Nurse Practitioner Salary

The average Registered Nurse Practitioner Salary is calculated by the US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics from a variety of sources. Nurse Practitioners work in a number of settings including hospitals, clinics and rural settings. The salaries of Nurse Practitioners  varies depending on the location and the setting.  The assumption was made that the Nurse Practitioners reflected here were working an average of 40 hours per week with a total of 2080 hours per year.  the US BLS also blends the nurse practitioner salary information in with the registered nurse salary data.  Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Nurse Practitioner Certified (NPC), or Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) are other titles used to describe this role.

Nurse Practitioner Salary: Median Hourly & Annual Data

Hourly

The Nurse Practitioner median salary is $39.70 per hour.  The lowest 10% earn  $31.27 per hour and those in the upper 10% earn more than $45.00 per hour.

Annually

On an annual basis  the median Nurse Practitioner salary is $82,590.  The lowest 10% earn $65,050 per year while the upper 10% earn more than $95,000 per year.  These salaries are calculated as a mean or average.

Lowest and Highest Nurse Practitioner Salary

The lowest paid Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners earn less than $65,00 annually while the highest paid earn as much as $125,000 per year. 

Top 5 States

The best paying states for an ARNP to earn a salary are California $93,040, Massachusetts $89,390, Hawaii $87,950, Maryland $84,370, New York $83,160.  

 Top 5 Metropolitan Areas

The best city or metropolitan areas to earn an NP salary are San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $105,580, Salinas, CA $101,610, Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division $101,260, San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division $100,180, and Midland, TX $97,260.

Other Industries that Employ Nurse Practitioners

There are a number of employment opportunities for the nurse practitioner.  They primarily work in family or general medicine.  Other employment opportunities exist in universities, private practice, state and federal government as well as the military.

Employment Data

It is estimated that there are over 142,000 Registered Nurse Practitioners in the U.S. The majority of them work in clinics, doctor offices and Urgent care centers.  

Where They Work

There are a number of employment opportunities for the nurse practitioner.  They primarily work in family or general medicine.  There are openings for acute care, critical care, pediatrics, and geriatrics.  Rural hospitals and clinics often offer extra incentives for the NP willing to locate to the rural setting.

Private Practice Vs Employment

There is a growing trend for many healthcare professionals to enter into an employment arrangement with a hospital or other healthcare entity.  The advantages are that there are no office overhead, employees to hire and the hospital provides malpractice insurance.  There still remains a significant benefit to setting up a private practice.  One unique setting with higher than average earnings and benefits for the nurse practitioner is in the military.

Benefits

Fringe benefits will vary depending on business size and other factors. To see what a typical benefits package is worth  A typical employment benefits package is worth over $20,000 per year.