Healthcare · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Nurse Practitioner (2024)

The median Nurse Practitioner salary is $225,730 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Houston, TX offers the best purchasing power at $137,969 adjusted.

$142,700

National Median

$225,730

Highest City

$116,160

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$225,730	$159,020 – $215,610	195.8	$115,286	1,280
2	San Francisco, CA	$220,330	$140,910 – $252,047	179.6	$122,678	2,960
3	Los Angeles, CA	$164,510	$126,710 – $212,380	166	$99,102	6,400
4	San Diego, CA	$162,030	$104,150 – $229,850	160.2	$101,142	2,790
5	New York, NY	$152,790	$107,230 – $194,740	187.2	$81,619	19,850
6	Portland, OR	$151,890	$105,470 – $199,760	130.1	$116,749	1,310
7	Seattle, WA	$142,940	$109,990 – $177,810	149.4	$95,676	2,850
8	Boston, MA	$138,890	$102,810 – $206,330	152.1	$91,315	6,660
9	Miami, FL	$135,450	$106,080 – $156,610	123.1	$110,032	9,200
10	Phoenix, AZ	$134,630	$69,280 – $172,590	100.7	$133,694	5,970
11	Houston, TX	$133,140	$93,750 – $165,260	96.5	$137,969	4,680
12	Austin, TX	$132,530	$108,790 – $165,730	103	$128,670	2,570
13	Dallas, TX	$131,910	$76,820 – $166,400	104.1	$126,715	5,300
14	Chicago, IL	$131,690	$103,420 – $165,890	107.3	$122,731	6,930
15	Philadelphia, PA	$131,590	$101,850 – $163,470	118.4	$111,140	5,780
16	Raleigh, NC	$131,320	$100,010 – $166,600	99.8	$131,583	1,040
17	Charlotte, NC	$130,650	$82,520 – $163,160	96.7	$135,109	1,530
18	Denver, CO	$130,630	$90,300 – $167,250	112.8	$115,807	2,190
19	Washington, DC	$129,920	$82,030 – $168,740	152.8	$85,026	4,430
20	Atlanta, GA	$128,640	$102,800 – $168,430	99.2	$129,677	6,280
21	Minneapolis, MN	$128,570	$98,440 – $163,660	106.2	$121,064	5,680
22	Tampa, FL	$128,430	$98,310 – $154,910	99.6	$128,946	3,810
23	Salt Lake City, UT	$127,030	$98,490 – $172,850	101.4	$125,276	1,560
24	Detroit, MI	$126,110	$103,690 – $145,600	95.1	$132,608	3,850
25	Nashville, TN	$116,160	$67,140 – $137,270	100.3	$115,813	5,380

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Nurse Practitioner paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Houston, TX	$137,969	$133,140	96.5
2	Charlotte, NC	$135,109	$130,650	96.7
3	Phoenix, AZ	$133,694	$134,630	100.7
4	Detroit, MI	$132,608	$126,110	95.1
5	Raleigh, NC	$131,583	$131,320	99.8
6	Atlanta, GA	$129,677	$128,640	99.2
7	Tampa, FL	$128,946	$128,430	99.6
8	Austin, TX	$128,670	$132,530	103
9	Dallas, TX	$126,715	$131,910	104.1
10	Salt Lake City, UT	$125,276	$127,030	101.4
11	Chicago, IL	$122,731	$131,690	107.3
12	San Francisco, CA	$122,678	$220,330	179.6
13	Minneapolis, MN	$121,064	$128,570	106.2
14	Portland, OR	$116,749	$151,890	130.1
15	Nashville, TN	$115,813	$116,160	100.3
16	Denver, CO	$115,807	$130,630	112.8
17	San Jose, CA	$115,286	$225,730	195.8
18	Philadelphia, PA	$111,140	$131,590	118.4
19	Miami, FL	$110,032	$135,450	123.1
20	San Diego, CA	$101,142	$162,030	160.2
21	Los Angeles, CA	$99,102	$164,510	166
22	Seattle, WA	$95,676	$142,940	149.4
23	Boston, MA	$91,315	$138,890	152.1
24	Washington, DC	$85,026	$129,920	152.8
25	New York, NY	$81,619	$152,790	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Nurse Practitioner salary at $225,730. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Houston, TX offers the most purchasing power at $137,969 adjusted.

The national median Nurse Practitioner salary is $142,700 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $116,160 to $225,730 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.