Nurse Midwives Salary: $128,790 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 8,280 nurse midwives work nationally, and $128,790 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 9.4% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Nurse Midwives: what the data shows
Common questions about nurse midwives careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a nurse midwives?
Nurse Midwives is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1161.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 8,280 workers.
What does a nurse midwives do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a nurse midwives make?
BLS national median annual wage: $128,790 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $184,512 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $114,838 |
| 25th percentile | $156,614 |
| Median (50th) | $202,046 |
| 75th percentile | $213,427 |
| 90th percentile | $233,005 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Active Learning, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is nurse midwives in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 9.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 56.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 145.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 8,280.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do nurse midwivess work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 8,280 | 18.0% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 8,030 | 17.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 7,890 | 17.2% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 6,170 | 13.4% |
| Offices of Physicians | 3,650 | 7.9% |
| Hospitals | 3,560 | 7.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Nurse Midwives in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 50,350 | $223,210 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | 74,250 | $79,940 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Nurse Midwives workforce.
Employment Over Time
8,280 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Nurse Midwives grew from 980 in 2013 to 2,880 in 2025 (193.9%).
Historical employment for Nurse Midwives from the California OEWS series, 2013–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$128,790 Median pay (BLS national)
Nurse Midwives earn $128,790 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Nurse Midwives.
Salary distribution for Nurse Midwives.
Employment Growth Projections
9.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,512 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 56.7%
7,071 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 145.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 9.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Nurse Midwives.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Nurse Midwives and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Nurse Midwives employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Nurse Midwives.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 8.2% growth (Current: $206,686)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Nurse Midwives.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Nurse Midwives.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 880 employees, $179,630 avg wage
- FL: 860 employees, $105,650 avg wage
- PA: 530 employees, $109,510 avg wage
- NY: 490 employees, $138,570 avg wage
- GA: 380 employees, $124,760 avg wage
- TX: 370 employees, $112,990 avg wage
- NC: 350 employees, $120,060 avg wage
- IL: 310 employees, $107,280 avg wage
- OR: 270 employees, $117,640 avg wage
- MI: 270 employees, $118,090 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Nurse Midwives.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 400 employees, $143,540 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 320 employees, $138,460 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 310 employees, $126,800 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 310 employees, $130,910 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 300 employees, $98,480 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 200 employees, $105,340 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 200 employees, $188,930 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 200 employees, $117,220 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 190 employees, $190,340 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 180 employees, $125,750 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Nurse Midwives.
Diversity
Demographic information on Nurse Midwives in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Nurse Midwives is about 8,280 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Nurse Midwives.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Nurse Midwives.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Nurse Midwives.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Nurse Midwives in 2023 were Health Sciences, Biology, Registered Nursing.
Common majors for Nurse Midwives.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Nurse Midwives workers.
Education level distribution for Nurse Midwives.
Skills
Nurse Midwives need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Active Learning.
Required skills for Nurse Midwives.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Nurse Midwives.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Nurse Midwives include Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology.
Knowledge areas required for Nurse Midwives.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Nurse Midwives include Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Nurse Midwives.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Nurse Midwives.
Daily Activities
Nurse Midwives spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Nurse Midwives.
About
Nurse Midwives
Nurse Midwives earn $128,790 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
29-1161 - Nurse Midwives
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Nurse Midwives reports an average salary of $184,512, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 8,280 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 9.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.