SOC 29-1151.00Bright outlook

    Nurse Anesthetists

    Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia.

    Median pay
    $236,590
    Growth
    +9.7%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    2,400
    Typical education
    Master's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $155,250
    Median
    $236,590
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $339,500
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    51,840 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Nurse anesthetists are specialized healthcare professionals who administer anesthesia and monitor patient recovery, earning a median annual pay of $236,590. This career offers rapid job growth and requires advanced graduate-level nursing education.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What nurse anesthetists do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    Nurse anesthetists play a critical role in medical procedures by administering anesthesia and keeping a close watch on patient vital signs. They support surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, and other physicians during operations, and they oversee patients as they recover from anesthesia. On a daily basis, these professionals gather patient information, analyze data, and make crucial decisions regarding patient care. They must inspect medical equipment, document patient records, and communicate clearly with the surgical team.

    This profession requires strong skills in critical thinking, active listening, reading comprehension, and complex problem solving. Because they work in high-pressure medical environments, nurse anesthetists must possess high stress tolerance, self-control, and extreme attention to detail. They rely on a deep knowledge of medicine, biology, chemistry, and customer service. This career strongly appeals to individuals with social interests who enjoy assisting and caring for others.

    How to get there

    To enter this profession, individuals must first become registered nurses and then complete specialized graduate-level education. The typical entry-level requirement is a master's degree, though many in this field hold other advanced degrees such as a PhD. Students preparing for this career typically major in registered nursing, nursing administration, or nursing research and clinical nursing.

    Because this occupation requires extensive preparation, candidates must gain deep clinical knowledge and training. Some states list specific licensing requirements for nurse anesthetists. Additionally, professionals in this field may pursue relevant certifications, such as the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Adult-Gerontology) credential from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, or the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality credential from the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for nurse anesthetists was $236,590. Earnings in this field vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $155,250 and the highest 10% earning more than $339,500. There were 51,840 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 9.7%, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in approximately 2,400 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    63 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    68 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    73 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    16 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    53 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    96
    Getting Information
    94
    Documenting/Recording Information
    92
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    91
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    91
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    91
    Analyzing Data or Information
    89
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    88
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    88
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    87
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Learning
    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Speaking
    • Science
    • Service Orientation

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Biology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Chemistry
    • Education and Training
    • Mathematics
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Physics
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Written Comprehension
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Near Vision
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Written Expression

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Self-Control
    • Integrity
    • Cooperation
    • Adaptability
    • Perseverance
    • Achievement Orientation

    Also called

    Anesthesia Physician · Anesthesia Specialist · Certified Nurse Anesthetist · Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) · Nurse Anesthetist · Staff Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Staff CRNA) · Staff Nurse Anesthetist

    Career pathway

    From your interests to nurse anesthetists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Nurse Anesthetists$236,590 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      California State University-East Bay

      Hayward, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $139,123
      4 yrs after
      $150,921
      Median debt
      $18,751
    2. 2
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $145,008
      4 yrs after
      $150,102
      Median debt
      $13,331
    3. 3Dominican University of California logo
      Dominican University of California

      San Rafael, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $128,516
      4 yrs after
      $149,622
      Median debt
      $26,243
    4. 4Sonoma State University logo
      Sonoma State University

      Rohnert Park, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $134,423
      4 yrs after
      $143,886
      Median debt
      $12,500
    5. 5University of San Francisco USF logo
      University of San Francisco USF

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $120,438
      4 yrs after
      $143,356
      Median debt
      $25,000
    6. 6Pacific Union College logo
      Pacific Union College

      Angwin, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $126,952
      4 yrs after
      $140,542
      Median debt
      $29,584
    7. 7California State University-Monterey Bay logo
      California State University-Monterey Bay

      Seaside, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $127,203
      4 yrs after
      $134,489
      Median debt
      $6,375
    8. 8Pacific College-California logo
      Pacific College-California

      Costa Mesa, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $132,148
      Median debt
      $32,611

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What nurse anesthetists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Nurse Anesthetist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    49 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about nurse anesthetists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What is the typical education needed to become a nurse anesthetist?

    Most people entering this field need a master's degree. They must be registered nurses who have completed specialized graduate education in nursing.

    How fast is employment in this field expected to grow?

    Employment for nurse anesthetists is projected to grow by 9.7% from 2025 to 2035. This rate of growth is considered much faster than the average for all occupations.

    What are the lowest and highest earnings for this career?

    The lowest 10% of earners in this field make less than $155,250 annually. Meanwhile, the highest 10% of earners make more than $339,500.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.