Please confirm that you would like to log out of Medscape.
If you log out, you will be required to enter your username and password the next time you visit.
Log outCancel
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021
| Contributor Information
Swipe to advance
1 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
2 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Practicing advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the United States participated in an online survey about annual earnings as part of a larger survey that included registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs). After a recruitment period lasting from May 17 through August 2, 2021, a total of 3039 APRNs met the screening criteria and completed the survey. This group includes 380 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), 2016 nurse practitioners (NPs), 505 clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and 408 nurse midwives (NMs).
This report summarizes survey findings from those APRNs. Where applicable, we compare findings from the current year with those of last year's compensation survey. A separate report describes the survey findings from RNs and LPNs.
(Note: Although this survey was conducted in 2021, respondents were asked to report earnings from 2020. Except where noted, annual gross income figures are averages, based on reported wages of full-time APRNs.)
3 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Among total APRNs who are not currently employed and therefore did not qualify for the survey, 24% cited COVID-19 as the reason they were not working; 20% retired earlier than planned, 1% were furloughed, and 3% were laid off or fired.
4 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The primary work setting of APRNs differs by type of APRN. For example, the most frequent work setting for CRNAs, CNSs, and NMs is the acute care hospital. In contrast, NPs are most often found in either hospital-based or non–hospital-based outpatient settings or clinics.
5 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Compensation for all full-time APRNs increased in 2020 over the previous year, except for NMs, whose annual gross incomes were on average unchanged. CRNAs still earned significantly higher wages in 2020 than other APRN groups. Financially, becoming an APRN is a good move. Overall, the annual incomes reported by full-time APRNs were higher than the average earnings ($83,000) of full-time RNs.
6 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The largest group of APRNs in our survey are NPs, and based on 2020 earnings, the highest annual incomes were reported by NPs who worked in acute care hospital settings, followed by hospital-based outpatient settings or clinics.
7 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Advanced practice certification is a requirement for NP practice in the United States. A majority (63%) are certified as family NPs, and another 11% are adult-gerontology primary care NPs. When it comes to income, however, the most well-paid in this survey were the psychiatric/mental health NPs. Family NPs showed an increase in compensation from 2019.
8 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Most APRNs work full time (at least 36 hours weekly). Among APRNs, CRNAs were the most likely to work full time (85%) and CNSs the least (73%). In years past, we have reported hourly rates of pay for APRNs who worked both full-time and part-time positions. This year, however, we had sufficient data to report the hourly rate of pay only for NPs, which was $63 in 2020 for both part-time and full-time employees.
9 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Differences in annual earnings varied according to the type of APRN employment. Those employed by private NP practices generate less income than those employed by a medical group or hospital or those who are self-employed/independent contractors. Overall, annual income increased among APRNs employed by a medical group or hospital compared with last year.
10 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Relatively few APRNs own their own practices. CRNAs were most likely among all APRNs to do so. Overall compensation for APRNs who own their own practices in 2020 was $158,000 compared with $140,000 in 2019.
11 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Whether APRNs practice independently or under a collaborative practice arrangement with a physician varies with type of ARPN. A majority of APRNs report practicing independently. CNSs were most likely to report having a formal collaborative practice agreement with a physician.
12 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The minimum entry-level educational requirement for APRNs in the United States is the master's degree. In this year's survey, 81% of all APRNs held a master's degree and 17% held a doctorate (PhD or DNS).
On average, among NPs, those with a doctorate make about 5% more than those with a masters.
13 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Among survey respondents, men represented about 37% of CRNAs and substantially smaller proportions of NPs (9%), CNSs (7%), and NMs (1%).
Male CRNAs and NPs (the only groups with enough respondents for analysis) earned significantly more than females with the same roles. The annual gross income of male CRNAs and NPs exceeds that of their female counterparts by about 11%-12%.
14 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
We don't know why men in nursing, even those in advanced practice roles, earn more than women, but our survey provides some potential clues. Men were more likely than women to work in higher-wage settings, such as inpatient or outpatient acute care hospital settings. Men are also more likely to earn supplemental income and to own their own practices, findings that were similar to last year's report.
15 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The annual earnings of all APRNs increase with more years of practice. However, as we've seen in past surveys, these increases appear to level off at about 20 or more years of practice. This might represent a salary cap. APRNs who have been in practice 21 years or longer reported earning significantly more ($129,000) than they did the previous year ($124,000).
16 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Once again, we saw a distinct pattern in regional earnings for APRNs. Those employed in the Pacific region of the United States (California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii) reported the highest incomes, whereas APRNs in the East South Central region (Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Alabama) reported the lowest. Of note, compared with mean annual earnings, the median earnings were substantially lower and might more closely reflect actual earnings by APRNs in these regions:
New England: $122K
Mid-Atlantic: $118K
South Atlantic: $110K
East North Central: $111K
West North Central: $113K
East South Central: $104K
West South Central: $120K
Mountain: $118K
Pacific: $140K
(Note: These incomes are not adjusted for cost of living.)
17 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The earnings of NPs, the largest group of APRNs, followed the same pattern as the overall APRN regional earnings. NPs in the Pacific region earned the most, and those in the East South Central and South Atlantic regions earned the least. NPs in both the highest- and lowest-paying regions experienced significant increases in compensation compared with last year. Incomes for NPs in the Pacific region increased from $128,000 to $136,000 and incomes in the East South Central region increased from $98,000 to $105,000. The median annual earnings were lower than the averages for these regions:
Mid-Atlantic: $117K
South Atlantic: 106K
East North Central: $107K
West North Central: $108K
East South Central: $102K
West South Central: $115K
Mountain: $115K
Pacific: $137K
New England: Number of respondents insufficient for analysis
18 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The majority of APRNs work in urban or suburban settings. We had sufficient data to report earnings by type of community only for NPs. As shown here, annual earnings for NPs are highest in urban settings and lowest in rural settings.
19 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Relatively few APRNs (< 10%) belong to unions or collective bargaining units. However, the average annual incomes of APRNs who were members of unions or collective bargaining units ($136,000) were higher than those of nonmembers ($127,000). Non-union APRNs earned significantly more compared with the previous year ($123,000).
20 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
The survey asked APRNs whether they had experienced a decrease, an increase, or no change in earnings from the previous year. At least half of APRNs saw an increase in their income in 2020 compared with 2019. Between 29% and 36% said it remained the same, and between 12% and 20% reported that it decreased. It isn't possible to determine from our data whether higher earnings reflect true wage growth. Higher earnings might also be the result of increases in cost-of-living compensation.
21 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Inevitably, the pandemic made an impact on the earnings of many APRNs. Although few APRNs were laid off, reductions in work hours, temporary furloughs, and suspension of annual raises probably contributed to a loss income for certain APRN groups. Many CRNAs, for example, experienced reduced work hours while elective surgeries were postponed. NMs were least likely to report an impact of the pandemic on their livelihood.
22 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
More than half of all APRNs reported that they feel their compensation is fair, and this proportion dropped over the previous year, from 63% in 2019 to 57% in 2020. CRNAs (the highest earners) most often reported feeling fairly compensated. Satisfaction with annual earnings did not differ by gender, age, union membership, or other variables.
23 of 24
Scroll
Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2021
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS; Sarah Lesser; Mary McBride; Emily Berry | December 3, 2021 | Contributor Information
Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.
Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.
Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.
Close
Contributor Information
Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS
Editorial Director
Medscape
Sarah Lesser
Manager, Market Research
Medscape
Mary McBride
Director, Market Research
Medscape
Emily Berry
Editor
Medscape
Close
References
Close
Image Zoom
Close
Feedback
Please do not use this form to submit personal or patient medical information or to report adverse drug events. You are encouraged to report adverse drug event information to the FDA.
Comments