Nurse Practitioners play a critical role in healthcare, delivering patient care across various clinical settings. Nurse Practitioner salaries can vary significantly; but the factors that actually drive the variance are not always well understood. We analyzed thousands of NP salaries on Marit to find out how exactly what drives high compensation, so you can make more informed, thoughtful career decisions.
While the median annual total compensation for Nurse Practitioners is $136,000, 1 in 12 Nurse Practitioners earn over $200K!
NP Salary Landscape
The typical Nurse Practitioner salary ranges between $120K at the 25th percentile and $157K at the 75th percentile. However, 8.3% of Nurse Practitioner salaries (approximately 1 in 12) exceed the $200K threshold, which we'll call the $200K NP Club. These are some of the highest paid nurse practitioners. What makes these NP roles unique? How do they vary by specialty, compensation structure, employer type, schedules, and geography? Let’s dive in -
Key Takeaways
- About 8.3% of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) earn over $200k annually.
- Specialty selection significantly impacts earnings - with Dermatology & Aesthetics, Surgery, Psychiatry, and Emergency Medicine among the most represented in the $200K Club
- Self-employed NPs have notably higher average salaries than their hospital employed counterparts.
- NPs on a Collections based compensation model are much more likely to be earning more than $200k
- Working night shifts, weekends, or variable-length shifts can substantially increase earnings - although these schedules may require significant personal trade-offs
- Location strongly influences salary potential, with western states and larger metros typically offering higher compensation
Specialty: The Primary Driver of High Earnings
Of all the specialties - Dermatology & Aesthetics stands out, with 35.5% of dermatology NPs earning above $200K annually. This higher earning potential primarily stems from specialized procedures and treatments that command substantial reimbursement rates. Surgery (17.2%), Psychiatry (15.6%) and Emergency Medicine (11.8%) also provide significantly higher than average compensation, driven by procedural reimbursements in Surgery or increasing demand for specialized psychiatric care. Conversely, primary care specialties like Pediatrics and Family Nurse Practitioners typically yield lower compensation due to limited ability to bill high-revenue procedures. Click here to see how much Nurse Practitioners make for each specialty.
Compensation Models: Aligning Revenue with Reward
NPs compensated based on collections, i.e., directly tied to generated revenue from their visits, average $217K annually, with over half (53.3%) earning above the $200K threshold. Net income-based compensation models, which are commonly found in smaller private practices are a close second - with approximately 44% in the $200K Club. By contrast, traditionally salaried NPs at larger institutions average around $141K - with only 5.7% exceeding $200K. See here for detailed breakdown of how much Nurse Practitioners make
Employer Type: Self-Employment Leads, with Government Roles Surprisingly Competitive
Self-employed NPs rank among the highest earners, averaging approximately $187,K annually, with about a third exceeding the $200K benchmark. Interestingly, government and military roles also present robust earning opportunities, averaging $179K annually, with nearly 25% in the $200K Club. Higher salaries in public-sector roles often result from specialized positions, targeted incentives, and geographic salary adjustments aimed at recruiting highly skilled practitioners to underserved regions (see detailed OPM guidelines). Additionally, corporate and consulting roles average around $158K annually - these roles are fewer in number and more specialized, and often time offer earning potential outside traditional clinical practice settings.
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Schedules and Shifts: Higher Earnings with Tougher Shifts
Harder shifts should pay more, but by how much? In our analysis - we found that NPs working night shifts are nearly twice as likely (15.2% vs. 8.3%) to earn over $200k. Similarly, NPs working longer or variable length shifts typically earn ~10% more on an average than those with standard 8-hour shifts. Additionally, weekend shifts often command higher pay compared to weekday-only roles. Thoughtful consideration of shifts that align with personal priorities can strategically balance professional and financial goals.
Location Insights - Go West or Go to Larger Cities
Western states consistently offer higher average salaries, with NPs nearly three times more likely to exceed $200K compared to the national average, though this often comes with higher living costs. Conversely, Southern and Midwestern states have roughly half the likelihood of NPs surpassing $200K relative to national averages. See how much Nurse Practitioners make in each state
While large metros do not have the highest average pay, they have the highest proportion of NPs in the $200K Club, suggesting there is higher variance in earning potential in these cities due to the variety of opportunities.
Know what's possible and chart your path
Earning a salary above $200K is clearly achievable - if that is one of your goals. It just requires understanding the most common pathways. It may not always be easy - since it comes with trade-offs - such as irregular schedules, longer working hours, or increased operational responsibilities associated with self-employment or collections revenue-based compensation models. But if you know what's possible, you can plan your career thoughtfully and accordingly.
Many others have done it, and you can too. You can browse through the thousands of detailed, anonymized and verified NP salary contributions of your peers to help you help choose the right path.
About the Data & Methodology
Marit's Data is different. It is -
Unique - since it captures the compensation data along with all the details that matter - bonuses, shifts, scheduls, benefits, and more
Comprehensive - Across all specialties and Professions (Physicians & APPs), Employer Types (large and small, including Self-employed, Academic & Non Academic), Job Types (Full Time, Part Time, PRNs and Locums) and Employment Types (W-2, 1099, K-1)
Current - Unlike other benchmarks that only update their data once a year, all salaries reflect the clinician’s current compensation, and all averages are updated in real-time as new salaries are added
All data in this report comes from anonymized salary contributions on Marit, as of Jun 6, 2025. Only verified salary reports approved by our moderation team are included
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