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What to Pay an Emergency Room Registered Nurse in Salt Lake City, UT (2026)

Last updated: May 15, 2026 Built for: Total Rewards, Comp, HR Sample: BLS OEWS + disclosed-range postings
Market Median
$100,000
base, annual
Competitive Range
$87K–$115K
25th–75th percentile
YoY Movement
+4.1%
trailing 12 months
Days to Fill
~30
Salt Lake City metro average
To hire a Emergency Room Registered Nurse in Salt Lake City at market, plan on a base salary range of $87,000 to $115,000, with $100,000 as the midpoint. To attract candidates in a market where average time-to-fill runs 30 days, expect to lead at $115K–$132K plus a sign-on bonus, common in skilled nursing settings. Utah does not currently require pay range disclosure in job postings.

How to set your ER RN pay range in Salt Lake City

Three pay positions, modeled against current Salt Lake City market data. Pick the one that matches your comp philosophy and the role's strategic value.

Lag Market
Pay Below Median
$76K–$87K
Workable in non-acute settings with strong non-cash differentiation. Expect longer fill times and turnover ~1.4× the Salt Lake City average.
Match Market — recommended
Pay at Median
$94.8K–$106K
Default for most Salt Lake City employers. Competitive enough to fill in ~30 days. A range width of ~30% (min $87,000 to max $115,000) keeps compa-ratio movement smooth across a ER RN's typical 8–12 year tenure.
Lead Market
Pay Above Median
$109K–$132K
Use for hard-to-fill specialties (wound care, IV therapy, bilingual), 24/7 SNF roles, or when speed-to-hire trumps budget. Reduces fill time by 35–45% on average.

ER RN salary percentile distribution in Salt Lake City, UT

Where the Salt Lake City market actually sits for ER RN base pay.

10th $76K
25th $87K
Median $100K
75th $115K
90th $132K

Most Salt Lake City employers building a range for this role anchor the midpoint to the market median ($100,000) and set range width at 30–35% — a min of $87,000 and a max of $115,000. This keeps the band wide enough for experience-based progression without concentrating range penetration at the cap.

Utah pay transparency compliance for ER RN job postings

What you must post when hiring a ER RN in Utah.

Not required statewide. Utah has no statewide pay transparency law. Posting a range is optional — but roughly half of healthcare employers in the market now disclose ranges voluntarily, and candidates increasingly skip postings without one.

For a ER RN role in Salt Lake City, a compliant good-faith range looks like $87,000 to $115,000. No statutory requirement applies, but if you disclose voluntarily, post a good-faith range of $87,000–$115,000 rather than a single number — it screens out misaligned candidates and reduces offer-stage fallout.

Top ER RN employers in Salt Lake City — who you're competing against

Top healthcare employers hiring ER RNs in the Salt Lake City metro and what they're posting.

Employer Type Disclosed Range Sign-on Bonus
Intermountain Healthcare Integrated health system $94K–$118K Very common ($10K–$18K)
University of Utah Health Academic medical center $94K–$118K Very common ($10K–$18K)
HCA MountainStar Healthcare Health system $94K–$118K Very common ($10K–$18K)
Primary Children's Hospital Pediatric specialty $94K–$118K Very common ($10K–$18K)
St. Mark's Hospital (HCA) Hospital $90K–$114K Very common ($10K–$18K)

ER RN talent supply and hiring difficulty in Salt Lake City

How hard is it to fill a ER RN role in Salt Lake City.

~30
Avg Days to Fill
~909
Active Postings
~900,000
Salt Lake City ER RN Workforce
Very tight
Supply : Demand

Salt Lake City ER RN market reflects broader RN supply constraints, with emergency specialty demand elevated by post-COVID staffing gaps.

Skill premiums ER RN candidates command in Salt Lake City, UT

Skill / Credential Pay Premium Demand Signal
CEN Required baseline Standard
Cardiac subspecialty +7–11% Very high
Trauma / Level I experience +6–10% Very high
BSN (vs ADN) +5–8% Standard at Magnet hospitals

ER RN total compensation in Salt Lake City — what candidates expect beyond base

Total rewards mix for ER RNs in Salt Lake City. "Prevalence" reflects share of Salt Lake City disclosed-range postings including each element.

Component Typical Value Prevalence in Salt Lake City Postings
Base salary $100,000 (median) 100%
Shift differential +16–24% premium ~94%
Sign-on bonus $10K–$20K ~80%
CEN certification pay +8–12% on base ~72%
Overtime opportunity $11K–$22K annualized ~94%
Estimated total comp benchmark ~$122K–$144K

Shift differentials and sign-on bonuses are typically table stakes rather than differentiators. Tuition reimbursement for LPN-to-RN bridge programs is increasingly the lever that wins competitive offers, particularly for early-career candidates.

ER RN pay by setting in Salt Lake City — SNF, hospital, clinic, home health

Where the ER RN range splits by employer type in the Salt Lake City metro.

Setting Median Competitive Range Hiring Difficulty
Adult ED (community) $96,000 $86K–$110K Very high
Adult ED (academic) $100,000 $90K–$114K Very high
Level I trauma $108,000 $96K–$122K Very high
Pediatric ED $104,000 $94K–$120K Very high
Freestanding ER $90,000 $82K–$104K Tight

FAQ: hiring a Emergency Room Registered Nurse in Salt Lake City, UT

Market median is $100,000 for base pay. To match market, set a range with the midpoint at $100,000 — typically $87,000 to $115,000. To lead the market, plan on $115K–$132K base plus a sign-on bonus.
No statewide law requires a posted range in Utah. Disclosing one voluntarily — a good-faith range such as $87,000–$115,000 — is increasingly the market norm and improves application rates.
$90,000 falls below the Salt Lake City market median of $100,000 — roughly at the 25th–50th percentile locally. Acceptable in SNF or physician office settings where the candidate pool is deeper; below-market for hospital or specialty roles.
Roughly 80% of Salt Lake City ER RN postings include a sign-on bonus ($10K–$20K).
Average fill time is approximately 30 days in the Salt Lake City metro. Roles paid above the 75th percentile ($115K+) fill in roughly 18–22 days. Roles below the 25th percentile ($87K) commonly take 45+ days and have elevated turnover within the first 90 days.
By Salt Lake City-metro posting volume: Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah Health, HCA MountainStar Healthcare, Primary Children's Hospital, St. Mark's Hospital (HCA) lead the pack.
A 30–35% range width (min to max) is standard for ER RN in Salt Lake City — for example, $87,000 to $115,000. Narrower than 25% compresses progression and creates compa-ratio pressure within 18 months.
No. Utah has no pay transparency law covering internal or external postings. Note that remote roles open to candidates in states like Colorado or California may still trigger those states' disclosure requirements.

Related ER RN pay benchmarks — Utah metros and nearby nursing roles

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Data refreshed May 15, 2026. Next scheduled update: August 15, 2026.
© 2026 BetterComp. Market data informational only — not legal advice.