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RN to Nurse Practitioner: The Pay Step, State by State

The median nurse practitioner earns $132,300 a year against $97,550 for the median registered nurse — $34,750 more, or 36% (BLS, May 2025).

What the Step Pays

Federal wage survey data — employer-reported, not job-board estimates. 323,040 nurse practitioners are employed nationwide.

National, May 2025Registered NurseNurse Practitioner
Median pay$97,550$132,300
Median hourly$46.90$63.61
10th percentile$68,940$101,340
90th percentile$137,470$174,420
Employed nationwide3,379,720323,040

See every rung, CNA to CRNA →

Where the NP Step Pays Most

NP median pay minus RN median pay, same state, same survey. The step is worth $52,810 a year in New Jersey and -$750 in Hawaii.

StateRN medianNP medianDifference
New Jersey$106,500$159,310+$52,810
Montana$85,280$137,210+$51,930
Iowa$78,630$130,160+$51,530
South Dakota$78,060$128,840+$50,780
Oklahoma$82,920$133,390+$50,470
North Dakota$80,730$130,070+$49,340
Wyoming$83,760$132,200+$48,440
Missouri$81,780$129,930+$48,150
Mississippi$77,090$124,730+$47,640
Nebraska$84,730$132,130+$47,400
Kansas$79,320$126,650+$47,330
West Virginia$80,130$127,320+$47,190
Arkansas$78,940$125,660+$46,720
Utah$84,600$130,920+$46,320
Alaska$109,480$155,170+$45,690
Louisiana$80,230$125,600+$45,370
Indiana$83,500$128,830+$45,330
Florida$84,190$129,510+$45,320
North Carolina$84,350$128,990+$44,640
New York$109,440$153,510+$44,070
Maine$86,990$130,260+$43,270
New Mexico$94,340$137,520+$43,180
Ohio$82,510$124,870+$42,360
Kentucky$81,040$122,870+$41,830
South Carolina$82,360$123,290+$40,930
Idaho$92,460$132,540+$40,080
Massachusetts$104,550$142,440+$37,890
New Hampshire$99,700$137,550+$37,850
Vermont$97,460$134,740+$37,280
Michigan$94,300$131,450+$37,150
Nevada$103,670$140,670+$37,000
Wisconsin$95,530$131,980+$36,450
Tennessee$81,500$117,590+$36,090
Georgia$93,550$129,430+$35,880
Connecticut$102,740$138,470+$35,730
Texas$95,970$131,670+$35,700
Rhode Island$100,640$135,970+$35,330
Arizona$99,500$134,420+$34,920
Illinois$95,990$130,680+$34,690
Virginia$93,600$127,810+$34,210
Pennsylvania$96,430$130,140+$33,710
Washington, D.C.$102,540$135,880+$33,340
Colorado$100,260$132,930+$32,670
Washington$124,200$156,100+$31,900
Minnesota$101,510$133,260+$31,750
Delaware$99,520$131,040+$31,520
Maryland$99,790$131,110+$31,320
Alabama$77,080$105,750+$28,670
California$140,270$168,520+$28,250
Oregon$129,010$155,680+$26,670
Hawaii$136,320$135,570−$750

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; some nurses choose a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or a Ph.D. instead.
  • 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

How we source and review

Frequently Asked Questions

How much more does a nurse practitioner make than an RN?

$34,750 a year at the national median: $132,300 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; some nurses choose a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or a Ph.D. instead. 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.

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