Uncategorized 2 min read

Career Spotlight: Nurse practitioners outlook, pay and where the jobs are

November 7, 2026 By raj2222

BLS projects about 29,400 openings a year for nurse practitioners from 2025 to 2035, with a median annual wage of $132,300.

The projected annual openings show the flow of opportunities expected over a decade. This measure counts both new positions and roles that must be filled when workers leave. A declining occupation can show large annual openings from replacement alone.

AI-assisted. Every figure and quotation is checked against its cited source.

What the data shows

  1. About 13,800 openings a year come from new jobs, and about 15,600 come from replacing workers who leave.
    What it means: A job seeker can see that more than half the annual openings are from replacement, which happens even in a growing field.
  2. The median annual wage for nurse practitioners was $132,300 in May 2025, with the top tenth earning more than $174,420.
    What it means: Pay varies, and a job seeker can weigh the median against the potential for higher earnings.
  3. Texas, California and New York employed the most nurse practitioners in May 2025.
    What it means: A job seeker can see where the largest numbers of these roles are concentrated.
  4. California, New Jersey and Washington paid the highest median wages for nurse practitioners in May 2025.
    What it means: A job seeker can compare the states with the highest pay against those with the most jobs.

💡 Key takeaway

The ten-year outlook points to steady demand. Pay varies by state and experience. The day-to-day work centers on patient care and record-keeping.

Projected openings count both new jobs and the replacement of workers who leave the occupation, so even a shrinking occupation can show many openings from replacement alone.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL/ETA), Employment Projections, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (national and state), and O*NET, Projections 2025 to 2035; wages May 2025

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL/ETA)
Series: Employment Projections, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (national and state), and O*NET
Reference period: Projections 2025 to 2035; wages May 2025
Retrieved: 2026-11-02
Basis: OEWS wages cover wage and salary workers; O*NET 31.0 Database, used under the CC BY 4.0 license
Score provenance: not applicable to this asset
Calculation and presentation by JHBuddy Research.