Nurse Practitioner Salary by State (2026): Where Advertised Pay Is Highest
South Dakota has the highest median advertised Nurse Practitioner salary, about $170,000. The live national median is about $138,000.
For Nurse Practitioners, South Dakota has the highest median advertised salary in the last 12 months of postings, at about $170,000. Across live listings on October 30, 2026, the national median advertised annual salary is about $138,000 among 4,592 priced listings.
Which states have the highest advertised Nurse Practitioner salaries?
The state salary ranking is based on the last 12 months of advertised salaries, using state medians. WeekdayDoc measured 51 states with enough Nurse Practitioner salary data to compare, and the median of those state medians is about $135,000.
South Dakota is the highest state median at about $170,000, based on 14 salary observations. Arkansas is the lowest state median at about $126,000, and the stated gap between the highest and lowest state medians is $43,625.
For a broader view of state patterns, see the Nurse Practitioner pay by state. For specialty-specific context on posted compensation, see the Nurse Practitioner salary guide.
| State | Median advertised salary | Salary observations | Live postings | Work-life score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $170,054 | 14 | 155 | 4.8/10 |
| California | $164,355 | 1272 | 3389 | 5.2/10 |
| Rhode Island | $163,006 | 53 | 205 | 5.7/10 |
| Alaska | $153,258 | 33 | 88 | 4.9/10 |
| Oregon | $152,979 | 208 | 736 | 5.9/10 |
| Washington | $152,421 | 385 | 975 | 5.5/10 |
| Utah | $150,773 | 81 | 270 | 6.1/10 |
| Connecticut | $146,976 | 169 | 755 | 5.4/10 |
| New York | $145,991 | 1127 | 3301 | 5.1/10 |
| Massachusetts | $145,050 | 457 | 1260 | 5.3/10 |
| Wyoming | $144,373 | 27 | 103 | 5.9/10 |
| Montana | $144,254 | 27 | 102 | 5.3/10 |
| North Dakota | $143,493 | 17 | 63 | 5.8/10 |
| Kansas | $142,894 | 59 | 314 | 5.5/10 |
| Idaho | $141,261 | 43 | 191 | 5.2/10 |
Where does Nurse Practitioner pay go furthest after cost of living?
Cost-of-living adjustment changes the state view because posted salary does not buy the same amount in every labor market. Using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Dakota also has the highest cost-of-living-adjusted median, at about $192,000, with a regional price parity of 88.6.
The District of Columbia has the lowest cost-of-living-adjusted median, at about $123,000, with a regional price parity of 109.9. California has a high posted median of about $164,000, but its cost-of-living-adjusted median is about $148,000 because its regional price parity is 110.7.
How much do schedules and remote listings change the pay picture?
Remote roles account for 10.3% of live Nurse Practitioner listings. Among priced listings, the median advertised salary is about $143,000 for remote roles and about $138,000 for on-site roles.
Schedule language is also uneven across listings. Live postings state no weekends in 27.1% of listings, no call in 19.5%, and no nights in 15.9%.
WeekdayDoc’s listing-based work-life score gives another way to compare states. Utah has the highest state work-life score at 6.1/10, while West Virginia has the lowest at 4.5/10; the work-life method is described in the Burnout Index.
Across live Nurse Practitioner postings, 26.2% score 7+ on the work-life scale. Flexible schedule language appears in 2.2% of live listings, so the score captures more than a single keyword.
Are advertised Nurse Practitioner salaries moving up or down?
The last 12 months of postings show a national median advertised salary of about $143,000 across 10,276 salary observations. The current Market Pulse reading shows a 5.6% change in median advertised salary versus the prior quarter.
The monthly series starts at about $135,000 in 2025-11 and reaches about $143,000 in 2026-10. The Market Pulse view is the place to track that monthly series over time.
Which employers have the most live Nurse Practitioner openings?
Employer demand is concentrated among several large hiring organizations in live listings. CVS Health has 424 live openings, UnitedHealth Group has 380, Matrix Medical Network has 275, Rinvio Recruitment has 169, Curana Health has 143, Commonwealth Medical Services has 140, BlueSky Telepsych has 111, and Northwell has 107.
Employer volume does not describe salary by itself, but it shows where a large share of live postings sits. The Top Employers index page adds employer-level context to the opening counts.
What benefits and contract terms show up in live Nurse Practitioner postings?
Benefits are stated less often than base salary, but they still matter when comparing posted offers. A sign-on bonus appears in 5% of live listings, with a median stated amount of $10,000.
Loan repayment appears in 8% of live listings, relocation assistance in 5.4%, and PSLF-eligible employers in 4.1%. Malpractice coverage is stated in 19.6% of listings, while a retirement match is stated in 3.5%.
When listings state time-off or education money, the median stated PTO is 21 days and the median stated CME allowance is $1,500. The live role page behind these counts is the live nurse practitioner listings.
Production language is less common in Nurse Practitioner postings. Listings that mention work RVUs or production pay make up 4.1% of live listings, and the median advertised salary among priced listings that mention production pay is about $140,000.
How we measured this
This analysis uses the WeekdayDoc live listing index, with 14,013 live Nurse Practitioner listings on October 30, 2026. Of those listings, 4,592 state an annual salary, equal to 32.8% pay transparency.
Posted salary is measured as the midpoint of the employer-stated annual salary range when a range is provided. Live national percentiles are about $125,000 at the 25th percentile, about $138,000 at the median, and about $157,000 at the 75th percentile.
State medians use WeekdayDoc Market Pulse salary observations from the last 12 months of postings, employer-deduplicated. A state needed at least 10 listings and at least 8 salary observations to be included, leaving 51 states for comparison.
Cost-of-living-adjusted medians use BEA Regional Price Parities from 2024. Work-life scores use the WeekdayDoc Top Employers work-life index, based on listing language and scored on a 0–10 scale.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the highest advertised Nurse Practitioner salary in 2026?
South Dakota has the highest state median advertised salary, at about $170,000.
What is the live national median advertised Nurse Practitioner salary?
The live national median advertised annual salary is about $138,000.
How many live Nurse Practitioner listings state an annual salary?
There are 4,592 live Nurse Practitioner listings that state an annual salary.
Which state has the highest Nurse Practitioner work-life score?
Utah has the highest state work-life score, at 6.1/10.
What share of live Nurse Practitioner listings are remote?
Remote roles account for 10.3% of live Nurse Practitioner listings.
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (14,013 Nurse Practitioner listings, October 30, 2026); WeekdayDoc Market Pulse (12 months of advertised salaries, employer-deduplicated); BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); WeekdayDoc Top Employers work-life index. Figures are advertised (posted) salaries and listing attributes, not survey income; percentiles and shares, not grades. Updated October 30, 2026.
