The projected growth rate slipped slightly this cycle, from 45% to 40%, mostly because national employment projections came down across the board. Even so, NPs climbed three spots in the rankings and carry the highest median salary of any job in the top 10.
BLS builds these projections each year from employer-reported data, the current labor force, and openings by occupation.
Why NPs Are in Such High Demand
As the baby boomer generation ages, hospitals and care centers need far more clinicians across the board. That demand is why healthcare is expected to grow faster than any other industry, adding about 1.9 million jobs over the decade.
NPs are in especially high demand for a few specific reasons. The first is the physician shortage. A 2021 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges projected a deficit of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034.
In many states, advanced practice registered nurses like NPs deliver the same core services as physicians, including prescribing. In states that still restrict prescriptive authority, NPs are actively pushing to expand it, so the demand picture keeps tilting their way.
Healthcare is also leaning into team-based care, which puts NPs in roles physicians traditionally held. BLS expects APRNs to increasingly work as primary care providers in hospitals, physician offices, clinics, and other ambulatory settings. Research from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners shows NPs deliver primary care with no statistically significant difference in patient outcomes, and in some cases better ones, with fewer hospitalizations and higher satisfaction.
NPs earn about $129,210 a year on average. The top-employing states are California, New York, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Washington.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast are nurse practitioner jobs growing? The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 40% growth from 2024 to 2034 for the group covering nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives, the third fastest of any occupation, with roughly 32,700 openings a year.
How much do nurse practitioners make? The BLS median annual wage for nurse practitioners was about $129,210 in May 2024, the highest of any job in the BLS top 10 for projected growth.
Why is demand for NPs so high? An aging population, a projected physician shortage (the Association of American Medical Colleges estimated a deficit of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034), expanded prescriptive authority in many states, and the shift toward team-based care all push demand toward NPs.
Did the growth projection change? Yes. It slipped from 45% to 40% this cycle, mostly because national employment projections came down across the board. NPs still climbed three spots in the rankings.
Do NPs deliver care comparable to physicians? Research from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners finds NPs deliver primary care with no statistically significant difference in patient outcomes, and in some cases fewer hospitalizations and higher satisfaction.
Where are the most NP jobs? The top-employing states are California, New York, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Washington.