Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of nurse practitioner salary by state for the United States:
-
California has the highest nurse practitioner salary of $120,826
-
Alabama has the lowest nurse practitioner salary of $75,187
-
The national average salary for nurse practitioners is $100,033
-
The national hourly pay for nurse practitioners is $48.09
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
In today’s job market, salary remains a top priority for many professionals, including nurse practitioners. Knowing how much you can expect to earn in your area is crucial for career planning.
While specific salaries may vary based on your location and experience, the data provides a reliable overview of average salaries for nurse practitioners across the United States, segmented by seniority level. Understanding these averages gives you a clearer picture of what to expect in your salary negotiations.
Currently, California leads the nation in nurse practitioner salaries.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for nurse practitioner salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Nurse Practitioners By State
| Rank | State | Average Nurse Practitioner Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $120,826 | $73,000 | $198,000 |
| 2 | Alaska | $119,141 | $71,000 | $199,000 |
| 3 | Oregon | $107,660 | $62,000 | $186,000 |
| 4 | Washington | $106,739 | $60,000 | $187,000 |
| 5 | Montana | $103,339 | $57,000 | $184,000 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $103,030 | $83,000 | $127,000 |
| 7 | Nevada | $102,570 | $60,000 | $175,000 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $101,812 | $56,000 | $184,000 |
| 9 | Arizona | $101,460 | $59,000 | $172,000 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $101,207 | $58,000 | $175,000 |
| 11 | New York | $100,129 | $55,000 | $182,000 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $99,472 | $53,000 | $183,000 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $99,064 | $54,000 | $181,000 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $97,198 | $53,000 | $177,000 |
| 15 | Delaware | $95,880 | $52,000 | $175,000 |
| 16 | Texas | $94,901 | $54,000 | $165,000 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $94,313 | $50,000 | $175,000 |
| 18 | Maryland | $92,873 | $50,000 | $170,000 |
| 19 | Colorado | $92,454 | $51,000 | $166,000 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $92,167 | $48,000 | $173,000 |
| 21 | Michigan | $90,522 | $48,000 | $167,000 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $90,101 | $48,000 | $166,000 |
| 23 | Illinois | $89,654 | $48,000 | $165,000 |
| 24 | Maine | $88,700 | $46,000 | $169,000 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $88,578 | $48,000 | $160,000 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $88,216 | $48,000 | $161,000 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $87,690 | $48,000 | $158,000 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $87,621 | $47,000 | $163,000 |
| 29 | Utah | $86,941 | $48,000 | $156,000 |
| 30 | Indiana | $86,553 | $46,000 | $160,000 |
| 31 | Idaho | $85,886 | $47,000 | $156,000 |
| 32 | Virginia | $85,525 | $46,000 | $158,000 |
| 33 | Ohio | $83,761 | $44,000 | $156,000 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $83,648 | $45,000 | $155,000 |
| 35 | Vermont | $83,230 | $43,000 | $160,000 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $82,672 | $44,000 | $154,000 |
| 37 | Florida | $82,589 | $46,000 | $147,000 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $82,465 | $45,000 | $147,000 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $81,663 | $44,000 | $150,000 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $81,649 | $43,000 | $152,000 |
| 41 | Georgia | $81,363 | $44,000 | $149,000 |
| 42 | Iowa | $80,767 | $43,000 | $150,000 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $80,408 | $43,000 | $148,000 |
| 44 | Missouri | $79,694 | $42,000 | $147,000 |
| 45 | Kansas | $79,650 | $43,000 | $147,000 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $77,909 | $41,000 | $145,000 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $77,320 | $41,000 | $144,000 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $75,759 | $40,000 | $141,000 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $75,375 | $40,000 | $141,000 |
| 50 | Alabama | $75,187 | $40,000 | $138,000 |
Methodology: Nurse Practitioner Salary By State
To better understand nurse practitioner pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across various sources, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. This data is supplemented with actual salaries from job postings. The data science team then calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for nurse practitioners by state.
We ranked every state based on the average annual salary data for nurse practitioners derived from these estimates, with the highest salary state ranking at the top.
Nurse Practitioner Salary By State FAQs
-
What is the highest-paid state for nurse practitioners?
The highest-paid state for nurse practitioners is California with an average salary of $120,826 per year.
-
What city pays nurse practitioners the most?
Richmond, CA pays nurse practitioners the most with an average salary of $127,474 per year.
-
What is the worst state for nurse practitioners?
The worst state for nurse practitioners is Alabama with an average salary of $75,187 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
