There were about 234,700 nurse practitioners (NPs) employed in the U.S. as of May 2021 according to published data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nurse practitioners are employed in multiple healthcare settings, ranging from physician offices and hospitals to outpatient care centers, educational institutions, and offices of other types of healthcare practitioners. Like many other health practitioners with advanced skills and training, NPs usually earn higher salaries than workers in most other occupations. As of May 2021, the BLS estimated that the national mean wage for NPs was $118,040 per year. While NPs realize better than average pay, there is considerable variation from region to region in how much nurse practitioners earn. As of May 2021, BLS data reveals the following about nurse practitioner pay in the top 20 metropolitan markets in the United States:
Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Markets
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Mean Annual Wage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 15,060 | $141,010 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 5,490 | $144,930 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 4,960 | $122,950 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 4,960 | $115,510 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 3,810 | $123,810 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 3,290 | $122,870 | ||
| 7 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 3,800 | $121,370 | ||
| 8 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 3,710 | $105,250 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 3,680 | $113,410 | ||
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 5,610 | $132,070 | ||
| 11 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 3,550 | $120,980 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 2,550 | $177,160 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 1,300 | $145,250 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 2,500 | $109,250 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 2,210 | $137,830 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 2,340 | $125,940 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 2,110 | $130,240 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 2,920 | $97,960 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 2,010 | $115,560 | ||
| 20 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | 2,120 | $113,620 | ||
| National | 234,690 | $118,040 | |||
Report Period: May 2021
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on October 3, 2022