RN to Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM): Pay and Requirements
The median certified nurse midwife earns $134,040 a year against $97,550 for the median registered nurse — $36,490 more, or 37% (BLS, May 2025).
What the Step Pays
Federal wage survey data — employer-reported, not job-board estimates. 7,920 certified nurse midwives are employed nationwide.
| National, May 2025 | Registered Nurse | Nurse Practitioner | Certified Nurse Midwife |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $97,550 | $132,300 | $134,040 |
| Median hourly | $46.90 | $63.61 | $64.44 |
| 10th percentile | $68,940 | $101,340 | $93,620 |
| 90th percentile | $137,470 | $174,420 | $188,320 |
| Employed nationwide | 3,379,720 | 323,040 | 7,920 |
What It Takes
- You need an RN license before you can start advanced-practice education.
- A master’s degree is the most common entry-level education for advanced-practice nurses, midwives included.
- After the degree you must pass a national certification exam and hold a state APRN license.
Summarized from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (linked under Sources). Schools and state boards set their own admission and licensing rules — confirm with the program and the board before you commit.
Sources
- National wages for nursing assistants, LPNs, RNs, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetistsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · Data: May 2025 · Checked
- How to become a nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, or nurse practitionerU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook · Checked
Frequently Asked Questions
How much more does a certified nurse midwife make than an RN?
$36,490 a year at the national median: $134,040 versus $97,550, per the BLS May 2025 wage survey.
What do you need for this step?
You need an RN license before you can start advanced-practice education. A master’s degree is the most common entry-level education for advanced-practice nurses, midwives included. After the degree you must pass a national certification exam and hold a state APRN license. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Keep going
- GuideThe Nurse Salary Ladder: What CNA, LPN, RN, NP, and CRNA Actually Earn (2026)One profession, a 5x pay spread. Every rung of the nursing career ladder — median pay, education path, and time investment — from real BLS data, in one interactive climb from CNA to CRNA.
- Degree pathwayRN to CRNANurse anesthesia is the highest-paid rung on the nursing ladder. What it pays against RN and NP wages, how few jobs there are, and what you need before you can apply.
- Degree pathwayRN to nurse practitionerWhat nurse practitioners earn compared with RNs — nationally and in every state — and what the step requires.
- CollectionNurse practitioner salary by stateWhat nurse practitioners earn in every state, and how far that is above RN pay.
- GuideThe Highest-Paying Nursing Jobs, Ranked by Real Federal Data (2026)CRNA, nurse midwife, NP, RN — ranked by actual BLS medians, with the top-paying states for each license and the honest truth about "ICU nurse salary" lists (BLS doesn't track bedside specialties; differentials do the work).
- FinderNurse Salary Ladder: CNA to CRNACompare national median pay, pay range, headcount, and the typical education path for six nursing roles, from CNA to CRNA, using federal BLS data.