SOC 29-1161.00Bright outlook

    Nurse Midwives

    Diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team.

    Median pay
    $134,040
    Growth
    +11.5%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    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
    $93,620
    Median
    $134,040
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $188,320
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    7,920 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Nurse midwives manage the birthing process and provide gynecological care for women. This career offers a median annual pay of $134,040, with employment opportunities projected to grow much faster than average.

    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 midwives do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team. May provide well-woman gynecological care. Must have specialized, graduate nursing education.

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

    What the work is like

    Nurse midwives diagnose and coordinate all aspects of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. They work either independently or alongside a healthcare team, and they frequently provide routine well-woman gynecological care. On a daily basis, these professionals focus on assisting and caring for others, gathering clinical information, and monitoring medical processes. They must make critical decisions, solve complex problems, and maintain detailed documentation of patient care.

    This role requires strong skills in active listening, critical thinking, and social perceptiveness to understand and address patient needs. Because they work closely with families during major life events, nurse midwives rely on knowledge of medicine, psychology, biology, and therapy. Their strongest interest area is social, meaning they thrive on helping and communicating with people. Success in this field requires specific work styles, including empathy, attention to detail, dependability, and high stress tolerance. They must remain cautious and cooperative while maintaining self-control in fast-paced medical environments.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, individuals typically need a master's degree. Because this occupation requires extensive preparation, most professionals in the field hold a graduate degree, such as a master's degree or a doctorate. Students preparing for this career path generally major in registered nursing, nursing administration, or nursing research and clinical nursing.

    In addition to completing graduate nursing education, some states list a license for this work. Professionals can also pursue industry certifications to validate their expertise. Available certifications include the Certified Midwife credential from the American Midwifery Certification Board, the Certified Professional Midwife credential from the North American Registry of Midwives, the Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator credential from Lamaze International, and the Midwife Sonography Exam from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for nurse midwives is $134,040. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $93,620 and the highest 10% earning more than $188,320. There are currently 7,920 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 11.5%, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in approximately 400 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    37 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    54 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    16 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    83 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    33 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    40 / 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 SIC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    99
    Documenting/Recording Information
    96
    Getting Information
    95
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    92
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    90
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    90
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    90
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    88
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    83
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    80
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination
    • Service Orientation

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Psychology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Biology
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Education and Training
    • Mathematics
    • Law and Government

    Abilities

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

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Empathy
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness
    • Cooperation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Sincerity
    • Social Orientation

    Also called

    Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) · Direct-Entry Midwife · Nurse Midwife · Postpartum Nurse · Postpartum RN (Postpartum Registered Nurse) · Registered Nurse Midwife · Staff Certified Nurse Midwife · Staff Nurse Midwife

    Career pathway

    From your interests to nurse midwives

    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 Midwives$134,040 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 midwives 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 Midwife/Nursing Midwifery

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    53 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 9, 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 midwives

    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 are some alternative job titles for nurse midwives?

    People in this profession are also called Certified Nurse-Midwives, Direct-Entry Midwives, Postpartum Nurses, Postpartum Registered Nurses, and Registered Nurse Midwives.

    What are the main educational requirements for this career?

    Most nurse midwives need a graduate degree, with a master's degree being the typical level of education required to enter the field. Common college majors include registered nursing and clinical nursing.

    How fast is this occupation growing?

    Employment for nurse midwives is projected to grow by 11.5% from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than the average growth rate. This expansion is projected to create 400 openings each year.

    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 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.