Editorial Policy
How we source, check, update and correct the salary data on this site — and how editorial decisions stay independent of advertising.
Last updated: 25 October 2026
Salary data is only useful if you can check it. This page explains where our numbers come from, how we handle the ones we have to estimate, and what happens when we get something wrong.
Who writes the content
Articles are written by nurses with neonatal intensive care experience and by writers who specialise in nursing workforce data. Any article making specific pay claims is reviewed by a nurse before publication.
Primary data source
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release. We pull the data through the BLS Public Data API rather than copying figures from secondary summaries, so the numbers match the source.
Two occupation codes matter here:
- 29-1141 Registered Nurses — the baseline for all NICU and neonatal figures
- 29-1171 Nurse Practitioners — the baseline for NNP figures
The NICU estimation problem
BLS does not publish a NICU-specific occupation. Neither does any other public dataset at state level. Anyone quoting an “official NICU average” is using a private survey or estimating without saying so.
Our approach:
- Take the state registered nurse mean from BLS.
- Apply a critical-care differential of 5 to 15 percent, derived from employer pay scales and job postings that list a separate NICU or critical-care rate.
- Label the result as an estimate on every page where it appears.
The differential is a range because it genuinely varies — a Level IV academic centre pays more than a Level II community nursery, and the gap differs by market.
What is measured and what is estimated
| Figure | Status |
|---|---|
| RN mean, median and percentiles by state | Measured — BLS |
| NP mean, median and percentiles | Measured — BLS |
| NICU pay | Estimated — RN baseline plus differential |
| Shift differentials | Estimated — employer scales and postings |
| Certification differentials | Estimated — employer scales and postings |
| Travel contract rates | Estimated — agency postings |
Review cycle
- Every page is reviewed at least twice a year.
- Pages are re-checked immediately when BLS releases new wage data.
- Each article shows a last updated date.
- Material changes are noted rather than silently overwritten.
Corrections
- Email [email protected] with the page URL and the specific figure.
- We check it against the source within five business days.
- If the error is confirmed, we correct the page and add a dated note.
- If the original figure was right, we explain why.
We do not quietly delete numbers that turned out to be inconvenient.
Independence and advertising
- No hospital system, staffing agency or nursing school owns or funds this site.
- Advertising, including Google AdSense, is served by third-party networks and has no influence on editorial content. Advertisers cannot buy coverage, ranking or a mention.
- We do not publish guest posts, sponsored articles or paid links.
- Affiliate links, if ever used, are disclosed in the article where they appear.
Use of automation
We use scripts to pull and format public datasets, which reduces transcription errors. Every published article is reviewed by a human editor before it goes live, and that editor is accountable for accuracy.
What we do not publish
- Medical or clinical advice
- Individual legal, tax or negotiation advice
- Figures we cannot source
- Content we cannot verify
Contact
Questions about this policy, or a correction to request: contact page or [email protected].
Last reviewed and updated on October 25, 2026. Salary ranges are estimates compiled from public labour statistics and current employer postings — see our editorial policy and disclaimer.