Nurse Practitioners: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1171 · O*NET 29-1171.00
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
Nurse Practitioners fall under the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category in the U.S. occupational classification. Nurse Practitioners earn a median salary of $129,210 per year, ranking in the top 5% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +40.1% job growth through 2034, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's or doctoral degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about nurse practitioners right now
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice registered nurses who diagnose illness, order tests, and prescribe medication, often serving as a patient's primary care provider. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups NPs with nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives and projects employment to grow 35 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with roughly 32,700 openings every year over the decade. The median annual wage for nurse practitioners was $129,210 in May 2024, and pay tends to be highest in psychiatric, acute care, and surgical specialties. The path starts with a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and an active RN license, followed by a master of science in nursing (MSN) or, increasingly, a doctor of nursing practice (DNP); graduates must then pass a national specialty certification exam and obtain state licensure. As of early 2026, no state requires the DNP, and about 90 percent of NPs still enter through master's programs, but DNP enrollment continues to grow. A trend worth flagging for parents is the steady expansion of full practice authority laws, which let NPs evaluate patients, order tests, and prescribe medication independently in more than half of U.S. states. That shift, combined with an aging population and a shortage of primary care physicians, is why this is one of the country's fastest-growing careers. Teens drawn to medicine who want patient contact sooner than a 7- to 11-year MD path often find NP a strong fit.
What do nurse practitioners earn?
The median annual wage for nurse practitioners is $129,210. That puts nurse practitioners at #38 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. Pay at this level is well above the U.S. median household income, signaling sustained demand and meaningful credential requirements. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $97,960 |
| 25th percentile | $109,940 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $129,210 |
| 75th percentile | $149,570 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $169,950 |
| Median hourly wage | $62.12/hr |
Is nurse practitioners a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for nurse practitioners is +40.1%, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 320K positions in 2024 to 448K in 2034, a net change of 128K. Very fast growth indicates significant talent shortages and unusually strong hiring momentum — often the most resilient outlook a teenager can plan toward.
What do nurse practitioners do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working nurse practitioners, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Maintain complete and detailed records of patients' health care plans and prognoses.
- 2.Diagnose or treat acute health care problems, such as illnesses, infections, or injuries.
- 3.Maintain current knowledge of state legal regulations for nurse practitioner practice, including reimbursement of services.
- 4.Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in nursing.
- 5.Perform routine or annual physical examinations.
- 6.Maintain departmental policies and procedures in areas such as safety and infection control.
- 7.Provide patients or caregivers with assistance in locating health care resources.
- 8.Keep abreast of regulatory processes and payer systems, such as Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and private sources.
Top skills for nurse practitioners
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become nurse practitioner?
Becoming a nurse practitioner typically requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's, doctoral, or professional degree, plus state licensure or board certification depending on specialty. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for nurse practitioners
Nurse Practitioners are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about nurse practitioners
What is the median salary for nurse practitioners?
The median annual salary for nurse practitioners is $129,210 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is nurse practitioners a growing career?
BLS projects +40.1% growth for nurse practitioners from 2024 through 2034, which is very fast growth projected to grow far faster than the US average.
What education does my child need to become nurse practitioner?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree followed by a master's or doctoral degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to nurse practitioners?
Related occupations within the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.