Nurse Practitioner salary
What a nurse practitioner actually earns, from 605 live job postings blended with the official US OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) wage anchor. Pick a market for its median and range, then read the seniority split, the trend, and the country comparison below. Updated 2026-07-23.
Switch the market above to see nurse practitioner pay in the 3 countries our sources cover, each with its own cost of living. The trend, seniority, and state detail below are United States data, where the official record runs deepest.
What the number means
Nurse practitioner is the top of the nursing ladder, and the official number tells the story the postings blur. OEWS puts the median at 129,210 dollars; the live-posting figure is noisier because part-time and per-diem NP ads drag the low end down, so read the OEWS line as the real career pay. Unemployment is 1.2 percent, the same near-zero as bedside nursing, because the demand for advanced practice is structural and growing as primary care shortages widen. The lift over a registered nurse is large, roughly 35,000 dollars at the median, which is exactly why it is the single most common move nurses make. The catch is the credential: a graduate degree and an APRN (advanced practice registered nurse) license, two to four years, not a skill gap. The pay is real and so is the school; plan the second before you count the first.
Open nurse practitioner roles
Live openings tagged to this occupation, from company career pages and remote boards. Apply at the source.
- In-Home Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Part Time - ShenandoahLifelancer · United StatesRemoteJul 22
- In-Home Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Part Time - KearneyLifelancer · United StatesRemoteJul 22
- In-Home Nurse Practitioner (Per Diem) - Salina, KSLifelancer · United StatesRemoteJul 22
- In-Home Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Per Diem - ToledoLifelancer · United StatesRemoteJul 22
- In-Home Health - Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant (Part Time) - SaintLifelancer · United StatesRemoteJul 22
- In-Home Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Part Time - AllentownLifelancer · United StatesRemoteJul 22
By country
- United States$34,875 – $138,673 · median $95,455
- United Kingdom$67,217 – $126,845 · median $87,566
- Canada$41,191 – $41,191 · median $41,191
Top-paying US states
OEWS median by state, highest first.
- Californiamedian $166,610
- Alaskamedian $145,450
- New Yorkmedian $145,390
- Oregonmedian $144,600
- Washingtonmedian $140,220
- Connecticutmedian $138,960
Is your offer fair?
Run a specific number through FairElephant, which weighs it against this data, your location, and remote market rates.
Move into or out of nurse practitioner
- registered nurse → nurse practitionermeasured route
Related salaries
- Registered Nurse salary$94,467 median
- Teacher salary$65,333 median
- Financial Analyst salary$80,442 median
Quick answers
How much do nurse practitioners make?
The official BLS OEWS median is 129,210 dollars, roughly 35,000 above a registered nurse. Live postings read lower because part-time and per-diem ads drag the range down.
Is nurse practitioner a stable career?
Very: unemployment is 1.2 percent, and demand is growing structurally as primary-care shortages widen.
How does a registered nurse become a nurse practitioner?
Through a graduate degree (MSN or DNP), national certification, and an APRN license, typically two to four years. The pay lift is large. See the registered-nurse-to-nurse-practitioner route.
Method: bands are the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of live US postings with stated pay, shrunk toward the official OEWS anchor by sample size (the “blended” figure). Trend is the OEWS annual median for SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code 29-1171. Unemployment is the 2025 BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) CPS (Current Population Survey) annual-average rate for “Nurse practitioners.” Live corpus 605 observations, 2026-07-23. Definitions in the glossary.