In a commentary last December we reviewed Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Markets. As is the case with most healthcare professions, the major metropolitan areas in the U.S. are big centers for nurse practitioner employment. However, it is in smaller metro markets, not the large ones, where nurse practitioners often times find better average compensation levels. This is readily evident in May 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which reveals that only three of the 20 largest metro areas in the nation were among the 20 best metro markets for nurse practitioner pay:
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 150 | $175,060 | ||
| 2 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 390 | $160,110 | ||
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#) | 1,930 | $157,150 | ||
| 4 | Longview, WA | 30 | $150,520 | ||
| 5 | Sumter, SC | 50 | $147,210 | ||
| 6 | Redding, CA | 70 | $145,690 | ||
| 7 | Salinas, CA | 100 | $145,060 | ||
| 8 | Rochester, MN | N/A | $144,980 | ||
| 9 | New Bedford, MA | 100 | $144,450 | ||
| 10 | Modesto, CA | 200 | $143,530 | ||
| 11 | Fairbanks, AK | 40 | $142,540 | ||
| 12 | Riverside-San Bernardino (#) | 1,540 | $140,600 | ||
| 13 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 150 | $138,350 | ||
| 14 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (#) | 4,090 | $138,340 | ||
| 15 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 110 | $137,750 | ||
| 16 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 950 | $136,630 | ||
| 17 | Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL | 70 | $136,240 | ||
| 18 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 150 | $135,700 | ||
| 19 | Santa Rosa, CA | 190 | $135,410 | ||
| 20 | Bakersfield, CA | 220 | $135,130 | ||
| National | 200,600 | $111,840 | |||
(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on December 5, 2020