Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Great Plains Region

The most current occupational employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) employed in the United States at over 303,000 as of May 2024.  At that time, more than 28,700 nurse practitioner jobs in the U.S. were in the seven-state Great Plains region of the country.  Outside of Iowa, which ranked fourteenth nationally for NP annual mean wages, the Great Plains region is a weak one for NP pay.  The other six states in the region, home to more than three-quarters of the region's nurse practitioners, all had NP annual mean wage levels that were below the national average.  Moreover, three Great Plains states ranked in the bottom quartile of all states in terms of nurse practitioner annual mean wage levels. A closer look at BLS data from May 2024 provides the following details about nurse practitioner pay in the Great Plains region:

Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	2,810	$133,020	14th
KS	3,030	$127,900	27th
MN	8,690	$128,120	25th
MO	6,820	$124,600	38th
NE	2,150	$127,950	26th
ND	1,260	$121,200	44th
SD	950	$122,300	40th
U.S.	303,410	$130,077	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 3, 2025

Radiologic Tech Pay in the Great Plains Region

Data published earlier this summer by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, as of May 2023, there were about 221,180 radiologic technologists and technicians employed in the United States.  The Great Plains region of the U.S. held about 16,550 of the country's radiologic tech jobs at that time.  BLS data revealed the region to be one of the weakest in the nation for radiologic tech pay.  Although Minnesota ranked just below the top 15 nationally for radiologic tech annual mean wages, three-fourths of the region's radiologic techs lived in a state where the average annual mean wage was below the national average for radiologic techs.  Moreover, four of those Great Plains states ranked among the 15 worst states in the nation for radiologic tech annual mean wages.  More examination of May 2023 data from the BLS tells us the following about radiologic tech pay in the Great Plains region:

Radiologic Tech Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	2,790	$62,550	47th
KS	2,050	$67,140	38th
MN	4,120	$78,730	16th
MO	4,450	$66,560	39th
NE	1,480	$67,530	36th
ND	730	$68,750	32nd
SD	930	$63,590	43rd
U.S.	221,180	$73,907	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 2, 2025

From the Fourth Quarter 2024 Medicare Provider of Services file certified bed count data, here are the ten largest general hospitals in the Great Lakes region of the U.S.:

The Ten Largest General Hospitals in the Great Lakes Region

• Indiana University Health
  Location:  Indianapolis, IN
  Certified Bed Count:  1,733
  
  
• Cleveland Clinic
  Location:  Cleveland, OH
  Certified Bed Count:  1,267
  
  
• Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center
  Location:  Milwaukee, WI
  Certified Bed Count:  1,213
  
  
• Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital
  Location:  Grand Rapids, MI
  Certified Bed Count:  1,135
  
  
• Summa Health
  Location:  Akron, OH
  Certified Bed Count:  1,061
  
  
• UH Cleveland Medical Center
  Location:  Cleveland, OH
  Certified Bed Count:  1,037
  
  
• Corewell Health Beaumont University Hospital
  Location:  Royal Oak, MI
  Certified Bed Count:  1,031
  
  
• Riverside Methodist Hospital
  Location:  Columbus, OH
  Certified Bed Count:  1,000
  
  
• Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
  Location:  Chicago, IL
  Certified Bed Count:  997
  
  
• DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital
  Location:  Detroit, MI
  Certified Bed Count:  991

Supplemental resource:  Top Ranked Teaching Hospitals in the Great Lakes Region