Nurse Practitioners Salary: $129,210 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 307,390 nurse practitioners work nationally, and $129,210 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 6.6% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Nurse Practitioners: what the data shows
Common questions about nurse practitioners careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a nurse practitioners?
Nurse Practitioners is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1171.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 307,390 workers.
What does a nurse practitioners do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a nurse practitioners make?
BLS national median annual wage: $129,210 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $177,897 — 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 | $127,709 |
| 25th percentile | $144,072 |
| Median (50th) | $171,138 |
| 75th percentile | $210,982 |
| 90th percentile | $241,181 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Biology, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is nurse practitioners in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 37.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 90.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 307,390.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do nurse practitionerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 307,390 | 17.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 285,980 | 16.3% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 281,110 | 16.1% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 197,550 | 11.3% |
| Hospitals | 153,620 | 8.8% |
| Offices of Physicians | 143,210 | 8.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Nurse Practitioners 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Nurse Practitioners workforce.
Employment Over Time
307,390 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Nurse Practitioners grew from 38,300 in 2013 to 82,880 in 2025 (116.4%).
Historical employment for Nurse Practitioners 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
$129,210 Median pay (BLS national)
Nurse Practitioners earn $129,210 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 Practitioners.
Salary distribution for Nurse Practitioners.
Employment Growth Projections
6.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
114,324 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 37.9%
157,697 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 90.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 6.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Nurse Practitioners.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Nurse Practitioners and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Nurse Practitioners employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Nurse Practitioners.
Wage Trends by Industry
13.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Nurse Practitioners.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Nurse Practitioners.
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:
- FL: 24,690 employees, $128,340 avg wage
- TX: 21,690 employees, $130,930 avg wage
- CA: 20,980 employees, $173,190 avg wage
- NY: 20,430 employees, $148,410 avg wage
- OH: 14,550 employees, $121,250 avg wage
- TN: 14,300 employees, $108,180 avg wage
- PA: 10,860 employees, $126,730 avg wage
- GA: 10,580 employees, $125,490 avg wage
- NJ: 9,590 employees, $140,470 avg wage
- IL: 9,560 employees, $128,880 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Nurse Practitioners.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 19,850 employees, $151,510 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 9,200 employees, $132,730 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 6,930 employees, $131,580 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 6,660 employees, $146,850 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 6,400 employees, $165,030 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 6,280 employees, $129,710 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 5,970 employees, $132,670 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 5,780 employees, $133,360 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 5,680 employees, $128,740 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 5,380 employees, $112,610 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Nurse Practitioners.
Diversity
Demographic information on Nurse Practitioners in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Nurse Practitioners is about 307,390 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Nurse Practitioners.
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 Practitioners.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Nurse Practitioners.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Nurse Practitioners in 2023 were Registered Nursing, Health Sciences, Biology.
Common majors for Nurse Practitioners.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Nurse Practitioners workers.
Education level distribution for Nurse Practitioners.
Skills
Nurse Practitioners need many skills, but most especially Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning.
Required skills for Nurse Practitioners.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Nurse Practitioners.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Nurse Practitioners include Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Biology, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Nurse Practitioners.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Nurse Practitioners include Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Nurse Practitioners.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Nurse Practitioners.
Daily Activities
Nurse Practitioners spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Nurse Practitioners.
About
Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners earn $129,210 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
29-1171 - Nurse Practitioners
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Nurse Practitioners reports an average salary of $177,897, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 307,390 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.6%, 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.