Skip to main content
The Nursing Careers

Labor and delivery nurse salary

BLS does not publish a labor-and-delivery wage. L&D staff nurses are registered nurses; the May 2025 national RN median is $97,550. California Title 22 § 70217 sets perinatal staffing ratios, including 1:2 in active labor.

Updated August 2026 · Verified August 13, 2026 · Next review November 13, 2026 · RN SOC 29-1141 · Title 22 § 70217

Your pay

Base pay before taxes. Do not include overtime, bonuses, or benefits.

Schedule assumptions

This calculator uses national RN percentiles because there is no L&D SOC. Adjust the schedule to match your unit.

Ready when you are

Your benchmark will appear here

Enter your L&D staff-nurse base pay. Placement is against May 2025 RN (SOC 29-1141) percentiles, not an L&D specialty median.

RN pay is the wage context. Ratio rules are local.

After you place L&D base pay on the RN table, browse labor, postpartum, and women’s health openings.

Browse nursing jobs

Unique sourced table

California Title 22 perinatal staffing ratios

22 CCR § 70217 nursing-service staffing for perinatal units. These ratios are California hospital regulation, not a national wage and not an L&D median.

California Title 22 section 70217 perinatal nurse staffing ratios
SettingNurse-to-patient ratioDetail
Active labor1:2One nurse to two patients in active labor.
Antepartum, not in active labor1:4One nurse to four antepartum patients who are not in active labor.
Postpartum mother-baby1:4One nurse to four postpartum mother-baby couplets.
Combined LDRP1:3One nurse to one woman in labor plus one postpartum mother and infant (combined labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum assignment).

Honest SOC caveat

What this page is — and is not

There is no NICU-style restatement of NP vs RN here either: staff L&D is the RN series. For how to enter the specialty, use the path planner.

L&D staff nurse compared with What BLS publishes
TopicL&D staff nurseWhat BLS publishes
OccupationHospital labor and delivery staff nurses are registered nurses.Registered Nurses (29-1141)
Published national median (May 2025)BLS does not publish an L&D wage. Use the RN median as pay context.$97,550 (SOC 29-1141)
Unique sourced table on this pageCalifornia Title 22 perinatal staffing ratios (multi-row).National RN wage percentiles, not an L&D specialty series.

Plan the career timeline on the labor and delivery path planner. RNC-OB is optional; this salary page does not attach a dollar bonus to that credential.

Primary sources

BLS OEWS and California Title 22

Verified August 13, 2026. Next review November 13, 2026.

Common questions

Labor and delivery nurse salary FAQ

How much do labor and delivery nurses make?

BLS does not publish a labor-and-delivery occupation wage. L&D staff nurses are registered nurses. The May 2025 national RN median is $97,550 (SOC 29-1141).

What is unique on this page if there is no L&D median?

California Title 22 § 70217 perinatal staffing ratios: active labor 1:2; antepartum not in active labor 1:4; postpartum mother-baby 1:4; combined LDRP 1:3. Those ratios are a multi-row regulation table, not a wage.

Does RNC-OB add a published dollar bonus?

No dollar bonus is published here. RNC-OB is optional specialty certification. See the labor and delivery path planner for schooling and credential timing.

Do these California ratios apply in every state?

No. Title 22 § 70217 is California hospital nursing-service staffing. Other states set their own rules or leave ratios to facilities.

Should I use the NP salary calculator for L&D?

Only if you are a nurse practitioner. Staff L&D nurses are RNs. Women’s-health or neonatal NPs are a different BLS occupation (29-1171).

Where is the L&D career timeline?

The labor and delivery path planner estimates months from your current education, including NRP and optional RNC-OB.

Related salary tools

Compare a different nursing pay question