.8
Yukon	38.68	42.53	49.53
Alberta	24.92	42	48.47
Saskatchewan	25.64	43	47.49
Ontario	22.5	36	45
British Columbia	22	39	43
Newfoundland and Labrador	23.34	38	43
Manitoba	20.25	38	42
Québec	21.5	31.85	40.65
Nova Scotia	22	36	40.05
New Brunswick	22.83	37	40
Prince Edward Island	19	35	39
Source: Job Bank. *November 2016**