Health
What you can do with Nursing
Prepare to assess patients, deliver care, and coordinate treatment across settings.
- Careers
- 5
- Early career
- $70,000
- Mid-career
- $87,000
- Growing fast
- 4 of 5
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 5 careers a Nursing degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
4 of 5 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Registered Nurse has the most openings, about 189,100 a year.
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5 careers this degree leads to
Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
$236,590Plan and administer anesthesia and keep patients safe through surgery, one of the highest-paid advanced practice nursing roles.
- Middle half of workers
- $206,730 to $294,350
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 2,700
Work-life61Remote1- Anesthesia Management
- Critical Care
- Pharmacology
- Monitoring
Nurse Midwife (CNM)
$134,040Guide patients through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care as an advanced practice nurse specializing in the whole birthing process.
- Middle half of workers
- $116,510 to $157,400
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 500
Work-life47Remote1- Obstetric Care
- Patient Education
- Clinical Judgment
- Monitoring
Nurse Practitioner
$132,300Diagnose and treat illness as an advanced practice nurse, prescribe medication, and manage patient care independently or with physicians.
- Middle half of workers
- $117,990 to $156,700
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 29,500
Work-life48Remote20Satisfaction78- Advanced Clinical Assessment
- Diagnosis
- Pharmacology
- Patient Care
Registered Nurse
$97,550Assess patient health, create treatment plans, and provide direct patient care.
- Middle half of workers
- $80,330 to $112,350
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 189,100
Work-life38Remote12Satisfaction68- Patient Care
- Clinical Assessment
- Medical Terminology
- Critical Thinking
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
$64,400Provide hands-on bedside nursing care in hospitals, clinics, and long-term care, often as the entry point to a nursing career.
- Middle half of workers
- $59,000 to $76,030
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 54,400
Work-life71Remote1- Patient Care
- Vital Signs Monitoring
- Medication Administration
- Documentation
Related majors
Set on Nursing?
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Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.