Nurse practitioners work with patients as primary and specialty health care professionals, providing a unique blend of nursing and primary care services.
Nurse practitioners are typically professionally trained for diagnosing patients’ medical conditions, as well as treating chronic illnesses, injuries, and infections. Nurse practitioners may also be involved in performing wellness physical checkups, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, and prescribing medications for treatment.
Salary
How much do nurse practitioners make? According to the May 2012 records from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual nurse practitioner salary in the United States is $91,450, which translates to a mean hourly wage of $43.97. The bottom ten percent in the profession earns $64,100, while the top ten percent make a sizeable six-figure salary of $120,500 every year.
Nurse practitioners that are employed within physician offices earn the average of $91,020, while those employed in home health care services make significantly less than the mean salary at $82,300. The top-paying industry for this occupation is in specialty hospitals, excluding psychiatric and substance abuse, at an annual average salary of $104,550. Nurse practitioners in Alaska earn the most out of any state, with an average salary of $112,090.
| State | Hourly Wage | Average Salary | Number of Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $42.03 | $87,430 | 1,650 |
| Alaska | $53.89 | $112,090 | 280 |
| Arizona | $46.65 | $97,030 | 1,900 |
| Arkansas | $41.30 | $85,890 | 780 |
| California | $47.58 | $98,970 | 9,720 |
| Colorado | $43.36 | $90,190 | 1,840 |
| Connecticut | $45.53 | $94,700 | 2,090 |
| Delaware | $44.07 | $91,670 | 470 |
| Florida | $41.75 | $86,840 | 5,930 |
| Georgia | $40.83 | $84,930 | 3,130 |
| Hawaii | $50.33 | $104,690 | 240 |
| Idaho | $47.18 | $98,140 | 510 |
| Illinois | $38.73 | $80,550 | 2,610 |
| Indiana | $41.15 | $85,590 | 2,650 |
| Iowa | $41.11 | $85,500 | 1,320 |
| Kansas | $38.81 | $80,720 | 1,040 |
| Kentucky | $40.82 | $84,910 | 1,820 |
| Louisiana | $45.02 | $93,640 | 970 |
| Maine | $41.85 | $87,060 | 870 |
| Maryland | $43.83 | $91,160 | 1,860 |
| Massachusetts | $49.20 | $102,340 | 4,370 |
| Michigan | $41.78 | $86,910 | 2,260 |
| Minnesota | $45.35 | $94,330 | 2,710 |
| Mississippi | $44.20 | $91,940 | 1,680 |
| Missouri | $41.67 | $86,680 | 2,970 |
| Montana | $42.25 | $87,880 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $39.71 | $82,600 | 770 |
| Nevada | $46.65 | $97,040 | 430 |
| New Hampshire | $45.42 | $94,470 | 790 |
| New Jersey | $48.57 | $101,030 | 2,580 |
| New Mexico | $45.45 | $94,530 | 550 |
| New York | $46.98 | $97,730 | 8,990 |
| North Carolina | $43.15 | $89,760 | 3,290 |
| North Dakota | $41.09 | $85,480 | 500 |
| Ohio | $42.30 | $87,990 | 3,890 |
| Oklahoma | $40.32 | $83,870 | 750 |
| Oregon | $49.66 | $103,280 | 1,190 |
| Pennsylvania | $39.77 | $82,720 | 3,460 |
| Rhode Island | $48.55 | $100,990 | 370 |
| South Carolina | $42.20 | $87,780 | 1,250 |
| South Dakota | $42.49 | $88,380 | 350 |
| Tennessee | $42.65 | $88,720 | 3,940 |
| Texas | $46.97 | $97,710 | 5,720 |
| Utah | $40.33 | $83,880 | 1,670 |
| Vermont | $41.52 | $86,370 | 390 |
| Virginia | $41.78 | $86,900 | 2,610 |
| Washington | $45.80 | $95,260 | 2,530 |
| West Virginia | $37.79 | $78,590 | 760 |
| Wisconsin | $41.46 | $86,240 | 2,050 |
| Wyoming | $41.58 | $86,480 | 180 |
| Data courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | |||
Work Environment
There are 105,780 nurse practitioner positions nationwide in a wide variety of health care settings. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners released data that 39 percent of nurse practitioners are employed in private, state, or local hospitals, while 20 percent work in rural physician offices as primary care providers. They can also find employment within home health care services, nursing homes, residential care facilities, and correctional facilities. Nurse practitioners typically work full-time, while many work more irregular hours on nights, weekends, and holidays to accommodate patients’ schedules or provide round the clock care.
Nurse practitioners continue to be in high demand, especially in underserved populations such as rural or inner-city urban communities. Employment in this profession and other nursing careers is expected to grow faster than average at 22 percent between 2010 and 2020. Since nurse practitioners can provide the majority of the same duties as physicians, the predicted job growth is expected from an aging population, medical advancements, and need to provide more cost-effective care.
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