Nurse Practitioner Salary in US and How to Increase your Pay

By | July 16, 2023
Nurse Practitioner Salary in US
Nurse practitioners in the US earn relatively higher salaries, which can sometimes be higher than what resident doctors make.

The nurse practitioner salary in US is $73,550 annually.

Jobs in the medical field are undoubtedly said to be lucrative but the job of a nurse practitioner is likely to be overlooked in this field. In some cases, nurse practitioners earn more salaries than some resident doctors do in the United States.

A nurse practitioner in the United States can in an hour earn $35.36 and $73,550 annually on average. Quite fascinating, isn’t it?

Being a nurse practitioner comes with other benefits; asides the pay, that is. To give a few examples, the skills acquired are transferable.

They can be applicable and executed in the daily lives of nurses.

Again, it’s an occupation that commands respect.

Besides being seen as one who is smart, compassionate and selfless, the fact that a nurse comes to mind first when an emergency arises earns them a lot of reverence.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in US States

The job of a nurse practitioner is one that is well liked and also well practiced in the U.S.

Below are the average earnings of Nurse Practitioners in states across the United States; hourly and annually:

StatesHourly SalaryAnnual Salary 
Alabama$45.62$94,880 
Alaska$60.16$125,140 
Arizona$50.47$104,970 
Arkansas$45.79$95,230 
California$60.95$126,770 
Colorado$53.10$110,440 
Connecticut$56.97$118,500 
Delaware$50.66$105,380 
Florida$48.04$99,930 
Georgia$49.95$103,890 
Hawaii$58.94$122,580 
Idaho$49.40$102,760 
Illinois$49.02$101,960 
Indiana$48.93$101,780 
Iowa$50.06$104,130 
Kansas$47.05$97,870 
Kentucky$45.89$95,450 
Louisiana$47.49$98,780 
Maine$48.13$100,100 
Maryland$52.81$109,840
Massachusetts$57.76$120.140
Michigan$49.16$102,250
Minnesota$55.84$116,150
Mississippi$51.58$107,280
Missouri$46.39$96,490
Montana$46.86$97,470
Nebraska$48.04$99,930
Nevada$50.74$105,520
New Hampshire$54.06$112,440
New Jersey$44.06$91,647
New Mexico$53.56$109,330
New York$56.35$117,210
North Carolina$51.11$106,320
North Dakota$49.75$103,470
Ohio$48.90$101,710
Oklahoma$45.96$95,596
Oregon$54.27$112,870
Pennsylvania$47.24$98,260
Rhode Island$52.23$108,630
South Carolina$46.70$97,140
South Dakota$48.09$100,030
Tennessee$45.18$93,970
Texas$53.53$111,330
Utah$48.06$99,960
Vermont$49.96$104,920
Virginia$49.15$102,240
Washington$55.41$115,250
West Virginia$45.67$95,000
Wisconsin$49.00$101,930
Wyoming$54.48$113,310
Nurse practitioners salaries in the United States

20 Cities with Highest Nurse Practitioner Salary in US

As a nurse practitioner, there are a couple determinants for how much you earn. Your city of residence is one of the most considered factors behind that.

This is most of the time due to a heightened level in the cost of living of some cities more than others.

Again, it can be due to the sparseness of nurses in some cities compared to others.

In the table below are the 20 highest paying cities for nurse practitioners in the U.S. written in a specific order:

CitiesHourly SalaryAnnual Salary
Vallejo-Fairfield, California$89.50$186,100 
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California$83.80$174,390 
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California$76.60$159,290 
El Centro, California$73.50$152,830 
Railbelt-Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area, Alaska$70.40$146,470 
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California$70.30$146,190 
Napa, California$69.50$144,480 
Yuba City, California$68.90$143,390 
Bakersfield-Delano, California$68.60$142,790 
Redding, California$67.70$140,720 
Merced, California$67.50$140,460 
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area, California$67.00$139,290 
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California$65.80$136,850 
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, California$65.70$136,560 
Longview, Washington$65.60$136,460 
New Bedford, Massachusetts$65.40$136,000 
Madera-Chowchilla, California$65.30$134,800 
Salinas, California$64.80$134,790 
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California$64.70$134,590 
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California$64.70$134,540 
US cities that pay the highest salaries to nurse practitioners

Skill-based Nurse Practitioner Salary in US

An additional determinant for how much a nurse practitioner is paid in the United States is seen in how much skill has been acquired or accumulated in that field.

There are wide arrays of specialties a nurse practitioner can practice and some happen to be more lucrative than others, still on the basis of skill and expertise.

A certified registered nurse anesthetist can in a year earn an average of $181,000, which is more than what a neonatal nurse practitioner earns, which can be an annual average of $125,000.

Salaries differ in amounts as nurse practitioners differ in skill; some more than the others.

Experience-based Nurse Practitioner Salary in US

As skill matters in one’s salary range as a nurse practitioner, experience in the field plays a big role as well. 

As a nurse practitioner; in accordance with what was surveyed by the AANP, the salary range broadens as more experience is attained.

Nurse practitioners with less than a year of experience can earn an average of $71,388 annually.

This amount goes for nurse practitioners with 1-2 years of experience.

Nurse Practitioners with 3-5 years and 6-9 years of experience definitely earn higher. Their salary earnings can be an average of $86,866 in a year.

Nurse practitioners with more than 10 years of experience earn up to $88,599 annually, on average.

10 Companies with Highest Nurse Practitioner Salary in US

As a nurse practitioner, working in the highest paying companies can give you a lead over others in the aspect of how much salary earned.

Most of these companies are healthcare related so the nurse practitioners are necessary and well recognized entities hence the pay they get.

In a particular order, here is a table of the 10 highest paying companies for nurse practitioners in the United States:

CompaniesHourly SalaryAnnual Salary
Woundtech$570.80$1,187,234
UCLA Health$85.10$176,986
City of Hope$82.20$171,075
Eventus WholeHealth$77.20$160,620
Molina Healthcare$74.40$154,654
Northwell Health$72.00$149,759
Wound Care Plus, LLC$70.70$146,965
Keck Medicine of USC$70.60$146,770
New York – Presbyterian Hospital$70.10$145,723
Anthem, Inc.$69.90$145,442
Companies that pay the highest salaries to nurse practitioners in the U.S.

More Benefits for Nurse Practitioners in US

Aside from being very necessary in society due to their knowledge on things concerning health and wellbeing, nurse practitioners have a lot of benefits attached to their jobs. Below are some of these benefits:

  • Flexibility

Medical care is necessary at every point in time, in places of all kinds and by people of all kinds.

Hence the high demand for nurse practitioners gives them the chance to pick or choosewhatever works best for them and not settle for less.                                                           

  • Respect and Trust

Nursing, time after time, ranks among the highly trusted and respected professions for clearly obvious reasons.

It’s a job that demands a lot of skill as well as patience, and the display of those qualities give nurse practitioners a lot of admiration and of course, respect.

  • Personal Growth

As a nurse practitioner, things continually change and standardize, giving you a chance to grow in skill and increase in knowledge as well. These skills acquired can even be applied in daily living.

  • Career Longevity

A lot of jobs are becoming less productive due to the evolution of technology but that doesn’t apply to nursing.

A nurse-patient physical relationship will always be necessary. This ensures the continuity of this career.

What Related Job Titles to Nurse Practitioner Earn in US

Nurse practitioners handle a beautiful career option but asides from it, there are other careers in close relation to it that are essential in society and still quite lucrative.

Below are some of the most common occupations in the U.S. that are in close relation to that of nurse practitioners:

  • Dental Hygienist

These people clean out people’s teeth before, after and while the dental series of steps take place.

They are not dentists but they work hand in hand with dentists and oral surgeons as well, and with an annual salary average of $71,530, this job is actually alluring.

  • Respiratory Therapist

A respiratory therapist’s job is to work with patients who have problems with respiration, like asthma, bronchitis, etc.

This job can easily be taken up as it doesn’t require  a lot of training before workers are functional.

It is also quite lucrative seeing that they tend to get an annual pay of $55,870, on average.

  • Physician Assistant

A physician assistant studies and practices medicine but practices it under the watch or the supervision of a surgeon or physician.

They are given the duty of examining, diagnosing, and providing treatment to diagnosis. Their salary on average is summed up to $90,930, annually.

  • Occupational Health and Safety Specialist

These health practitioners basically specialize in and ensure environmental health safety.

They make sure businesses, inclusive of customers and staff, are safe by seeing they keep to healthcare guidelines which are necessary for wellbeing.

On average, occupational health and safety specialists get paid up to $65,710 annually.  

Nurse Practitioner Salary and Job Outlook in US

For nurse practitioners, there would be an increase in employment rates due to the high demand for healthcare services.

Employment rates for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and midwives are very likely to increase a whopping 45% from the year 2020 till the year 2023.

For the past decade and beyond, close to 29,400 openings are projected on a yearly basis.

Most of those vacancies are for replacement purposes, i.e. for the retired ones or the ones who got transferred.

In the aspect of salary outlook, these nurse practitioners, in 2020, made a median of $111,680.

The highest paid 25% of them made $130,240 in that year as well while the 25% that were paid the lowest made $94,980. 

How to Increase your Salary as a Nurse Practitioner in US

Here are useful ideas you can apply to improve your salary as a nurse practitioner in the U.S.:

  • Take a Look at New Aspects of Nursing 

Moving out of the particular aspects they have been confined to and looking out for new aspects within that same field will not only lead to acquiring more skills for nurse practitioners but can also prompt a higher pay or salary range.

  • Attain More Work Experience

As it applies to most occupations, more experience can mean more salary. The more experience a nurse practitioner has can give them the leverage of handling more compound obligations, which can lead to an increased amount of payment.  

  • Produce Writings Concerning The Medical Field

As a nurse practitioner, you have more knowledge about the medical field that most people don’t and wish to, so it’ll be advisable to put that into writing.

People like students, patients, etc. will have a need for it. It can be quite lucrative due to the wide range of audiences who have a necessity for medical information.

More Career Opportunities for Nurse Practitioners in the US

Here are additional career areas people with training and background as nurse practitioner can explore:

  • Foreign Service Medical Provider

The nurse practitioner’s job here is to make available acute care, primary care, and emergency care to places where it is needed, and to people who need it.

  • Public Health Advisor

Nurse practitioners can also work as public health advisors. This job enables you to supervise public health schemes abroad.

Added to that, public health advisors make and execute health plans to align with health goals abroad.

  • Telemedicine

Telemedicine is the act of providing healthcare services to people through technological (digital) devices like phones and laptops.

A nurse practitioner can handle this occupation. This way you can do your job as a nurse and provide healthcare to a large number of people without having to travel from place to place all the time.

  • Working for Global Organizations

Nurse practitioners can also work for global organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations (UN); they can even work for the CIA, providing healthcare to people who need it there.

What do Nurse Practitioners do?

Nurse practitioners learn and are trained to evaluate, detect, direct, and elucidate medical tests and prescribe medications while taking care of the patients.

See detailed nurse practitioner job descriptions.

The particular job opportunities for nurse practitioners differ in various states.

Conclusion

A nurse practitioner’s job in the U.S. is one with a lot of advantages attached to it and is of utmost importance to the society and the entirety of the work.

This article was written with the view of enlightening aspiring nurse practitioners on what to expect as salary and other benefits they stand to gain working as a nurse practitioner in the United States.

Information sources: indeed.com, bls.gov, payscale.com, glassdoor.com, registerednursern.com, nursingprocess.org, and usawage.com.