Nurse Practitioners earn an average annual salary of $129,210 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But how much they earn is dependent on multiple factors such as location, experience, specialty.
| State | Average Annual Nurse Practitioner Salary | Average Hourly Nurse Practitioner Wage |
| Alabama | $112,091 | $53.89 |
| Alaska | $126,170 | $60.66 |
| Arizona | $132,560 | $63.73 |
| Arkansas | $113,410 | $54.53 |
| California | $161,540 | $77.66 |
| Colorado | $121,990 | $58.65 |
| Connecticut | $136,980 | $65.86 |
| Delaware | $131,110 | $63.03 |
| District of Columbia | $134,850 | $64.83 |
| Florida | $119,710 | $57.55 |
| Georgia | $121,150 | $58.25 |
| Guam | $88,570 | $42.58 |
| Hawaii | $132,610 | $63.76 |
| Idaho | $124,550 | $59.88 |
| Illinois | $126,900 | $61.01 |
| Indiana | $123,320 | $59.29 |
| Iowa | $130,820 | $62.89 |
| Kansas | $119,270 | $57.34 |
| Kentucky | $110,370 | $53.06 |
| Louisiana | $117,210 | $56.06 |
| Maine | $122,940 | $59.11 |
| Maryland | $127,990 | $61.54 |
| Massachusetts | $144,010 | $69.25 |
| Michigan | $120,680 | $58.02 |
| Minnesota | $135,010 | $64.91 |
| Mississippi | $117,490 | $56.49 |
| Missouri | $116,680 | $56.10 |
| Montana | $124,640 | $59.92 |
| Nebraska | $121,680 | $58.50 |
| Nevada | $148,670 | $71.48 |
| New Hampshire | $130,740 | $62.86 |
| New Jersey | $145,030 | $69.73 |
| New Mexico | $136,770 | $65.76 |
| New York | $142,830 | $68.67 |
| North Carolina | $121,590 | $58.46 |
| North Dakota | $127,760 | $61.42 |
| Ohio | $122,870 | $59.07 |
| Oklahoma | $124,330 | $59.77 |
| Oregon | $144,950 | $69.69 |
| Pennsylvania | $127,450 | $61.27 |
| Rhode Island | $133,460 | $64.16 |
| South Carolina | $116,940 | $56.22 |
| South Dakota | $120,980 | $58.17 |
| Tennessee | $103,720 | $49.86 |
| Texas | $130,010 | $62.51 |
| Utah | $127,820 | $61.45 |
| Vermont | $126,100 | $60.62 |
| Virginia | $120,870 | $58.11 |
| Washington | $145,400 | $69.90 |
| West Virginia | $113,450 | $54.54 |
| Wisconsin | $128,330 | $61.70 |
| Wyoming | $119,392 | $57.43 |
Highest Paying States for Nurse Practitioners
- California – $173,189
- New York – $148,400
- Oregon – $148,030
- Massachusetts – $145,143
- Washington – $143,621
Lowest Paying States for Nurse Practitioners
- Tennessee – $108,180
- Alabama – $109,650
- South Carolina – $113,950
- Arkansas – $116,030
- Kentucky – $116,930
Nurse Practitioners Salary by Specialty
NPs specialty plays a key role in their compensation. Some NPs specialty pays much higher salary than others. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones.
- Anesthesiology – pain medicine — $152,697
- Radiology – diagnostic — $149,981
- Psychiatry – outpatient — $148,650
- Emergency medicine — $148,506
- Pediatrics – ICU — $147,680
- Orthopedic surgery – $146,571
- General surgery — $143,478
- Oncology – hematology and oncology — $142,720
- Cardiovascular surgery — $142,456
- Pediatrics – hospitalist — $142,155
- Family medicine – $140,837
- Critical Care – $ 160,987
- Urgent Care – $148,555
- Neurosurgery – $146,878
- Women health – $137,987
- Outpatient Pulmonary – $127,650
- Dermatology – $175,989
several factors impact NPs salaries across specialties such as location, practice setting, experience and education.
Scope of Practice and NP Salaries
NP practice authority varies across the United States and can be categorized as either full, reduced, or restricted. Many states give full practice authority to NPs, allowing them independence and autonomy in practice. In the following states NPs can earn more because of full authority
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Washington
Nurse Practitioner Salary in Last 5 years
| YEAR | AVERAGE NP SALARY |
| 2021 | $ 120,680 |
| 2022 | $ 121,610 |
| 2023 | $ 128,490 |
| 2024 | $ 129,000 |
| 2025 | $ 132,050 |
Best Paying Metro Areas for Nurse Practitioners
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $223,530
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: $208,480
- Napa, CA: $202,600
- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA: $184,591
- Monroe, MI: $179,240
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: $168,790
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA: $168,180
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: $167,590
- Salinas, CA: $167,700
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA: $166,600
- NYC-NJ: 165,000
- Los Angeles, CA $ 164,878
- Seatle, WA $ 162,989
- BOSTON, MA $ 160,000
Best Paying Hospitals/Institutions for Nurse Practitioners
- UCSF Medical Center
- Stanford Health
- Kaiser Permanente (Northern California)
- El camino Health
- Sutter Health
- UC Davis
- UC Irvine
- UC Los Angeles
- City Of San Francisco
- New York Presbyterian
- Mount Sinai
- Cedars Sinai Hospital
- NYU Langone Health
- Sloan Kettering
Nurse Practitioners Salary as Compared to other health care professionals
| Profession | Average Salary |
| Nurse Practitioner | $ 129,210 |
| Pharmacist | $ 137,480 |
| Physician Assistant | $ 133,260 |
| Dentist | $ 179,210 |
| Physical Therapist | $ 101,020 |
Ways to Increase Salary as a nurse Practitioner
Nurse Practitioners can take following steps to improve their overall compensation
- Chose right speciality
- Move to new area
- Go back to School
- Try to be a Travel NP
- Work In Pharmaceutical Sales
- Telehealth work on evenings and weekends
- Mentoring nursing students
- Creating nursing CEUs and coursework
- Try to open own healthcare business
Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Salary comparison
NPs and PAs both provide direct patient care, but their education and licensing requirements differ. Both professions are in high demand and can earn strong salaries for their expertise. While these two healthcare roles are similar, NPs and PAs differ in education and certification requirements, professional independence, and specialization pathways. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants take different pathways into their profession, but their roles and responsibilities often look similar. NPs and PAs work closely with patients, diagnosing and treating their illnesses, ordering and analyzing tests, and assisting in surgical procedures. For example, more than 90% of NPs work in primary care as of 2023. In comparison, only about 22% of PAs work in primary care. Their salary comparison is as follows:
| Specialty | Nurse Practitioner | Physician Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| All Specialties | $128,490 (average) | $130,490 (average) |
| Primary Care | $100,820 (average) | $115,000 (median) |
Nurse Practitioner is one of the fastest growing professions. Demand will continue to go up for NPs in next decade according to BLS, as a result, their salaries will keep increasing in coming years.
SOURCE: BLS, NursesSalary.org(Aggregate)
