What to Pay a Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse in Cleveland, OH (2026)
Last updated: May 15, 2026Built for: Total Rewards, Comp, HRSample: BLS OEWS + disclosed-range postings
Market Median
$87,000
base, annual
Competitive Range
$76K–$100K
25th–75th percentile
YoY Movement
+3.7%
trailing 12 months
Days to Fill
~28
Cleveland metro average
To hire a Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse in Cleveland at market, plan on a base salary range of
$76,000 to $100,000,
with $87,000 as the midpoint.
To attract candidates in a market where average time-to-fill runs 28 days,
expect to lead at $100K–$115K plus a sign-on bonus,
common in skilled nursing settings. Ohio has no statewide pay transparency law, but Cleveland requires a pay range in job postings.
How to set your Med-Surg RN pay range in Cleveland
Three pay positions, modeled against current Cleveland market data. Pick the one that matches your comp philosophy and the role's strategic value.
Lag Market
Pay Below Median
$66K–$76K
Workable in non-acute settings with strong non-cash differentiation. Expect longer fill times and turnover ~1.4× the Cleveland average.
Match Market — recommended
Pay at Median
$82.6K–$92.2K
Default for most Cleveland employers. Competitive enough to fill in ~28 days.
A range width of ~30% (min $76,000 to max $100,000) keeps compa-ratio movement smooth across a Med-Surg RN's typical 8–12 year tenure.
Lead Market
Pay Above Median
$94.8K–$115K
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.
Med-Surg RN salary percentile distribution in Cleveland, OH
Where the Cleveland market actually sits for Med-Surg RN base pay.
10th$66K
25th$76K
Median$87K
75th$100K
90th$115K
Most Cleveland employers building a range for this role anchor the midpoint to the market median ($87,000) and set range width at 30–35% — a min of $76,000 and a max of $100,000. This keeps the band wide enough for experience-based progression without concentrating range penetration at the cap.
Ohio pay transparency compliance for Med-Surg RN job postings
What you must post when hiring a Med-Surg RN in Ohio.
Required. Ohio has no statewide pay transparency law, but two of its largest cities do. Cleveland (effective October 27, 2025) and Columbus (effective December 3, 2025, with enforcement beginning January 1, 2027) require employers with 15 or more employees to include a salary range or scale in job postings. Cincinnati and Toledo ban salary history questions and require employers to provide the pay scale on reasonable request to an applicant who has received a conditional job offer.
For a Med-Surg RN role in Cleveland, a compliant good-faith range looks like $76,000 to $100,000.
Top Med-Surg RN employers in Cleveland — who you're competing against
Top healthcare employers hiring Med-Surg RNs in the Cleveland metro and what they're posting.
Employer
Type
Disclosed Range
Sign-on Bonus
Cleveland Clinic
Academic medical center
$82K–$103K
Very common ($10K–$18K)
University Hospitals
Health system
$82K–$103K
Very common ($10K–$18K)
MetroHealth
Public health system
$82K–$103K
Very common ($10K–$18K)
Summa Health
Health system
$82K–$103K
Very common ($10K–$18K)
St. Vincent Charity Medical Center
Hospital
$78K–$99K
Very common ($10K–$18K)
Med-Surg RN talent supply and hiring difficulty in Cleveland
How hard is it to fill a Med-Surg RN role in Cleveland.
~28
Avg Days to Fill
~2,610
Active Postings
~26,100
Cleveland Med-Surg RN Workforce
Tight
Supply : Demand
Cleveland med-surg RN market is the largest RN specialty by headcount. High turnover ratio drives constant recruitment cycles.
Skill premiums Med-Surg RN candidates command in Cleveland, OH
Skill / Credential
Pay Premium
Demand Signal
CMSRN (Med-Surg certified)
+5–8%
Standard progression
Telemetry / step-down experience
+4–7%
High
Charge nurse experience
+5–8%
High
BSN (vs ADN)
+5–8%
Standard at Magnet hospitals
Med-Surg RN total compensation in Cleveland — what candidates expect beyond base
Total rewards mix for Med-Surg RNs in Cleveland. "Prevalence" reflects share of Cleveland disclosed-range postings including each element.
Component
Typical Value
Prevalence in Cleveland Postings
Base salary
$87,000 (median)
100%
Shift differential
+12–20% premium
~90%
Sign-on bonus
$7K–$16K
~76%
CMSRN certification pay
+5–8% on base
~48%
Overtime opportunity
$10K–$19K annualized
~94%
Estimated total comp benchmark
~$104K–$122K
—
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.
Med-Surg RN pay by setting in Cleveland — SNF, hospital, clinic, home health
Where the Med-Surg RN range splits by employer type in the Cleveland metro.
Setting
Median
Competitive Range
Hiring Difficulty
Adult med-surg (community)
$82,000
$73K–$94K
Very high
Adult med-surg (academic)
$89,000
$78K–$101K
Very high
Telemetry / step-down
$92,000
$82K–$104K
Very high
Progressive care unit (PCU)
$94,000
$84K–$106K
Very high
Ortho / surgical unit
$87,000
$78K–$99K
High
FAQ: hiring a Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse in Cleveland, OH
Market median is $87,000 for base pay. To match market, set a range with the midpoint at $87,000 — typically $76,000 to $100,000. To lead the market, plan on $100K–$115K base plus a sign-on bonus.
Ohio has no statewide pay transparency law, but two of its largest cities do. Cleveland (effective October 27, 2025) and Columbus (effective December 3, 2025, with enforcement beginning January 1, 2027) require employers with 15 or more employees to include a salary range or scale in job postings. Cincinnati and Toledo ban salary history questions and require employers to provide the pay scale on reasonable request to an applicant who has received a conditional job offer. For this role in Cleveland, a good-faith range is $76,000–$100,000.
$78,000 falls below the Cleveland market median of $87,000 — 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 76% of Cleveland med-surg RN postings include a sign-on bonus ($7K–$16K). Highest values at large hospital systems for tele/step-down roles.
Average fill time is approximately 28 days in the Cleveland metro. Roles paid above the 75th percentile ($100K+) fill in roughly 18–22 days. Roles below the 25th percentile ($76K) commonly take 45+ days and have elevated turnover within the first 90 days.
By Cleveland-metro posting volume: Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth, Summa Health, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center lead the pack.
A 30–35% range width (min to max) is standard for Med-Surg RN in Cleveland — for example, $76,000 to $100,000. Narrower than 25% compresses progression and creates compa-ratio pressure within 18 months.
Related Med-Surg RN pay benchmarks — Ohio metros and nearby nursing roles
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.
