How Much Does a Nurse Practitioner Earn By State?
When you decide to become a Nurse Practitioner, one of the biggest questions you will have is how much will you be making per hour or per year? Keep in mind that how much you will make as a Nurse Practitioner will depend on which state you work in as well as what area you work in, how many patients you see, what the duties performed are, etc.
A nurse practitioner can perform more duties than a registered nurse can. Some of these duties include (but are not limited to): prescribing medication to patients like a doctor can, recommend therapeutic practices and other healthcare related activities within the hospital. However, an NP can’t perform surgery. These are a couple of reasons why NPs are able to earn more per hour/per year than a registered nurse can.
The table below shows a rough average on which states pay an average of minimum average of pay for an APRN per hour as per the 2010 National Salary Surveys of NPs and PAs:
| State: | Average Min: | State: | Average Min: |
| Alabama | $37.97 | Montana | $46.35 |
| Alaska | $52.50 | Nebraska | $39.00 |
| Arizona | $56.74 | Nevada | $51.80 |
| Arkansas | $47.38 | New Hampshire | $47.67 |
| California | $52.19 | New Jersey | $51.67 |
| Colorado | $45.72 | New Mexico | $49.00 |
| Connecticut | $50.70 | New York | $47.40 |
| Delaware | $45.93 | North Carolina | $46.09 |
| Florida | $43.67 | North Dakota | $35.86 |
| Georgia | $45.25 | Ohio | $42.75 |
| Hawaii | $45.00 | Oklahoma | $42.00 |
| Idaho | $41.75 | Oregon | $45.22 |
| Illinois | $41.01 | Pennsylvania | $43.78 |
| Indiana | $41.55 | Rhode Island | $46.91 |
| Iowa | $41.93 | South Carolina | $41.50 |
| Kansas | $41.05 | South Dakota | $34.60 |
| Kentucky | $50.75 | Tennessee | $44.17 |
| Louisiana | $40.81 | Texas | $46.88 |
| Maine | $40.00 | Utah | $43.65 |
| Maryland | $46.28 | Vermont | $42.67 |
| Massachusetts | $43.65 | Virginia | $42.16 |
| Michigan | $50.20 | Washington | $44.14 |
| Minnesota | $43.01 | West Virginia | $38.65 |
| Mississippi | $40.17 | Wisconsin | $42.80 |
| Missouri | $46.35 | Wyoming | $45.00 |
As you can see from the chart, the states with the lowest average of hourly pay are: Alabama, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia. These states range from the $30 an hour pay rate to $39 an hour rate.
The states with the highest average of hourly pay are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada and New Jersey. These states range from the $50 an hour pay rate and up.
Please also bear in mind that these are a cumulative averages of all Nurse Practitioners working in the state. There are many different types of nurse practitioner careers available and there are some careers in the field that will make more than others. These earnings are not a entry level income. This is a salary after 3 or 4 years of experience.