Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners earn an average annual salary of $177,897, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Nurse Practitioners workforce.
Employment Over Time
20,980 Workforce in 2023
The Nurse Practitioners workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Nurse Practitioners.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$177,897 Average Wage
In 2023, Nurse Practitioners earned an average of $177,897.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 19,400 employees, $178,648 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Nurse Practitioners.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 4,530 employees, $172,252 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,790 employees, $163,927 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,870 employees, $162,914 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,630 employees, $166,618 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,620 employees, $225,909 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,280 employees, $229,605 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,240 employees, $199,521 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,200 employees, $173,377 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 640 employees, $162,818 avg wage
- Modesto MSA: 390 employees, $166,208 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 workforce of Nurse Practitioners in 2023 was 20,980 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Nurse Practitioners was $177,897 in 2023.
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 20,980 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.