How Much Does a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Make?
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Pediatric nursing requires passion, compassion, and knowledge of children-specific healthcare. The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) defines pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) as “experts in pediatrics and advocates for children.” Anyone with a sick or injured child knows the value of pediatric nurse practitioners, APRNs who provide healthcare for children from birth through adolescence. How much do health systems compensate PNPs for their expertise? This guide discusses how much pediatric nurse practitioners can expect to earn at the macro and granular levels throughout their careers.
From the big picture perspective, at the macro level, nurse practitioners are part of a collection of rapidly growing healthcare careers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2022) projects that healthcare occupations will grow 13 percent from 2021 to 2031. This is more than double the national average for all occupations (5 percent), and the BLS estimates this demand will create two million jobs in the coming decade.
Narrowing in on nurse practitioner careers, the numbers increase and paint a bright picture for current and future NPs. According to the BLS (@022), the occupational demand for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives will grow 40 percent from 2021 to 2031, which is eight times greater than the national average. The BLS shows that these three categories of nurse practitioners earned median annual salaries of $123,780.
While the data mentioned above includes pediatric nurse practitioners, the question remains: what’s a typical salary for NPs with pediatric specialties? Data from Salary.com in November 2022 shows the average annual salary for pediatric NPs is similar to BLS estimates at $112,900. Salary.com’s pediatric NP salary spectrum ranges from $105,500 to $118,500 based on education, certification, years of experience, and employment location.
Payscale.com, an aggregator of self-reported salary profiles, shows slightly lower figures, with an average annual salary of $94,841 per year for pediatric NPs. Payscale.com shows the bottom 10th percentile earns $77,000 compared to $121,000 per year based on 818 self-reported pediatric NP profiles.
What does it take to become a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP)? Pediatric NPs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who provide primary and acute care to children and adolescents. PNPs must complete a pediatric-focused graduate or doctoral program and earn certification from a national body such as the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to work legally in all 50 states.
In addition to providing primary pediatric care, PNPs may specialize in a particular acute care area, such as cardiology, oncology, or critical care. PNPs often work in pediatrician offices but may also work in hospitals, clinics, or other healthcare settings. Pediatric NPs typically have a solid working knowledge of child development and are skilled at communicating with children and their families.
So what factors influence a pediatric nurse practitioner’s earning potential? Keep reading to learn more about how much a pediatric nurse practitioner makes based on location, specialization, years of experience, and levels of education.
Number of Employed Pediatric Nurse Practitioners & Salary Percentiles
In May 2021, the BLS reported that 234,690 nurse practitioners were working in all 50 states, while the Zippia (Nov. 2022) shows that more than 161,158 pediatric NPs are employed in the United States. The following is a salary breakdown based on education, experience, location of employment, and cost of living:
| Nurse Practitioners | Pediatric Nurse Practitioners | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of professionals employed | 234,690 | 161,158 |
| 10th percentile | $79,470 | $98,763 |
| 25th percentile | $99,540 | $105,500 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $120,680 | $112,900 |
| 75th percentile | $129,680 | $118.500 |
| 90th percentile | $163,350 | $123,599 |
| Source | BLS, May 2021 | Salary.com, Nov. 2022 |
Top-Paying Cities for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
The following are nine metropolitan areas and cities that offer the highest average annual salary for pediatric nurse practitioners, according to self-reported data from Indeed.com in September 2022. Also included is the estimated number of employed professionals in each location.
| Metropolitan area | Number of self-reported PNP salaries | Annual salary |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 5 | $216,597 |
| Atlanta, GA | 5 | $137,068 |
| St. Louis, MO | 28 | $106,960 |
| Baltimore, MD | 8 | $129,461 |
| Fresno, CA | 7 | $121,842 |
| Long Beach, CA | 5 | $121,179 |
| Chicago, IL | 5 | $118,287 |
| Houston, TX | 11 | $111,959 |
| San Antonio, TX | 7 | $102,727 |
| Source: | Indeed.com, Nov. 2022 |
Top-Paying States for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
According to Zippia.com, the states with the highest-paying pediatric nurse practitioners in November 2022 are concentrated in coastal areas.
However, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC 2022) reveals that these areas also have a higher cost of living than most places in the U.S. New York, for example, is the fifth most expensive state to live, and Alaska and Massachusetts are ranked third and seventh most expensive states to live, respectively.
| State | Annual salary | Number of employed PNPs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $127,157 | 81 |
| Connecticut | $123,337 | 257 |
| New York | $113,872 | 1,269 |
| New Jersey | $120,187 | 432 |
| Oregon | $108,370 | 300 |
| Montana | $101,772 | 94 |
| Nevada | $105,503 | 130 |
| California | $122,022 | 1,361 |
| New Hampshire | $100,349 | 132 |
| Massachusetts | $106,003 | 535 |
Top-Employing Industries for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Pediatric nurse practitioners work in all types of healthcare settings, including hospitals, K-12 schools, universities, private clinics, and government health organizations. Here are the top-employing industries for pediatric nurse practitioners according to Zippia in November 2022:
- Healthcare: 63 percent
- Education: 14 percent
- Government: 5 percent
- Professional: 4 percent
- Finance: 1 percent
The BLS shows nurse practitioners, in general, are employed mostly by offices of physicians. Here are the largest employers of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (BLS 2022):
- Offices of physicians: 47 percent
- Hospitals; state, local, and private: 25 percent
- Outpatient care centers: 9 percent
- Offices of other health practitioners: 5 percent
- Educational services; state, local, and private : 3 percent
Top-Paying Skills for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Having patient-specific skill sets can be lucrative for pediatric nurse practitioners. According to self-reported data from Payscale.com (2022), there are 10 skills that increase pediatric nurse practitioner salaries. Here are the skills and their percentage increase based on 818 salary profiles:
- Pain management: 16 percent
- Emergency/trauma: 15 percent
- Oncology: 11 percent
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): 11 percent
- Case management: 10 percent
- Electronic medical records: 9 percent
- Intensive care unit: 9 percent
- Orthopedics: 7 percent
- Acute care: 6 percent
- Cardiology: 3 percent
Rachel Drummond, MEd
WriterAt NursingColleges.com, Rachel Drummond has applied her extensive experience in education and mindfulness to elucidate the importance of self-care for nursing students since 2022. Through her writings, she underscores the role of mental and physical well-being in fostering resilient and compassionate healthcare professionals.
Rachel is a writer, educator, and coach from Oregon. She has a master’s degree in education (MEd) and has over 15 years of experience teaching English, public speaking, and mindfulness to international audiences in the United States, Japan, and Spain. She writes about the mind-body benefits of contemplative movement practices like yoga on her blog, inviting people to prioritize their unique version of well-being and empowering everyone to live healthier and more balanced lives.