SOC 29-1171.00Bright outlook

    Nurse Practitioners

    Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team.

    Median pay
    $132,300
    Growth
    +41.0%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    29,400
    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
    $101,340
    Median
    $132,300
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $174,420
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    323,040 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Nurse practitioners diagnose and treat illnesses either independently or alongside a healthcare team. This highly skilled medical profession offers a median annual pay of $132,300, with excellent job growth projected over the coming decade.

    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 practitioners do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. 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 practitioners spend their days caring for patients by diagnosing and treating various short-term or chronic health conditions. Their daily tasks involve gathering patient information, performing or ordering diagnostic tests like x-rays and lab work, and interpreting these results. They make critical decisions regarding patient care, which can include prescribing medications and focusing on disease prevention.

    This profession requires strong investigative interests and a deep knowledge of medicine, biology, psychology, and therapy. To succeed, these professionals rely on skills like active listening, critical thinking, and complex problem solving. They must document patient information accurately and communicate findings clearly to patients and their families. Because they work closely with people who may be in distress, nurse practitioners need key work styles such as empathy, dependability, self-control, and high stress tolerance. They must also maintain integrity and pay close attention to detail in every medical decision they make.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, individuals must first be registered nurses who go on to complete specialized graduate education. The typical entry-level requirement is a master's degree, though some professionals in this field hold doctoral degrees. Relevant college majors include registered nursing, nursing administration, and nursing research and clinical nursing.

    Some states list a license for this work, and practitioners often pursue professional certifications to validate their expertise. Examples of these certifications include the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Adult-Gerontology) credential from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, the Associate - Infection Prevention and Control credential, and the Vascular Access-Board Certified credential.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for nurse practitioners is $132,300. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% of earners making less than $101,340, while the highest 10% earn more than $174,420.

    With 323,040 people currently employed in this role, the field is expanding rapidly. Employment is projected to grow by 41% from 2025 to 2035, a rate that is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in 29,400 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    43 / 100
    Investigative (I) · strongest
    76 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    6 / 100
    Social (S)
    75 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    18 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    51 / 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 ISC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Documenting/Recording Information
    94
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    91
    Getting Information
    89
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    88
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    86
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    84
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    82
    Analyzing Data or Information
    82
    Processing Information
    81
    Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
    81
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Learning
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Writing

    Knowledge

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

    Abilities

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

    Work styles

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

    Also called

    ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) · Adult Nurse Practitioner · Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) · Advanced Practice Provider · Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) · ARNP Specialist (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Specialist) · Cardiology Nurse Practitioner · Certified Nurse Practitioner · Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner · CPNP (Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to nurse practitioners

    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 Practitioners$132,300 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 practitioners 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. Showing 12 of 72.

    • Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
    • Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Adult/Gerontology Critical Care Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Cardiology/Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Clinical Informatics Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Clinical Nurse Leader
    • Clinical Nurse Specialist
    • Combined Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Critical Care Nursing
    • Dermatology Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program
    • Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    52 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 practitioners

    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 practitioners?

    They are also known as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), Certified Nurse Practitioners, and Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (ACNP). Other titles include Advanced Practice Providers and Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (CPNP).

    What are the primary college majors for this career?

    Students preparing for this field typically major in Registered Nursing. Other related college programs include Nursing Administration and Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.

    How fast is this occupation growing?

    Employment for this profession is projected to grow by 41% between the years 2025 and 2035. This rate of growth is much faster than the average across all occupations, leading to an estimated 29,400 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.