Best States for NP Salary
50 states ranked by highest-paying states for NP licensing, updated for 2026.
#1
California
$158K
California ranks #1 for highest-paying states among all states for NP licensing.
View California NP requirements →Full Rankings
| # | State | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | $158K |
| 2 | Washington (WA) | $144K |
| 3 | New York (NY) | $139K |
| 4 | Massachusetts (MA) | $136K |
| 5 | New Jersey (NJ) | $133K |
| 6 | Alaska (AK) | $132K |
| 7 | Connecticut (CT) | $131K |
| 8 | Oregon (OR) | $131K |
| 9 | Hawaii (HI) | $130K |
| 10 | Nevada (NV) | $130K |
| 11 | Minnesota (MN) | $129K |
| 12 | Rhode Island (RI) | $127K |
| 13 | Arizona (AZ) | $126K |
| 14 | Maryland (MD) | $125K |
| 15 | Delaware (DE) | $124K |
| 16 | New Hampshire (NH) | $124K |
| 17 | Colorado (CO) | $123K |
| 18 | Texas (TX) | $123K |
| 19 | Illinois (IL) | $122K |
| 20 | New Mexico (NM) | $121K |
| 21 | Virginia (VA) | $121K |
| 22 | Wisconsin (WI) | $120K |
| 23 | Maine (ME) | $120K |
| 24 | North Dakota (ND) | $119K |
| 25 | Utah (UT) | $119K |
| 26 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $119K |
| 27 | Idaho (ID) | $118K |
| 28 | Michigan (MI) | $118K |
| 29 | Florida (FL) | $117K |
| 30 | Ohio (OH) | $117K |
| 31 | Vermont (VT) | $117K |
| 32 | Montana (MT) | $116K |
| 33 | North Carolina (NC) | $116K |
| 34 | Georgia (GA) | $116K |
| 35 | Kansas (KS) | $115K |
| 36 | Indiana (IN) | $115K |
| 37 | Nebraska (NE) | $115K |
| 38 | Missouri (MO) | $114K |
| 39 | Iowa (IA) | $113K |
| 40 | Wyoming (WY) | $113K |
| 41 | Louisiana (LA) | $113K |
| 42 | South Carolina (SC) | $113K |
| 43 | Oklahoma (OK) | $112K |
| 44 | South Dakota (SD) | $111K |
| 45 | Kentucky (KY) | $111K |
| 46 | Arkansas (AR) | $110K |
| 47 | Alabama (AL) | $110K |
| 48 | Tennessee (TN) | $110K |
| 49 | Mississippi (MS) | $108K |
| 50 | West Virginia (WV) | $106K |
Methodology
Rankings are based on official state licensing data collected from state nursing boards. Salary data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data is verified regularly and updated for 2026.
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