Registered Nurse vs Nurse Practitioner Salary (2025)
Nurse Practitioner earns $37,340 more than Registered Nurse nationally. The median Nurse Practitioner salary is $138,137 compared to $100,797 for Registered Nurse, based on BLS data across 70 metro areas.
Comparing Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner: side-by-side wage and employment data across the same metropolitan areas, from BLS OEWS. The comparison view normalizes percentile distributions so the wage differences are apples-to-apples within each metro. Role comparisons are most useful when the worker has flexibility between the occupations — usually adjacent specialties within the same field (e.g., software-engineering versus data-engineering) or related disciplines with overlapping skill sets.
Median wage differences across roles understate the spread for senior workers and overstate it for entry-level. The per-percentile comparison gives a fuller picture — particularly the p75 and p90 columns, which capture experienced-worker pay.
Registered Nurse
Nurse Practitioner
Salary Comparison by City
| City | Registered Nurse | Nurse Practitioner | Difference | Higher Earner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $171,460 | $172,010 | -$550 | Nurse Practitioner |
| San Jose, CA | $216,740 | $231,560 | -$14,820 | Nurse Practitioner |
| San Diego, CA | $139,520 | $163,860 | -$24,340 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Los Angeles, CA | $135,560 | $161,470 | -$25,910 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Portland, OR | $130,310 | $158,890 | -$28,580 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Birmingham, AL | $78,680 | $107,700 | -$29,020 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Dallas, TX | $101,420 | $130,980 | -$29,560 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Reno, NV | $107,520 | $137,360 | -$29,840 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Austin, TX | $97,890 | $128,050 | -$30,160 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Spokane, WA | $111,750 | $141,990 | -$30,240 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Minneapolis, MN | $103,040 | $133,370 | -$30,330 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Chicago, IL | $100,490 | $131,740 | -$31,250 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Seattle, WA | $128,260 | $160,090 | -$31,830 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Madison, WI | $101,190 | $133,080 | -$31,890 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Atlanta, GA | $100,490 | $132,500 | -$32,010 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Washington, DC | $102,710 | $134,840 | -$32,130 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Baltimore, MD | $99,550 | $131,990 | -$32,440 | Nurse Practitioner |
| San Francisco, CA | $186,610 | $219,080 | -$32,470 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Knoxville, TN | $77,240 | $109,740 | -$32,500 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Denver, CO | $101,130 | $134,040 | -$32,910 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Buffalo, NY | $99,060 | $132,220 | -$33,160 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Bridgeport, CT | $105,660 | $139,330 | -$33,670 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Hartford, CT | $101,470 | $135,170 | -$33,700 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $96,140 | $129,950 | -$33,810 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Richmond, VA | $93,580 | $127,820 | -$34,240 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Philadelphia, PA | $101,180 | $135,700 | -$34,520 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Albany, NY | $99,970 | $134,590 | -$34,620 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Houston, TX | $99,830 | $134,560 | -$34,730 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Boise, ID | $97,880 | $132,610 | -$34,730 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Tucson, AZ | $94,110 | $129,340 | -$35,230 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Phoenix, AZ | $100,830 | $136,270 | -$35,440 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Providence, RI | $99,880 | $135,520 | -$35,640 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | $133,940 | $169,920 | -$35,980 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Bakersfield, CA | $128,810 | $165,580 | -$36,770 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Milwaukee, WI | $97,360 | $134,350 | -$36,990 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Detroit, MI | $97,280 | $134,390 | -$37,110 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $82,370 | $119,630 | -$37,260 | Nurse Practitioner |
| San Antonio, TX | $94,370 | $131,770 | -$37,400 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Greenville, SC | $81,400 | $119,280 | -$37,880 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Louisville, KY | $84,850 | $122,900 | -$38,050 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Nashville, TN | $84,040 | $122,320 | -$38,280 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Wichita, KS | $76,540 | $116,100 | -$39,560 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Charlotte, NC | $90,620 | $130,310 | -$39,690 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Miami, FL | $91,380 | $131,340 | -$39,960 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Las Vegas, NV | $103,940 | $144,060 | -$40,120 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Columbus, OH | $83,900 | $124,580 | -$40,680 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Fresno, CA | $125,420 | $166,570 | -$41,150 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Boston, MA | $106,180 | $147,480 | -$41,300 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Rochester, NY | $86,570 | $128,110 | -$41,540 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Anchorage, AK | $115,290 | $157,430 | -$42,140 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Tampa, FL | $85,470 | $128,120 | -$42,650 | Nurse Practitioner |
| New Orleans, LA | $81,850 | $124,800 | -$42,950 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Memphis, TN | $81,500 | $124,600 | -$43,100 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Raleigh, NC | $84,830 | $128,150 | -$43,320 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $85,890 | $129,350 | -$43,460 | Nurse Practitioner |
| New York, NY | $119,720 | $163,340 | -$43,620 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Lexington, KY | $79,040 | $123,070 | -$44,030 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Albuquerque, NM | $96,040 | $140,950 | -$44,910 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Cincinnati, OH | $83,650 | $128,700 | -$45,050 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Little Rock, AR | $81,070 | $126,680 | -$45,610 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Indianapolis, IN | $84,230 | $130,460 | -$46,230 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Orlando, FL | $83,550 | $130,640 | -$47,090 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Kansas City, MO | $83,040 | $130,760 | -$47,720 | Nurse Practitioner |
| St. Louis, MO | $83,180 | $131,580 | -$48,400 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Omaha, NE | $84,600 | $133,760 | -$49,160 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Greensboro, NC | $82,860 | $132,230 | -$49,370 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Jacksonville, FL | $83,520 | $133,810 | -$50,290 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $82,920 | $133,390 | -$50,470 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Des Moines, IA | $78,630 | $132,230 | -$53,600 | Nurse Practitioner |
| Tulsa, OK | $84,790 | $139,460 | -$54,670 | Nurse Practitioner |
Frequently Asked Questions
Nurse Practitioner earns more on average, with a national median of $138,137 compared to $100,797 for Registered Nurse, a difference of $37,340 per year.
The largest salary gap is in Sacramento, CA, where Registered Nurse earns $171,460 vs $172,010 for Nurse Practitioner.
Registered Nurse has approximately 2,035,260 positions tracked, while Nurse Practitioner has 185,150 positions. Registered Nurse has more jobs available nationally.
More Salary Comparisons
Comparison based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.