Best States for NP Salary
50 states ranked by highest-paying states for NP licensing, updated for 2026.
#1
California
$177K
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) | $177K |
| 2 | Oregon (OR) | $156K |
| 3 | New Jersey (NJ) | $156K |
| 4 | New York (NY) | $154K |
| 5 | Massachusetts (MA) | $152K |
| 6 | Washington (WA) | $152K |
| 7 | Alaska (AK) | $149K |
| 8 | New Mexico (NM) | $144K |
| 9 | Rhode Island (RI) | $143K |
| 10 | Hawaii (HI) | $143K |
| 11 | Connecticut (CT) | $142K |
| 12 | Arizona (AZ) | $141K |
| 13 | Vermont (VT) | $139K |
| 14 | New Hampshire (NH) | $138K |
| 15 | Nevada (NV) | $137K |
| 16 | Utah (UT) | $137K |
| 17 | Iowa (IA) | $137K |
| 18 | Minnesota (MN) | $136K |
| 19 | Montana (MT) | $135K |
| 20 | Wisconsin (WI) | $135K |
| 21 | Maine (ME) | $134K |
| 22 | Oklahoma (OK) | $134K |
| 23 | Idaho (ID) | $133K |
| 24 | Maryland (MD) | $133K |
| 25 | Delaware (DE) | $133K |
| 26 | Michigan (MI) | $133K |
| 27 | Wyoming (WY) | $133K |
| 28 | Colorado (CO) | $133K |
| 29 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $132K |
| 30 | Nebraska (NE) | $132K |
| 31 | Texas (TX) | $131K |
| 32 | Missouri (MO) | $131K |
| 33 | Illinois (IL) | $131K |
| 34 | North Carolina (NC) | $131K |
| 35 | Florida (FL) | $130K |
| 36 | Arkansas (AR) | $130K |
| 37 | Virginia (VA) | $129K |
| 38 | Georgia (GA) | $129K |
| 39 | Kansas (KS) | $128K |
| 40 | West Virginia (WV) | $127K |
| 41 | Louisiana (LA) | $127K |
| 42 | Indiana (IN) | $127K |
| 43 | North Dakota (ND) | $126K |
| 44 | Mississippi (MS) | $125K |
| 45 | South Dakota (SD) | $125K |
| 46 | Kentucky (KY) | $125K |
| 47 | South Carolina (SC) | $124K |
| 48 | Ohio (OH) | $123K |
| 49 | Tennessee (TN) | $116K |
| 50 | Alabama (AL) | $111K |
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.
Compare Two Specific States
Want a detailed side-by-side comparison? Pick any two states.
More Rankings
Cheapest States for CNA License Fastest States for CNA License Best States for RN Salary Cheapest States for RN License Fastest States for RN License Best States for LVN Salary Cheapest States for LVN License Fastest States for LVN License Cheapest States for NP License Fastest States for NP License Best States for CNM Salary Cheapest States for CNM License Fastest States for CNM License Best States for CRNA Salary Cheapest States for CRNA License Fastest States for CRNA License Best States for CNS Salary Cheapest States for CNS License Fastest States for CNS License