29 Series · SOC 29-1161
Nurse Midwives Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $134,040
- Median / year
- $188,320
- Top 10% earn
- +11.1%
- Growth '23–'33
- 7,920
- US workers
Nurse Midwives earn a median of $134,040 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $134,040, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $93,620 (10th percentile) to $188,320 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 7,920 US workers. California pays the most ($203,840), since pay varies by state and metro area.
The pay verdict
Nurse Midwives earn a median of $134,040, putting them among the better-paid US occupations and higher than 93% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Healthcare Practitioners and Technical, it ranks #29 of 71 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 11.1% by 2033.
- $134,040
- Median annual wage
- Top 7%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #29 of 71
- in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- 2.0×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: California at $203,840. Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
Nurse Midwives (SOC 29-1161) pays a national median of $134,040 per year according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey released in May 2025. Full-range compensation stretches from $93,620 at the 10th percentile to $188,320 at the 90th, with a mean of $136,980 indicating a right-skew where top earners pull the average above the midpoint. An estimated 7,920 Americans work in this occupation across 39 reporting states and 42 metro areas.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +11.1% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which the agency classifies as much faster than average relative to the 5% all-occupations baseline. About 500 openings are projected per year, combining new positions with replacement needs from retirements and occupation-switchers. Typical entry-level preparation is Master's degree. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) produce a workplace-safety grade of A for this role, with a fatality rate of 0.7 per 100,000 and injury rate of 1.5 per 100.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. California pays the highest state median at $203,840, which is +52% above the national figure. The top metro is Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA at $218,760 - metro premiums typically reflect higher cost of living, industry concentration, or specialized employer demand. When using this page for negotiation or career planning, pair the national median with the state and metro rows below, remember that BLS wages exclude benefits, bonuses, and overtime, and revisit after each May OEWS release since percentiles shift with cost-of-living cycles and industry demand. See our methodology for exactly how these figures are sourced, computed, and verified.
Median Salary
$134,040
per year
Median Hourly
$64.44/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$136,980
average
Employment
7,920
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Nurse Midwives pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$134,040 Top 7% higher than 93% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 29-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Nurse Midwives; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Among 25 29-series occupations with growth data, Nurse Midwives sits on the faster-growing side at +11.1% growth and $134,040 median pay.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+11.1%
Much faster than average
Annual Openings
500
per year (projected)
Typical Education
Master's degree
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Very Safe
Safety Grade (BLS 2023)
Fatality Rate
0.7/100K
Injury Rate
1.5/100
Danger Index
6.4/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Nurse Midwives roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.
- ▸ Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.
- ▸ Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.
- ▸ Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.
- ▸ Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.
- ▸ Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.
- ▸ Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.
- ▸ Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.
- ▸ Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.
- ▸ Document findings of physical examinations.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
10th Percentile
$93,620
25th Percentile
$116,510
Median
$134,040
75th Percentile
$157,400
90th Percentile
$188,320
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 39 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $203,840 | +52% above national |
| 2 | Hawaii | $170,110 | +27% above national |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $159,800 | +19% above national |
| 4 | Washington | $158,970 | +19% above national |
| 5 | New Jersey | $153,970 | +15% above national |
| 6 | Vermont | $151,030 | +13% above national |
| 7 | Oregon | $146,900 | +10% above national |
| 8 | New York | $144,510 | +8% above national |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $142,960 | +7% above national |
| 10 | Arizona | $140,960 | +5% above national |
| 11 | Maryland | $140,120 | +5% above national |
| 12 | Nebraska | $138,880 | +4% above national |
| 13 | Colorado | $137,610 | +3% above national |
| 14 | Virginia | $135,710 | +1% above national |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $135,180 | +1% above national |
| 16 | Minnesota | $134,810 | +1% above national |
| 17 | Alaska | $133,430 | same as national |
| 18 | Maine | $133,270 | 1% below national |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $133,070 | 1% below national |
| 20 | Iowa | $131,360 | 2% below national |
| 21 | Utah | $130,930 | 2% below national |
| 22 | Connecticut | $130,790 | 2% below national |
| 23 | Missouri | $130,220 | 3% below national |
| 24 | Ohio | $127,730 | 5% below national |
| 25 | Delaware | $127,510 | 5% below national |
| 26 | Florida | $127,460 | 5% below national |
| 27 | North Carolina | $126,040 | 6% below national |
| 28 | Michigan | $125,140 | 7% below national |
| 29 | Texas | $123,380 | 8% below national |
| 30 | New Mexico | $123,350 | 8% below national |
| 31 | South Carolina | $122,390 | 9% below national |
| 32 | Illinois | $120,840 | 10% below national |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | $119,990 | 10% below national |
| 34 | Louisiana | $119,280 | 11% below national |
| 35 | Tennessee | $116,980 | 13% below national |
| 36 | Georgia | $105,510 | 21% below national |
| 37 | Indiana | $101,630 | 24% below national |
| 38 | District of Columbia | $101,450 | 24% below national |
| 39 | North Dakota | $72,630 | 46% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 42 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $218,760 | +63% above national |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $212,630 | +59% above national |
| 3 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $202,850 | +51% above national |
| 4 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $191,220 | +43% above national |
| 5 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $184,620 | +38% above national |
| 6 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $181,450 | +35% above national |
| 7 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $174,870 | +30% above national |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $162,970 | +22% above national |
| 9 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $159,730 | +19% above national |
| 10 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $151,640 | +13% above national |
| 11 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $149,170 | +11% above national |
| 12 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $147,140 | +10% above national |
| 13 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $146,590 | +9% above national |
| 14 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $141,520 | +6% above national |
| 15 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $139,530 | +4% above national |
| 16 | Omaha, NE-IA | $138,880 | +4% above national |
| 17 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $137,610 | +3% above national |
| 18 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $135,910 | +1% above national |
| 19 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $135,180 | +1% above national |
| 20 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $134,810 | +1% above national |
| 21 | Columbus, OH | $134,380 | same as national |
| 22 | Anchorage, AK | $133,430 | same as national |
| 23 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $133,330 | 1% below national |
| 24 | Rochester, NY | $132,240 | 1% below national |
| 25 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $132,070 | 1% below national |
| 26 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $131,760 | 2% below national |
| 27 | New Haven, CT | $130,790 | 2% below national |
| 28 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $129,990 | 3% below national |
| 29 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $129,380 | 3% below national |
| 30 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $129,360 | 3% below national |
| 31 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $129,280 | 4% below national |
| 32 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $128,110 | 4% below national |
| 33 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $128,020 | 4% below national |
| 34 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $125,140 | 7% below national |
| 35 | Reading, PA | $124,470 | 7% below national |
| 36 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $117,010 | 13% below national |
| 37 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $116,440 | 13% below national |
| 38 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $115,500 | 14% below national |
| 39 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $105,510 | 21% below national |
| 40 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $101,630 | 24% below national |
| 41 | Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $97,830 | 27% below national |
| 42 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $77,620 | 42% below national |
Similar Occupations in the Same Category
Other roles in SOC major group 29 (healthcare practitioners) with comparable pay and career paths.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Nurse Midwives make? ▼
What state pays Nurse Midwives the most? ▼
What education do you need to become a Nurse Midwives? ▼
How dangerous is being a Nurse Midwives? ▼
Is Nurse Midwives a good career? ▼
How does Nurse Midwives pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Nurse Midwives? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Nurse Midwives pay figures in a real decision
- For an experienced offer, anchor on the 75th percentile (about $157,400/year), not the median. The median marks the middle worker; the upper quartile is the realistic target with strong experience. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: California leads at $203,840/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Every figure on WageDex is rendered directly from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, no number is typed in by an editor. This occupation's figures are computed directly from the BLS OEWS and Employment Projections datasets, nothing is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.