U.S. News & World Report ranked the nurse practitioner role:
- First on its 2022 Best Health Care Jobs list1
- Second on its 2022 100 Best Jobs list
- Second on its Best STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Jobs list2,3
The magazine’s annual rankings take into account the most important aspects of jobs, including opportunities for growth, work-life balance, and salary.4 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) president April Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, notes that the 2022 ranking of the NP profession as the nation’s top healthcare job demonstrates the strength of the profession in serving patients and communities and meeting the skyrocketing demand for high-quality healthcare across the country.5
According to the U.S. News ranking, the median salary of NPs in 2020 was $111,680. The best-paid 25% of NPs made $130,240 that year; the lowest-paid 25% made $94,980.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 52.2% employment growth for NPs between 2020 and 2030. In that period, an estimated 114,900 jobs are projected to open up in the NP profession.
On a scale from 0 to 10, the NP profession scored:
- 8.4 in salary
- 10 in job market
- 8 in future growth, 4 in stress
- 4 in work-life balance.
NP job satisfaction (in terms of upward mobility, stress level, and flexibility) was rated as follows:
- Upward mobility: Above average
- Stress level: Above average
- Flexibility: Below average
“These rankings highlight what we have known for some time: the NP role is not just a job, it’s a calling for more than 325,000 NPs who are working tirelessly on the front lines of health care, from hospitals to primary care clinics, in patients’ homes and via telehealth,” Dr. Kapu said. “As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s NPs will continue delivering high-quality care in every healthcare setting and expanding access to care in vulnerable and underserved communities. Their dedication makes me proud to be an NP.”
