Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Salary Report 2023

We are going to dive into Medscape’s APRN Salary Report for 2023. Since our RN Salary Report in 2015, there have been numerous changes in healthcare salaries. Due to the COVID Pandemic, there was a surge of high increased pay rates to all healthcare positions. Since 2015, CRNA’s compensation has raised by $65,000, NP’s salaries have raised by $19,000, CNS has seen a $27,000 increase, and NMs compensation has raised by $23,000. The average raise since 2015 for APRNS comes out to $33,500. The methodology Medscape used for these results was US nurse members that participated in a 10-minute online survey. The sample size used for this survey came out to be 2,804 APRN nurses. Medscape’s timeline for the survey was April 17th – July 10th, 2023.

APRN Specialty Compensation:

Below is the breakdown by specialty from Medscape, before and after taxes.

• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Salary Compensation:
  • APN, Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
    • Base: $207,000
    • Total Compensation: $235,000
  • APN, Nurse Practitioner (NP)
    • Base: $111,000
    • Total Compensation: $121,000
  • APN, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
    • Base: $115,000
    • Total Compensation: $122,000
  • APN, Nurse Midwife (NM)
    • Base: $114,000
    • Total Compensation: $122,000

According to Medscape’s results, the difference in salaries between a Nurse Anesthetist and a Nurse Midwife is $113,000. With these results, we can conclude that the average salary (before taxes) for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses is around $150,000 and after taxes is an average of $136,750 after taxes. Since our last post regarding the RN Salary Report in 2015, the average salary of RNs have raised by $33,500. Nurse Anesthetist is still the highest paying registered nursing specialty and their salaries have raised by $65,000 since the 2015 report. Today, there are more than 61,000 practicing CRNA’s.

Who Makes More: Salaried or Hourly Advanced Practice Registered Nurses?

• Salary vs Hourly Pay:
  • Salary: $139,000
  • Hourly: $154,000

According to Medscape’s survey results, hourly APRNS make $15,000 more per year. This is due to hourly nurses being able to earn overtime and track their hours. Medscape found that salaried nurses earned 6% more than 2022 and hourly nurses earned 8% more. These raises could be due to the pay raises during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who Earns More Male and Female APRNS?

• Female vs Male ARPNs
  • Nurse Practitioner (NP)
    • Female: $125,000
    • Male: $140,000
  • Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
    • Female: $225,000
    • Male: $248,000

Medscape’s survey results was able to gather data for salary differences between female and male Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Anesthetists. Male CRNA’s make $23,000 more than female CRNA’s. Unfortunately even in the year 2023, the gender pay gap is still persistent.

APRN Mean Income by Region:

• APRN mean income by region
  • Pacific: $159,000
  • Mid-Atlantic: $143,000
  • West North Central: $143,000
  • West South Central: $143,000
  • South Atlantic: $142,000
  • New England: $140,000
  • Mountain: $138,000
  • East North Central: $133,000
  • East South Central: $131,000

Just like the Registered Nurse 2023 Salary Report, the Pacific region is the highest paying region for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses with a salary of $159,000. Nursing pay rates are generally based on the location and cost of living in the area. The lowest paying region for APRNs is the East South Central region that has a mean income of $131,000.

APRN Income by Community Type:

• APRN Income by community types:
  • Urban: $145,000
  • Rural: $142,000
  • Suburban: $141,000
  • Exurban: $135,000

According to these results, the lowest paying community type is within an Exurban community. The highest paying community type is in an Urban community. There is only a $1,000 increase difference from a suburban community to a rural community.

NP Income by Work Setting:

• NP Income by practice setting
  • Hospital – inpatient care: $139,000
  • Hospital-based outpatient setting or clinic: $128,000
  • Non-hospital based medical office/urgent care clinic: $123,000

Just as RNs, the hospital-inpatient care work setting is typically the highest paying work setting. The difference between working at a non-hospital based medical office/urgent care clinic and a hospital inpatient care setting is $16,000.

APRN Compensation by Degree:

• APRN Income by highest degree
  • All APRNs
    • Doctoral degree: $145,000
    • Master’s Degree: $140,000
  • NPs
    • Doctoral degree: $127,000
    • Master’s Degree: $127,000

NPs make the same salary regardless if you have a masters degree or doctoral degree. The difference in salaries between having a masters degree or a doctoral degree for all APRNs is around $5,000.

APRN Income by Union vs Non-Union:

• Union: $149,000
• Non-union: $141,000

Generally employees working in a union setting make more than those in a non-union setting. In this case, APRNs working for unions make $8,000 more a year. Unions advocate and protect their rights through collective negotiations and action regarding fair compensation, policies, procedures, and working conditions.

NP Income by Specialty Certification:

• Psychiatric-mental health NP: $134,000
• Adult-gerontology acute care NP: $132,000
• Adult-gerontology primary care NP: $129,000
• Family NP: $124,000

Medscape found that Nurse Practitioners with a Psychiatric-mental health certification made the most out of the listed specialties with $134,000. Jumping from a Family NP to a Psychiatric-mental health NP could raise your salary by $10,000 per year.

APRN Income by Years of Practice:

• 6 – 10 years: $128,000
• 11 – 20 years: $145,000
• More than 21 years: $144,000

APRN’s workplace advancement sees seniority as more important than performance just as many other industries. Once an APRN reaches 21 years of practice, their salary raises to $144,000 per year.

With continuing education in any career you typically can expect a higher starting salary. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are always in demand with the nursing shortage the U.S. is experiencing. If you’re looking for a APRN job in New York or New Jersey, we are always posting open positions! Apply online with us and one of our dedicated recruiters will reach out to you to get you started!