- NP employment is projected to grow 40% from 2024 to 2034, the fastest of any healthcare occupation.
- That growth adds about 128,400 jobs, moving the workforce from roughly 320,400 to 448,800.
- NPs are also the best-paid job on the fastest-growing list, with a 2024 median wage of $129,210.
That works out to roughly 128,400 new NP jobs over the decade, lifting the workforce from about 320,400 to 448,800. Pay tracks the demand: the fastest-growing-occupations table lists a 2024 NP median wage of $129,210, the highest of any job on that list. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports $132,050 for the broader category that groups NPs with nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives, so the exact number depends on which table you read; either way, NPs sit near the top of the pay scale for fast-growing work.
NPs are not the only health career on the rise. Of the 20 fastest-growing occupations, six sit in healthcare or the health sciences, including medical and health services managers (23%), physician assistants (20%), and epidemiologists (16%).
Why Demand Stays High
A few forces keep pushing demand. NPs are practicing with more autonomy, which lets them fill gaps left by the nursing and physician shortage, especially in provider shortage areas. That independence means NPs now diagnose illnesses, prescribe medications, and manage treatment plans that once routed through a physician.
The numbers back this up. A study in the British Medical Journal tracked about 276 million visits and found NPs and physician assistants delivered nearly 26% of them in 2019, up from 14% in 2013. Over the same span, primary care physician visits fell from roughly 42% to 33%. NPs are taking on more of the frontline workload, particularly in primary care.
Meeting that demand starts with the pipeline. Recruiting and educating registered nurses is the only way to produce more NPs, and the trend is moving the right direction: the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey found 21% of nurses held a master's degree or higher, up from 19% in 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is the nurse practitioner field growing? The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects NP employment to grow 40% from 2024 to 2034, faster than any other healthcare occupation and third-fastest in the whole economy, behind only wind turbine technicians and solar installers. That adds roughly 128,400 jobs over the decade.
How much do nurse practitioners earn? The BLS fastest-growing-occupations table lists a 2024 NP median wage of $129,210, the highest of any job on that list. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports $132,050 for the combined category that includes nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives.
Why is demand for NPs so high? An aging population, a shortage of primary care physicians, and expanding NP practice authority all push demand up. NPs increasingly diagnose, prescribe, and manage care independently, especially in provider shortage areas, so they fill gaps the system can't fill any other way.
What do you need to become a nurse practitioner? You start as a registered nurse, then earn a graduate degree (a master's or doctoral NP program) and pass national certification in your population focus before applying for state APRN licensure. Educating more RNs into graduate study is the only way the pipeline produces more NPs.
Are NPs replacing doctors? No. NPs and physician assistants are taking on a larger share of visits, nearly 26% in 2019 versus 14% in 2013 by one analysis, but they work alongside physicians rather than replacing them. The shift reflects more frontline access, particularly in primary care.