Nurse Practitioner Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Nurse Practitioners earn a median of $132,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 160% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $63.61/hr. The middle half earn between $117,990 and $156,700. The top 10% earn $174,420 or more.

The median hourly wage for nurse practitioners is $63.61 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $132,300 annual median works out to about $11,030 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of nurse practitioners earn less than $101,340 a year and the bottom quarter less than $117,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

The highest state medians for Nurse Practitioners are California ($168,520), New Jersey ($159,310), Washington ($156,100) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

BLS does not split nurse practitioners' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $174,420, against a median of $132,300 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are California ($168,520), New Jersey ($159,310), Washington ($156,100).

Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Nurse Practitioners, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as extensive preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 65.2% hold master's degree.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for nurse practitioners is a master's degree. O*NET classes the work as needing extensive preparation.

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 41.0% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 29,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare. A core O*NET task: maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.

Most work more than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 52% of nurse practitioners usually work more than 40 hours a week, 48% work exactly 40 and 0% work fewer. 91% say their schedule is regular and 9% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Nurse Practitioners highest on the Investigative, Social and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Yes, and it is issued by the state you work in, not nationally. BLS states plainly that states' requirements for APRNs vary. Each state's board of nursing issues the APRN license on top of the RN license, decides which national certifications it accepts, and sets the scope of practice. Prescribing authority is not uniform: BLS notes that APRNs may prescribe medications in many states, which means not in all of them, and independent practice authority likewise differs. Check the board of nursing in the state where you intend to practice before choosing a program.

The FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner certification examination) and the FNP-BC (Family Nurse Practitioner Certification). An entry-level, competency-based examination testing clinical knowledge for family and individuals across the life span, taken after the graduate NP program. AANPCB also offers Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Psychiatric Mental Health and Emergency NP examinations. Applicants must hold a current, active U.S. RN license at the time of application and document faculty-supervised clinical hours, the three APRN core courses (advanced physical assessment, advanced pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology), and the degree conferral date.

Women make up 90.5% of nurse practitioners, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation. Only 15.7% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce. The median worker is 43.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.