Nurse Practitioners Salary: $177,897 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 307,390 nurse practitioners nationally earn a mean of $177,897. Projections imply about 6.6% annual growth; CA accounts for about 19,400 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $127,709 |
| 25th percentile | $144,072 |
| Median (50th) | $171,138 |
| 75th percentile | $210,982 |
| 90th percentile | $241,181 |
What education do you need?
For Nurse Practitioners, 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 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 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 307,390 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 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.