Nurses work incredibly hard to provide patient care, but how much money do they actually make each year? In this article, we’ll take a look at salary averages for the different types of nurses, based on the latest data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022.
Remember, a nurse’s salary can vary depending on their location, experience, specialty, industry, and so forth. Note: these are only averages for nurses in the United States, and nurses may earn more or less than these amounts.
Which nurses get paid the most money? Here’s a list of the major types of nurses and their average salary and hourly wage, starting with nursing assistants.
Nursing Assistants (CNA) Salary
Average Salary: $33,250
Average Hourly Wage: $15.99
Job Outlook: 8% growth between 2020-2030
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) / Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Salary
Average Salary: $51,850
Average Hourly Wage: $24.93
Job Outlook: 9% growth between 2020-2030
Registered Nurse (RN) Salary
Average Salary: $82,750
Average Hourly Wage: $39.78
Job Outlook:9% growth between 2020-2030
Nurse Midwife Salary
Average Salary: $114,210
Average Hourly Wage: $54.91
Job Outlook: 45% growth for NP, Midwives, CRNAs combined between 2020-2030
Nurse Practitioner (NP) Salary
Average Salary: $118,040
Average Hourly Wage: $56.75
Job Outlook: 45% growth for NP, Midwives, CRNAs combined between 2020-2030
Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Salary
Average Salary: $202,470
Average Hourly Wage: $97.34
Job Outlook: 45% growth for NP, Midwives, CRNAs combined between 2020-2030
Nurse Salary Average Growth Over the Years
Here’s a quick look at how the nursing salary averages have grown over the past few years.
Nurse anesthetists saw the biggest percentage increase in salary from 2020 to 2021, with an increase of 7.02%, followed by nursing assistants with a 3.74% increase in salary average.
While nurse midwives saw a nice jump from 2019-2020 in the salary average, they actually decreased by 1.15% from 2020 to 2021.
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Data Source:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nursing Assistants, LPNs, RNs, Nurse Practitioners, Midwives, Nurse Anesthetists, May 2021 [www.bls.gov/]