Healthcare compensation is up this year. Here’s what to know

Modern Healthcare – Wednesday, September 10, 2025
By Hayley DeSilva

Hospitals and health systems are rethinking compensation and staffing as they navigate financial challenges, and it’s not nurses but other employees who are seeing sizable pay bumps.

The median national wage increase across all healthcare jobs for 2025 is 4.3%, up significantly from 2.7% in 2024, according to a recent survey by healthcare consultant SullivanCotter.

It found healthcare employers are adopting new strategies to compensate employees and save on costs. The survey included responses from more than 2,660 organizations with almost 2.5 million health care employees in more than 800 different roles.

“This year we’re seeing organizations identify new funding sources to support broader market adjustments,” said Steve Meyers, consulting principal for SullivanCotter. “In other words, despite financial pressures, employers are finding ways to justify increases across a wider range of roles to remain competitive in today’s labor market.”

Here are four takeaways from the survey.

Bonuses are being dialed back, especially for nurses

Bonuses have reigned as a top recruitment and retention tactic, especially since the pandemic, but their luster seems to be wearing off for employers. Many organizations are shrinking their bonus budgets — at least for some roles.

Registered nurses have been hit hardest by the pullback, with organizations dropping the value of sign-on bonuses by 21% and referral bonuses by 22% in the past year.

Non-clinical staff also saw a significant hit to sign-on bonuses with a 19% decrease, along with a 5% decrease in referral bonuses due to less demand for these roles. Employers are also more often choosing to allocate funds for clinical positions rather than non-clinical positions when budgets are tight, SullivanCotter said.

Wages are increasing for support staff

Nearly half of healthcare organizations surveyed said they increased their minimum pay rates over the past year and 34% said they plan additional wage increases next year.

The roles that saw the biggest pay gains were transporters, patient care companions or sitters, laboratory couriers, rehabilitation aides and patient care aides.

Several states and communities have raised the mandated minimum wage in the past five years and healthcare employers are competing against large retailers and other businesses for entry-level positions.

Any tightening of the available pool of entry-level workers as a result of immigration also could put more pressure on wages.

Competition for technicians is raising their pay

Base pay for several healthcare roles grew this past year, particularly for clinical technical workers.

The survey reported that X-ray technicians, purchasing buyers, research scientists, dialysis technicians and wellness program managers saw the most significant increases in base pay.

The survey defined professional roles as a position that requires a bachelor’s degree and may require additional certifications. Examples include pharmacists and physical therapists on the clinical side, and accountants and IT engineers on the nonclinical side.

Technical and support roles in general do not require a bachelor’s degree and may require specialized training or certifications. Some examples of clinical technical roles, which saw the largest base pay increase of 5.5%, include radiology technologists or pharmacy technicians, while clinical support roles include laboratory assistants or pharmacy assistants.

Nonclinical technical examples include electricians and network technicians, while support roles include accounting clerks or administrative assistants.

More hospitals and health systems are cutting their nonclinical staff, including administrative roles, to cut down on costs.

More employers opt to raise some pay scales, but not all

More organizations are upping pay scales for a select few roles.

Employers, particularly those seeking physicians, have found that higher wages or bonuses has not been enough to attract or retain talent. More potential employees are looking for other perks.

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