Becoming a nurse practitioner is an excellent career move these days, with a 35% increase in demand for NPs expected in the next eight years. Becoming a NP also means good pay generally, with the national median pay at an impressive $98,190.
However, one of the greatest parts of becoming an NP is that there are many specialities that you can consider that can lead to highly specialized skills and more pay. Further, some NPs enjoy working with a certain patient population than others, and specializing is a way to do that.
The path to an NP speciality is generally to earn your MSN as a general NP or in a specialty, then obtain your certification that specialty through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
If you want to specialize your NP career and get paid, here are eight of the different NP specialities and their salaries.
#1 Emergency Nurse Practitioner
The highest paying nurse practitioner speciality currently is emergency NP. This speciality is designed for a very experienced NP who is ready to work in a fast paced clinical setting with a great need for excellent acute care response.
This is a great speciality for NPs who have high energy, can multitask and work in a high pressure environment.
This is hard work and the pay reflects it; the average pay according to Indeed.com is $113,000 per year.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $118,000 |
| New York | $114,000 |
| Massachusetts | $113,000 |
| Connecticut | $109,000 |
| Georgia | $108,000 |
| Illinois | $107,000 |
| New Jersey | $102,000 |
| California | $101,000 |
| Mississippi | $99,000 |
| Maryland | $97,000 |
| Washington | $97,000 |
| Alabama | $96,000 |
| Arkansas | $96,000 |
| Michigan | $95,000 |
| Virginia | $95,000 |
| Iowa | $93,000 |
| Missouri | $93,000 |
| New Hampshire | $93,000 |
| South Carolina | $93,000 |
| Oregon | $91,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $91,000 |
| Texas | $91,000 |
| Indiana | $90,000 |
| North Carolina | $90,000 |
| Ohio | $90,000 |
#2 Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Neonatal NPs are highly specialized professionals who provide very specific types of care to very small, premature babies, newborns and sometimes even fetuses. They work solely on newborns who did not make it to full term, so these babies have many health problems that require very specialized care.
Given the specialized nature of this training, neonnatal NPs are highly paid and in great demand. If you get your certification in this field, you can expect to have your choice of positions around the country.
The average salary for neonatal NPs is $105,000, according to Indeed.com.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $98,000 |
| Massachusetts | $94,000 |
| New York | $94,000 |
| Connecticut | $90,000 |
| Georgia | $89,000 |
| Illinois | $88,000 |
| New Jersey | $84,000 |
| California | $83,000 |
| Mississippi | $81,000 |
| Maryland | $80,000 |
| Washington | $80,000 |
| Alabama | $79,000 |
| Arkansas | $79,000 |
| Michigan | $79,000 |
| Virginia | $78,000 |
| New Hampshire | $77,000 |
| South Carolina | $77,000 |
| Iowa | $76,000 |
| Missouri | $76,000 |
| Indiana | $75,000 |
| Oregon | $75,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,000 |
| Texas | $75,000 |
| North Carolina | $74,000 |
| Ohio | $74,000 |
#3 Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner
An orthopedic NP is a very high paid nursing professional who focuses on the treatment of arthritis, joint problems and other conditions that have to do with diseases and problems with joints and bones. One of the important duties of orthopedic NPs is to inform patients about basic car, support systems and to help patients understand how critical it is to do physical therapy and exercises regularly.
As the US population is growing older as a whole and people live longer, more Americans want to live as productive lives as possible. This means that they want their joints and bodies generally to be as pain free as possible. Therefore, this type of NP is in very high demand now and in the future.
The average salary for orthopedic nurse practitioners currently is $104,000, according to Indeed.com.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $128,000 |
| New York | $124,000 |
| Massachusetts | $123,000 |
| Connecticut | $118,000 |
| Georgia | $117,000 |
| Illinois | $116,000 |
| New Jersey | $111,000 |
| California | $110,000 |
| Mississippi | $107,000 |
| Washington | $106,000 |
| Maryland | $105,000 |
| Alabama | $104,000 |
| Arkansas | $104,000 |
| Michigan | $104,000 |
| Virginia | $103,000 |
| Iowa | $101,000 |
| Missouri | $101,000 |
| New Hampshire | $101,000 |
| South Carolina | $101,000 |
| Oregon | $99,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $99,000 |
| Texas | $99,000 |
| Indiana | $98,000 |
| North Carolina | $98,000 |
| Ohio | $98,000 |
#4 Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
An acute care nurse practitioner offers advanced practice nursing care to people who are suffering severe illnesses or injuries that are of a short duration. Most often, you would work in an ER, ambulatory care center or an urgent care facility. Some in this role also work in trauma centers and in the OR.
Some acute care NPs also care for patients before and after surgery, and can perform some advanced, invasive procedures. You may sometimes serve as a case manager or team leader.
The average salary in this field is $99,000 according to Indeed.com.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $118,000 |
| New York | $114,000 |
| Massachusetts | $113,000 |
| Connecticut | $109,000 |
| Georgia | $108,000 |
| Illinois | $107,000 |
| New Jersey | $102,000 |
| California | $101,000 |
| Mississippi | $99,000 |
| Maryland | $97,000 |
| Washington | $97,000 |
| Alabama | $96,000 |
| Arkansas | $96,000 |
| Michigan | $95,000 |
| Virginia | $95,000 |
| Iowa | $93,000 |
| Missouri | $93,000 |
| New Hampshire | $93,000 |
| South Carolina | $93,000 |
| Oregon | $91,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $91,000 |
| Texas | $91,000 |
| Indiana | $90,000 |
| North Carolina | $90,000 |
| Ohio | $90,000 |
#5 Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
A psychiatric NP is a specially educated nurse who has training in mental and psychiatric health. Many psychiatric NPs also have training to help those with various substance abuse issues. Most of these NPs work in mental health centers and hospitals under the supervision of a full psychiatrist.
Generally, the demand for psychiatric NPs is rising because more people have mental health coverage on their health care plans. Also, as people live longer and have their physical needs taken care of, more patients want to be well mentally as well. So, it can be expected that there will be rising demand in this field for years to come as people are living longer.
The average salary for psychiatric NPs is $99,000, according to Indeed.com.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $128,000 |
| New York | $124,000 |
| Massachusetts | $123,000 |
| Connecticut | $118,000 |
| Georgia | $117,000 |
| Illinois | $116,000 |
| New Jersey | $111,000 |
| California | $110,000 |
| Mississippi | $107,000 |
| Washington | $106,000 |
| Maryland | $105,000 |
| Alabama | $104,000 |
| Arkansas | $104,000 |
| Michigan | $104,000 |
| Virginia | $103,000 |
| South Carolina | $101,000 |
| Iowa | $101,000 |
| Missouri | $101,000 |
| New Hampshire | $101,000 |
| Oregon | $99,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $99,000 |
| Texas | $99,000 |
| Indiana | $98,000 |
| North Carolina | $98,000 |
| Ohio | $98,000 |
#6 Family Nurse Practitioner
Family NPs are the primary care providers at many doctors’ offices today as well as at many hospitals. They are generalists in that they work with all types of patients of all ages, and help them to overcome various illnesses and diseases.
As a family NP, you are able to prescribe most drugs and to diagnose most medical conditions. The majority of NPs are generalists, but after working in this area for a few years, some may choose to specialize in a particular patient population.
The average salary for family NPs is $94,000 according to Indeed.com.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $119,000 |
| New York | $115,000 |
| Massachusetts | $114,000 |
| Connecticut | $109,000 |
| Georgia | $108,000 |
| Illinois | $108,000 |
| California | $102,000 |
| New Jersey | $102,000 |
| Mississippi | $99,000 |
| Maryland | $98,000 |
| Washington | $98,000 |
| Arkansas | $97,000 |
| Alabama | $96,000 |
| Michigan | $96,000 |
| Virginia | $95,000 |
| South Carolina | $94,000 |
| Iowa | $93,000 |
| Missouri | $93,000 |
| New Hampshire | $93,000 |
| Oregon | $92,000 |
| Texas | $92,000 |
| Indiana | $91,000 |
| Ohio | $91,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $91,000 |
| North Carolina | $90,000 |
#7 Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
This type of NP works with the elderly and geriatric patients to help them to deal with the problems and conditions of aging. There are many chronic conditions of aging that a gerontological NP can help with, including arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems and more.
We expect that as the American population grows older, there will be more people wanting the services of these NPs.
Many NPs in this speciality may work in a long term care facility or nursing home. This will provide you the opportunity to interact with many patients on a regular basis, which is a different type of work that many NPs enjoy.
Indeed.com states that the average salary for gerontological NPs is $92,000.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $128,000 |
| New York | $124,000 |
| Massachusetts | $123,000 |
| Connecticut | $118,000 |
| Georgia | $117,000 |
| Illinois | $116,000 |
| New Jersey | $111,000 |
| California | $110,000 |
| Mississippi | $107,000 |
| Washington | $106,000 |
| Maryland | $105,000 |
| Alabama | $104,000 |
| Arkansas | $104,000 |
| Michigan | $104,000 |
| Virginia | $103,000 |
| Iowa | $101,000 |
| Missouri | $101,000 |
| New Hampshire | $101,000 |
| South Carolina | $101,000 |
| Oregon | $99,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $99,000 |
| Texas | $99,000 |
| Indiana | $98,000 |
| North Carolina | $98,000 |
| Ohio | $98,000 |
#8 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Some NPs prefer to work with children rather than adults, and this is a very specialized type of nursing that requires a high degree of skills. Also, you need to have excellent, soft, people skills because you will be working with young patients who may be in pain or discomfort. They may not understand what is going on or why they do not feel well.
A pediatric NP will provide all basic primary care for pediatric patients and will usually work either in a medical practice or a hospital floor with pediatric patients.
The average salary for this speciality according to Indeed.com is $92,000.
Professionals who want to earn a good salary and enjoy very exciting and rewarding work should consider one of the above specialties as a nurse practitioner.
Here is a list of current salary figures by state sourced directly from Indeed.com. Their salary search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months.
| State | Salary Estimate |
|---|---|
| DC | $122,000 |
| New York | $118,000 |
| Massachusetts | $117,000 |
| Connecticut | $112,000 |
| Georgia | $111,000 |
| Illinois | $111,000 |
| New Jersey | $105,000 |
| California | $104,000 |
| Mississippi | $102,000 |
| Washington | $101,000 |
| Maryland | $100,000 |
| Alabama | $99,000 |
| Arkansas | $99,000 |
| Michigan | $98,000 |
| Virginia | $98,000 |
| Missouri | $96,000 |
| New Hampshire | $96,000 |
| South Carolina | $96,000 |
| Iowa | $95,000 |
| Oregon | $94,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $94,000 |
| Texas | $94,000 |
| Indiana | $93,000 |
| North Carolina | $93,000 |
| Ohio | $93,000 |
Additional Resources
- Nurse Practitioner without No BSN Degree
- Select the Best Nurse Practitioner Bridge Program
- Choose the Best Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Degree?
- Types of Direct Entry MSN for Non-Nurses
- Choose the Best Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Degree?
- Choose a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Degree?
- Earn a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Degree
- Choose an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Degree
- Choose a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Degree
- MSN Nursing Degree Salary Outlook
- DNP vs MSN Degree – Benefits + Differences
