Nurse Anesthetists Salary: $225,979 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 50,350 nurse anesthetists nationally earn a mean of $225,979. Employment in the series shown fell about 13% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Nurse Anesthetists: what the data shows
Common questions about nurse anesthetists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a nurse anesthetists?
Nurse Anesthetists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1151.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 50,350 workers.
What does a nurse anesthetists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a nurse anesthetists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $223,210 (May 2024 in our extract).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,620 |
| 25th percentile | $103,858 |
What education do you need?
For Nurse Anesthetists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is nurse anesthetists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 45.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 110.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 50,350.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do nurse anesthetistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 50,350 | 17.3% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 48,320 | 16.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 46,280 | 15.9% |
| Hospitals | 32,470 | 11.2% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 32,090 | 11.0% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 31,220 | 10.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Nurse Anesthetists 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 Midwives | 8,280 | $128,790 |
| 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 Anesthetists workforce.
Employment Over Time
50,350 Workforce in 2023
The Nurse Anesthetists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Nurse Anesthetists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$225,979 Average Wage
In 2023, Nurse Anesthetists earned an average of $225,979.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Nurse Anesthetists.
Salary distribution for Nurse Anesthetists.
Employment Growth Projections
7.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,802 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 45.2%
15,685 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 110.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 7.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Nurse Anesthetists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Nurse Anesthetists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Nurse Anesthetists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Nurse Anesthetists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-4.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -45.1% growth (Current: $289,202)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Nurse Anesthetists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Nurse Anesthetists.
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: 1,450 employees, $200,994 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Nurse Anesthetists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 770 employees, $182,114 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 260 employees, $235,614 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 200 employees, $134,293 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 120 employees, $289,202 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 100 employees, $283,912 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Nurse Anesthetists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Nurse Anesthetists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Nurse Anesthetists in 2023 was 50,350 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Nurse Anesthetists.
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 Anesthetists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Nurse Anesthetists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Nurse Anesthetists in 2023 were Health Sciences, Biology, Registered Nursing.
Common majors for Nurse Anesthetists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Nurse Anesthetists workers.
Education level distribution for Nurse Anesthetists.
Skills
Nurse Anesthetists need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Nurse Anesthetists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Nurse Anesthetists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Nurse Anesthetists include Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Nurse Anesthetists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Nurse Anesthetists include Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Information Ordering, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Nurse Anesthetists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Nurse Anesthetists.
Daily Activities
Nurse Anesthetists spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Nurse Anesthetists.
About
Nurse Anesthetists
The average yearly wage for Nurse Anesthetists was $225,979 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1151 - Nurse Anesthetists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Nurse Anesthetists reports an average salary of $225,979, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 50,350 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 7.7%, 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.