Skip to main content

What to Pay an Emergency Room Registered Nurse in San Antonio, TX (2026)

Last updated: May 15, 2026 Built for: Total Rewards, Comp, HR Sample: BLS OEWS + disclosed-range postings
Market Median
$92,000
base, annual
Competitive Range
$80K–$106K
25th–75th percentile
YoY Movement
+4.1%
trailing 12 months
Days to Fill
~30
San Antonio metro average
To hire a Emergency Room Registered Nurse in San Antonio at market, plan on a base salary range of $80,000 to $106,000, with $92,000 as the midpoint. To attract candidates in a market where average time-to-fill runs 30 days, expect to lead at $106K–$121K plus a sign-on bonus, common in skilled nursing settings. Texas does not currently require pay range disclosure in job postings.

How to set your ER RN pay range in San Antonio

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

Lag Market
Pay Below Median
$70K–$80K
Workable in non-acute settings with strong non-cash differentiation. Expect longer fill times and turnover ~1.4× the San Antonio average.
Match Market — recommended
Pay at Median
$87.2K–$97.6K
Default for most San Antonio employers. Competitive enough to fill in ~30 days. A range width of ~30% (min $80,000 to max $106,000) keeps compa-ratio movement smooth across a ER RN's typical 8–12 year tenure.
Lead Market
Pay Above Median
$100.4K–$121K
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 San Antonio, TX

Where the San Antonio market actually sits for ER RN base pay.

10th $70K
25th $80K
Median $92K
75th $106K
90th $121K

Most San Antonio employers building a range for this role anchor the midpoint to the market median ($92,000) and set range width at 30–35% — a min of $80,000 and a max of $106,000. This keeps the band wide enough for experience-based progression without concentrating range penetration at the cap.

Texas pay transparency compliance for ER RN job postings

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

Not required statewide. Texas 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 San Antonio, a compliant good-faith range looks like $80,000 to $106,000. No statutory requirement applies, but if you disclose voluntarily, post a good-faith range of $80,000–$106,000 rather than a single number — it screens out misaligned candidates and reduces offer-stage fallout.

Top ER RN employers in San Antonio — who you're competing against

Top healthcare employers hiring ER RNs in the San Antonio metro and what they're posting.

Employer Type Disclosed Range Sign-on Bonus
Methodist Healthcare (HCA) Health system $86K–$109K Very common ($10K–$18K)
University Health System Public / Level I trauma $86K–$109K Very common ($10K–$18K)
Baptist Health System (Tenet) Health system $86K–$109K Very common ($10K–$18K)
Christus Santa Rosa Health system $86K–$109K Very common ($10K–$18K)
Children's Hospital of San Antonio Pediatric specialty $86K–$109K Very common ($10K–$18K)

ER RN talent supply and hiring difficulty in San Antonio

How hard is it to fill a ER RN role in San Antonio.

~30
Avg Days to Fill
~836
Active Postings
~828,000
San Antonio ER RN Workforce
Very tight
Supply : Demand

San Antonio 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 San Antonio, TX

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 San Antonio — what candidates expect beyond base

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

Component Typical Value Prevalence in San Antonio Postings
Base salary $92,000 (median) 100%
Shift differential +16–24% premium ~94%
Sign-on bonus $9K–$18K ~80%
CEN certification pay +8–12% on base ~72%
Overtime opportunity $10K–$20K annualized ~94%
Estimated total comp benchmark ~$112K–$132K

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 San Antonio — SNF, hospital, clinic, home health

Where the ER RN range splits by employer type in the San Antonio metro.

Setting Median Competitive Range Hiring Difficulty
Adult ED (community) $88,000 $79K–$101K Very high
Adult ED (academic) $92,000 $83K–$105K Very high
Level I trauma $99,000 $88K–$112K Very high
Pediatric ED $96,000 $86K–$110K Very high
Freestanding ER $83,000 $75K–$96K Tight

FAQ: hiring a Emergency Room Registered Nurse in San Antonio, TX

Market median is $92,000 for base pay. To match market, set a range with the midpoint at $92,000 — typically $80,000 to $106,000. To lead the market, plan on $106K–$121K base plus a sign-on bonus.
No statewide law requires a posted range in Texas. Disclosing one voluntarily — a good-faith range such as $80,000–$106,000 — is increasingly the market norm and improves application rates.
$82,000 falls below the San Antonio market median of $92,000 — 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 San Antonio ER RN postings include a sign-on bonus ($9K–$18K).
Average fill time is approximately 30 days in the San Antonio metro. Roles paid above the 75th percentile ($106K+) fill in roughly 18–22 days. Roles below the 25th percentile ($80K) commonly take 45+ days and have elevated turnover within the first 90 days.
By San Antonio-metro posting volume: Methodist Healthcare (HCA), University Health System, Baptist Health System (Tenet), Christus Santa Rosa, Children's Hospital of San Antonio lead the pack.
A 30–35% range width (min to max) is standard for ER RN in San Antonio — for example, $80,000 to $106,000. Narrower than 25% compresses progression and creates compa-ratio pressure within 18 months.
No. Texas 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 — Texas metros and nearby nursing roles

One page. One job. One city.

If you're modeling pay ranges across hundreds of roles and dozens of locations, doing this manually is the merit-cycle scramble that ate your last quarter. BetterComp keeps your full range structure current against live market data — without the survey lag.

See how it works →

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