How Much Do Nurse Practitioners Make? A Comprehensive Guide (2024)

Formally trained at the master’s degree level or higher, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reports that nurse practitioners provide care focused on families, adults, geriatric populations, women, children, mental health, and care for the dying. Ninety-six percent of all NPs can prescribe medication and are doing a solid job, boasting a relatively low rate of dissatisfaction among patients.

A looming primary care provider shortage and increases in demand for healthcare services are two reasons why nurse practitioners are in high demand. The Bureau for Labor Statistics (BLS May 2022) reported that the demand for NPs will swell 45 percent nationally between 2022 and 2032—more than 15 times the rate of predicted growth for all occupations (3 percent). This will increase the total number of NP jobs in the US from 266,300 to 384,900, a numeric growth of a massive 118,600 new NP jobs over the decade.

The average NP salary across the nation varies by source. According to the BLS (May 2022), NPs made an average annual mean wage of $124,680. The 2023 AANP National Workforce Survey corroborated this, finding that NPs made $113,000 on average (median). And according to the 1,976 NPs who self-reported salaries on Payscale.com (2023), the average NP salary came in at $105,999.

In general, the BLS (May 2022) found these national percentiles for all NPs employed nationwide:

United States
Number of Professionals Employed258,230
Annual Mean Wage$124,680
10th Percentile$87,340
25th Percentile$103,250
50th Percentile (Median)$121,610
75th Percentile$135,470
90th Percentile$165,240

This comprehensive guide to NP salaries examines how factors such as work experience, specialty, and region impact NP salaries in the United States, including a state-by-state breakdown of average salaries across the country.

Top Average Nurse Practitioner Salaries in the United States

As most of this comprehensive guide analyzes salaries based on region, the cost of living by region can be helpful in putting salaries into their greater economic context. The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC 2023) provides an analysis of the cost of living based on economic considerations like groceries, housing, transportation, utilities, and health. Top and bottom salaries may be determined in part by how expensive or inexpensive it is to live in that state or region.

Here are the top-paying states and municipal regions in the US, according to the BLS (May 2022). Employment levels are provided to give context to the level of opportunity in the region.

Highest Average Annual Salaries for Nurse Practitioners by State

StateNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary (mean wage)
California19,130$158,130
New Jersey6,640$143,250
Massachusetts7,190$138,700
Oregon1,880$113,250
Nevada1,800$136,230
Washington4,150$135,590
Connecticut2,910$131,490
District of Columbia730$131,270
New Mexico1,650$129,560
Hawaii530$128,310

Highest Average Annual Salaries for Nurse Practitioners by City

RegionNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary (mean wage)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA1,170$199,630
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,680$190,070
Napa, CA 70$189,190
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA110$180,990
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 16,910$170,320
Yuba City, CA 50$161,690
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA 1,350$157,490
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA130$156,920
Salinas, CA120$156,920
El Centro, CA60$152,370

Lowest Average Nurse Practitioner Salaries by State and City

The following sections demonstrate which states and regions offer the least amount in average compensation to nurse practitioners in the United States. To give these numbers perspective, the average annual salary across the 147,886,000 jobs (all occupations) surveyed by the BLS (May 2022) in the U.S. is $61,900. The average annual salary for all 9,043,070 healthcare practitioners in 2022 was $96,770.

Lowest Average Annual Salaries for Nurse Practitioners by State

StateNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary
Tennessee13,060$99,330
Alabama4,930$106,610
West Virginia1,640$106,790
Arkansas2,970$107,110
South Carolina3,960$109,130
Kentucky4,520$109,290
Florida18,530$110,310
Kansas3,070$111,670
Missouri7,290$113,180
Michigan7,250$113,780

Lowest Average Annual Salaries for Nurse Practitioners by City or Region

RegionNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary
Cleveland, TN 180$82,970
Johnson City, TN470$89,230
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area290$92,030
Knoxville, TN1,830$93,810
Greeley, CO70$93,840
Hot Springs, AR200$94,290
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area470$94,480
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area350$94,580
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA500$95,280
Morristown, TN120$96,440

Nurse Practitioner Salaries in Top-Employing States and Cities

While top-paying states and regions may offer high salaries, there isn’t always equal employment opportunity. This section will detail the intersection where job opportunity and earning potential meet at their highest apex across the United States (BLS May 2022).

Average Annual NP Salaries in States With Greatest Levels of Employment

StateNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary
Texas17,810$117,890
California17,400$151,830
New York15,190$133,940
Florida14,880$104,830
Tennessee11,360$95,120
Ohio10,210$112,490
Pennsylvania7,610$117,260
Massachusetts7,330$129,540
Illinois7,160$120,470
Georgia7,020$109,560

Average Annual NP Salaries in Cities With Greatest Levels of Employment

RegionNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA16,910$170,320
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,190$149,110
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI5,720$126,020
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL5,450$101,870
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH5,310$141,120
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN5,030$103,580
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX4,940$125,060
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ4,550$120,940
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA4,200$115,750
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD4,200$124,940

Top Salaries for Entry-Level NPs (10th Percentile NP Salaries)

Those fresh out of nurse practitioner programs may be interested to know where the earning potential is the highest for entry-level NPs. According to Payscale, the average entry-level annual salary for NPs nationwide is $98,595, earning 26 percent less than the average ($124,680).

The following section gives a snapshot of states and regions in the United States where salaries on the low end of the spectrum are highest (BLS May 2022).

Highest 10th Percentile Nurse Practitioner Salaries by State

StateNumber of NPs Employed10th Percentile Salary
New Jersey6,640$111,560
Oregon1,880$107,950
Rhode Island1,390$105,780
District of Columbia730$105,780
Washington4,150$105,690
Massachusetts7,190$105,410
California19,130$103,890
Wisconsin4,790$102,590
Minnesota5,300$102,230
Iowa2,610$101,930

Highest 10th Percentile Nurse Practitioner Salaries By City

RegionNumber of NPs Employed10th Percentile Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA1,170$144,150
Napa, CA70$143,270
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA2,680$134,740
Madera, CA80$130,580
Yuba City, CA50$129,290
Salinas, CA120$125,120
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area30$124,400
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA16,910$120,430
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA240$119,560
Medford, OR140$116,640

Top Salaries for Highly Experienced NPs (90th Percentile NP Salaries)

For Nurse Practitioners with eyes on the long game, this section details the states and regions where earning potential is greatest for seasoned professionals (BLS, May 2022).

90th Percentile Nurse Practitioner Salaries by State

StateNumber of NPs Employed90th Percentile Salary
California19,130$220,460
Massachusetts7,190$178,690
New Mexico1,650$176,210
Nevada1,800$173,970
District of Columbia730$171,490
New Jersey6,640$170,940
Alaska680$168,240
Washington4,150$167,840
Oregon1,880$167,690
Connecticut2,910$163,900

90th Percentile Nurse Practitioner Salaries by City

RegionNumber of NPs Employed90th Percentile Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA1,170$232,800
Napa, CA70$223,050
Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area70$222,820
Border region of Texas nonmetropolitan area80$221,230
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA1,350$220,460
Yuba City, CA50$220,060
Flagstaff, AZ150$219,790
Albany-Schnectecady-Troy, NY800$214,350
Santa Rosa, CA250$207,360
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX3,630$205,180

Average Salaries for NPs Based on Specialty

The specialty that an NP chooses will have an impact on salary. Based on all available self-reported NP salary data from Payscale.com (2023), the following illustrates the earning potential for NPs based on their chosen specialty.

SpecialtyNumber of NPs Reporting (2023)Average Annual Salary
Nurse Anesthetist79$162,517
Psychiatric1,829$118,895
Interventional RadiologyNot Reported$108,200
Women’s Health 758$100,760
Family 9,564$102,836
Acute Care2,402$105,999
Neonatal238$116,726
Critical Care70$118,506
Transport38$118,819
Geriatrics1,096$103,218
Pediatric2,033$101,595
Internal Medicine410$106,425
Cardiology238$107,988

NP Salaries Compared to Other Healthcare Professions

Because of their unique training, nurse practitioners can occupy many different roles within the world of healthcare. Like registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners can serve in a support role to an MD or group of MDs. Like physician assistants (PAs), NPs can provide care in cooperation with a physician, balancing independent practice with reliance on the training of board-certified MD for certain job functions such as prescribing controlled substances.

This section elucidates the differences between the salaries of healthcare professionals, according to BLS (May 2022).

NP Salaries vs. Registered Nurse (RN) Salaries

Nurse PractitionersRegistered Nurses
Employment258,2303,072,700
Annual Average Salary$124,680$89,010
10th Percentile $87,340$61,250
25th Percentile $103,250$66,680
50th Percentile (Median) $121,610$81,220
75th Percentile $135,470$101,100
90th Percentile$165,240$129,400

NP Salaries vs. Physician Assistant (PA) Salaries

Nurse PractitionersPhysician Assistants
Employment258,230140,910
Annual Average Salary$124,680$125,270
10th Percentile $87,340$83,820
25th Percentile $103,250$104,240
50th Percentile (Median) $121,610$126,010
75th Percentile $135,470$140,660
90th Percentile $165,240$168,120

NP Salaries vs. Family Medicine Physician Salaries

Nurse PractitionersFamily MDs
Employment258,230100,940
Annual Average Salary$124,680$224,460
10th Percentile $87,340$65,090
25th Percentile $103,250$132,600
50th Percentile (Median) $121,610Equal to or greater than $239,200
75th Percentile $135,470Equal to or greater than $239,200
90th Percentile $165,240Equal to or greater than $239,200

Average NP Salary By US State

The following figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS May 2022).

StateNumber of NPs EmployedAverage Annual Salary
Alabama4,390$106,610
Alaska680$116,390
Arizona6,240$121,410
Arkansas2,970$107,110
California19,130$158,130
Colorado3,630$116,440
Connecticut2,910$131,490
Delaware990$120,570
District of Columbia730$131,270
Florida18,530$110,310
Georgia8,110$115,440
Hawaii530$128,310
Idaho1,170$117,720
Illinois7,990$122,310
Indiana6,480$121,730
Iowa2,610$128,180
Kansas3,070$111,670
Kentucky4,520$109,290
Louisiana4,280$118,210
Maine1,300$118,300
Maryland4,170$119,650
Massachusetts7,190$138,700
Michigan7,250$113,780
Minnesota5,300$128,160
Mississippi4,000$117,260
Missouri7,290$113,180
Montana730$119,960
Nebraska1,610$118,970
Nevada1,800$136,230
New Hampshire1,510$125,780
New Jersey6,640$143,,250
New Mexico1,650$129,560
New York17,670Not Reported
North Carolina8,040$114,450
North Dakota570$113,940
Ohio10,730$117,440
Oklahoma2,700$121,740
Oregon1,880$136,250
Pennsylvania7,560$120,550
Puerto RicoNot ReportedNot Reported
Rhode Island1,390$125,250
South Carolina3,140$102,850
South Dakota3,960$109,130
Tennessee13,060$99,330
Texas18,820$124,660
Utah2,740$115,610
Vermont800$116,610
Virginia7,040$116,980
Washington4,150$135,590
West Virginia1,640$106,790
Wisconsin4,790$121,210
Wyoming460$115,230
Becca Brewer, MEd

Becca Brewer, MEd

Writer

Becca Brewer is building a better future on a thriving earth by healing herself into wholeness, divesting from separation, and walking the path of the loving heart. Previously to her journey as an adventurer for a just, meaningful, and regenerative world, Becca was a formally trained sexuality educator with a master of education.