Background <p>The association between nurses’ creativity and job satisfaction assumes paramount importance in informing organizational planning and support mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the association between creativity and job satisfaction among nurses, while also examining the relationship between them and individual and occupational characteristics.</p> Methods <p>A descriptive, correlational design was employed, involving 285 nurses from three university-affiliated hospitals in urban Iran. Participants were selected through multi-stage sampling and completed a demographic questionnaire, the Persian version of the eight-item Creativity Scale developed by Zhou and George, and the 20-item Persian version of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ). In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.89 for the Persian version of the Creativity Scale and 0.85 for the Persian version of the MSQ, indicating good internal consistency. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate linear regression.</p> Results <p>There was a positive relationship between creativity and job satisfaction among nurses (<i>r</i> = 0.21, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). In addition, older age, postgraduate education, higher work experience, managerial position, and interest in nursing were associated with higher levels of creativity. Furthermore, older age, sufficient salary, higher work experience, managerial position, fixed work shift, not working in the COVID-19 department, interest in nursing, and satisfaction with colleagues were all linked to higher levels of job satisfaction.</p> Conclusion <p>The findings underscore the potential benefits of fostering a creative work environment to enhance overall job satisfaction among nurses. Furthermore, identified demographic and occupational factors associated with job satisfaction and creativity among nurses can inform targeted interventions aimed at enhancing workplace satisfaction and fostering innovation.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>