Detailed salary, pension tier, and benefits data for the six UC Health systems plus 35+ other major California hospitals. Sortable by job, location, and union contract.
Nursing and allied-health pay in California varies enormously by employer. UC Health (UC Davis, UCSF, UCSD, UCLA, UCI, UC Riverside) and Kaiser Permanente lead the market on base pay; community hospitals and rural facilities pay 15–25% less for the same role. On top of base pay, the pension tier matters — UCRP 1976 vs. 2013 Tier can mean a $1,000+ difference in monthly retirement income for the same RN with the same years of service.
This database covers the six UC Health systems with current salary scales from the CNA-UC RN Contract (2023–2026), broken out by step, shift differential, and special pay. It also covers Kaiser Permanente NorCal (CNA-Kaiser contract), Sutter Health, Stanford Health Care, Cedars-Sinai, the County hospital systems (LA County / DHS, San Mateo County, Alameda County), and 35+ other major California facilities.
For UC Davis Health specifically: the medical center is in Sacramento (with the bulk of clinical positions). Salary scales reflect the Sacramento area mix and include the UCRP employer contribution (~17% of pay for non-faculty employees), DCP Safe Harbor mandatory 7% contribution, optional 403(b), 457(b), and DCP After-Tax for additional retirement savings. The total-comp picture is substantially richer than the base hourly suggests.
The database is updated annually as new union contracts are ratified or amended. Source of truth links are provided for each datapoint so you can verify any number with the primary contract.
Step 1 — Pick your hospital system. UC Health, Kaiser NorCal, Sutter, Stanford, LA County DHS, San Mateo County, etc. Each system has its own scale and contract.
Step 2 — Filter by job and step. RN scales are typically step 1 through step 10+, with steps representing years of experience. Allied-health (RT, MRI, US, etc.) have separate scales. Premium pay for night, weekend, and charge nurse differentials is shown separately.
Step 3 — Read total comp. Base + average shift differential + benefits contribution + pension tier. The total-comp number is usually 25–40% higher than the base hourly for UC Health roles, because the pension and retirement contributions are substantial.
Filter by hospital system, job title (RN, NP, PA, MA, RT, etc.), and shift differential. Pulls from CNA-UC, CNA-Kaiser, and CNA-Sutter contracts plus public disclosures.
Open the database →Roughly comparable on base RN scales. The UC-CNA contract and Kaiser-CNA contract both cap senior RN steps in the $80–$95/hr range (2025–2026). UC pulls ahead in total comp because UCRP is a richer pension than Kaiser's defined-contribution program (Kaiser has a 401(k) plus a smaller pension component, not a UCRP-equivalent defined-benefit plan). For someone planning a 25+ year career, UCRP is the financial difference.
RNs hired by UC after 7/1/2013 are on UCRP 2013 Tier: 2.5% at age 65 benefit factor, 3-year average HAPC, $145,000 pensionable pay cap (2025 amount, adjusted annually). Combined with DCP Safe Harbor mandatory contributions, the 2013 Tier still generates a strong retirement income for someone with 25+ years of service. The 1976 Tier (2.5% at age 60, no pensionable cap) is closed to new hires.
Per the CNA-UC contract: night shift (7pm–7am) gets ~$4.50–$5.50/hr differential; weekend gets ~$2.50–$3.50/hr; charge nurse gets ~$3.00/hr. Holiday pay is 2x base. The differentials stack — a charge nurse working a holiday weekend night shift gets all four bumps simultaneously. The database shows the typical annual realized comp factoring average shift mix.
Yes — NPs and PAs at UC Health typically earn $70–$130/hr base depending on specialty, with primary-care NPs at the lower end and surgical or critical-care PAs at the upper end. The UC salary scales for advanced-practice roles are separate from the RN contract (some are AAUP-covered, some are direct UC employees on the UC merit-based salary plan). NPs and PAs are also typically on UCRP.
Primary sources: the CNA-UC RN Contract (2023–2026), the CNA-Kaiser NorCal Contract, the SEIU-UPTE clinical and patient-care technical contracts, the AFSCME contracts (service workers), and public salary disclosures from California State Auditor's Office (Government Compensation in California, gov.compensation.ca.gov) for non-union and management positions. Each row in the database is sourced to a specific contract or disclosure.