Data study · Nurse Practitioners · 2025 Edition

Highest-Paying States for Nurse Practitioners

California pays nurse practitioners the most — a median of $168,520 per year. We ranked all 51 states by average NP salary from BLS OEWS data (2025). Below: the top- and bottom-paying states, the national benchmark, and — because a big paycheck in a high-cost state can buy less — the highest-paying states after adjusting for cost of living. Updated annually.

National median
$132,300
BLS OEWS 2025
Highest-paying state
CA
$168,520 median
Best after cost of living
CA
$152,204 real
NP jobs nationally
323,040
Total employment
▸ HIGHEST NP PAY BY STATE

Median nurse practitioner salary — top 12 states

California$168,520New Jersey$159,310Washington$156,100Oregon$155,680Alaska$155,170New York$153,510Massachusetts$142,440Nevada$140,670Connecticut$138,470New Hampshire$137,550New Mexico$137,520Montana$137,210
▸ HIGHEST MEDIAN PAY

The 10 highest-paying states for nurse practitioners

Ranked by median annual NP salary. The "real wage" column divides pay by each state's cost-of-living index (100 = national average) to show buying power.

#StateMedian salaryvs. nationalCost of livingReal wage
1California$168,520+27%111$152,204
2New Jersey$159,310+20%109$146,418
3Washington$156,100+18%107$145,870
4Oregon$155,680+18%103$150,618
5Alaska$155,170+17%102$151,594
6New York$153,510+16%108$142,243
7Massachusetts$142,440+8%106$134,686
8Nevada$140,670+6%100$140,700
9Connecticut$138,470+5%104$133,645
10New Hampshire$137,550+4%104$132,050
▸ ADJUSTED FOR COST OF LIVING

Highest-paying states after cost of living

The same NP salaries, re-ranked by real buying power using BEA Regional Price Parities. High-sticker states often fall once rent and everyday costs are factored in — and lower-cost states climb.

#StateMedian salaryvs. nationalCost of livingReal wage
1California$168,520+27%111$152,204
2Oklahoma$133,390+1%88$151,850
3Alaska$155,170+17%102$151,594
4Oregon$155,680+18%103$150,618
5New Mexico$137,520+4%92$149,135
6Iowa$130,160-2%88$148,310
7Nebraska$132,130-0%90$146,643
8New Jersey$159,310+20%109$146,418
9North Dakota$130,070-2%89$146,213
10Washington$156,100+18%107$145,870
▸ LOWEST MEDIAN PAY

The lowest-paying states for nurse practitioners

Where NP sticker pay is lowest. Note that several of these states also have a low cost of living — the real-wage column tells the fuller story.

#StateMedian salaryvs. nationalCost of livingReal wage
42Alabama$105,750-20%89$119,057
43Tennessee$117,590-11%92$127,996
44Kentucky$122,870-7%90$136,281
45South Carolina$123,290-7%94$131,511
46Mississippi$124,730-6%87$143,445
47Ohio$124,870-6%93$134,596
48Louisiana$125,600-5%88$142,392
49Arkansas$125,660-5%87$144,541
50Kansas$126,650-4%90$140,616
51West Virginia$127,320-4%89$142,262
▸ EVERY STATE, RANKED

NP median salary, all 51 states

1.California$168,5202.New Jersey$159,3103.Washington$156,1004.Oregon$155,6805.Alaska$155,1706.New York$153,5107.Massachusetts$142,4408.Nevada$140,6709.Connecticut$138,47010.New Hampshire$137,55011.New Mexico$137,52012.Montana$137,21013.Rhode Island$135,97014.District of Columbia$135,88015.Hawaii$135,57016.Vermont$134,74017.Arizona$134,42018.Oklahoma$133,39019.Minnesota$133,26020.Colorado$132,93021.Idaho$132,54022.Wyoming$132,20023.Nebraska$132,13024.Wisconsin$131,98025.Texas$131,67026.Michigan$131,45027.Maryland$131,11028.Delaware$131,04029.Utah$130,92030.Illinois$130,68031.Maine$130,26032.Iowa$130,16033.Pennsylvania$130,14034.North Dakota$130,07035.Missouri$129,93036.Florida$129,51037.Georgia$129,43038.North Carolina$128,99039.South Dakota$128,84040.Indiana$128,83041.Virginia$127,81042.West Virginia$127,32043.Kansas$126,65044.Arkansas$125,66045.Louisiana$125,60046.Ohio$124,87047.Mississippi$124,73048.South Carolina$123,29049.Kentucky$122,87050.Tennessee$117,59051.Alabama$105,750

Methodology

Salary figures are the median annual wage for Nurse Practitioners (SOC 29-1171) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, 2025 release. We rank every state for which BLS publishes an NP wage estimate. Median (50th percentile) is used rather than mean because it better reflects the typical nurse practitioner's pay and is less skewed by outliers.

The cost-of-living-adjusted "real wage" divides each state's median by its BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) for all items, where 100 equals the national average. A state with an RPP of 120 is 20% more expensive than average, so a salary there buys less. Real wage = median ÷ (RPP ÷ 100).

Want the full picture for a specific state — take-home after state tax, full practice authority status, metro-level pay, and the composite WageBench Score? See nurse practitioner pay by state and metro or browse healthcare salaries by state.

▸ USE THIS RESEARCH

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This research is free to reference. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite the figures with a link back to WageBench.

CITATION
WageBench. (2025). Highest-Paying States for Nurse Practitioners. Retrieved from https://wagebench.com/highest-paying-states-for-nurse-practitioners
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<a href="https://wagebench.com/highest-paying-states-for-nurse-practitioners" style="display:inline-block;border-left:4px solid #84cc16;padding:10px 14px;font:14px/1.4 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#0f172a;text-decoration:none;background:#f8fafc;border-radius:4px;max-width:520px"><strong>California pays nurse practitioners the most — a median of $168,520 per year</strong><br>Source: WageBench — Highest-Paying States for Nurse Practitioners (2025)</a>
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California pays nurse practitioners the most — a median of $168,520 per year
Source: WageBench — Highest-Paying States for Nurse Practitioners (2025)