The Highest-Paying Nursing Jobs in 2026

Nursing pays well, and the ceiling is a lot higher than most people think. This guide ranks nursing careers by what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics actually measured in its May 2025 wage survey, the newest government data available, and states plainly where the government does not publish a number, instead of inventing one from job-ad averages.

The highest-paying nursing jobs, ranked by BLS data

Ranked by median annual wage (what the middle earner makes). The mean and the 90th percentile show how far the top of each profession stretches.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; job outlook from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 projections.

Each role in detail

1. Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)

CRNAs administer anesthesia and analgesia in operating rooms, obstetric units, ambulatory surgery centers, pain clinics, office-based practices and the military. They are the highest-paid nurses by a wide margin, the median CRNA earns roughly two and a half times the median RN. The path is long: a BSN, at least one year in critical care, then a nurse anesthesia program (all programs now award a doctorate) and national certification.

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $236,590, mean $248,320; top 10% earn more than $339,500.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 36% (much faster than average; all APRNs).
• Education: Master's or doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia; ICU experience required to apply.

2. Certified nurse-midwife (CNM)

Certified nurse-midwives provide prenatal, labor, birth and postpartum care as well as primary gynecologic care, in hospitals, birth centers, OB/GYN practices and homes. They are APRNs with a graduate midwifery degree and national certification.

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $134,040, mean $136,980; top 10% earn more than $188,320.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 36% (much faster than average; all APRNs).
• Education: Master's degree in nurse-midwifery.

3. Nurse practitioner (NP)

Nurse practitioners diagnose, treat and prescribe across every setting, primary care, hospitals, specialty clinics, telehealth. Specialty choice moves the number: acute care, psychiatric-mental health and specialty NPs (cardiology, oncology, aesthetics) generally sit above the all-NP median, primary-care and pediatric NPs closer to it. The BLS does not publish wages by NP specialty, so any specialty-level figure you see elsewhere is a survey or a job-ad estimate, not a government statistic.

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $132,300, mean $137,300; top 10% earn more than $174,420.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 36% (much faster than average; all APRNs).
• Education: Master's or doctoral degree (MSN/DNP).

4. Nurse manager, director or executive

Nurse managers, directors of nursing and chief nursing officers run units, budgets, staffing and quality programs. The BLS groups them with all medical and health services managers, so the figures include non-nurse administrators; nursing leadership pay rises steeply with the size of the organization, which is why the mean is so far above the median.

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $123,860, mean $140,970; top 10% earn more than $224,340.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 24% (much faster than average; medical and health services managers).
• Education: Bachelor's degree; an MSN, MHA or MBA is typical for nursing leadership.

5. Registered nurse (RN)

The registered nurse figure is the baseline every other row is measured against. Within it, pay varies enormously by state and setting, see our highest-paying states for nurses, and by specialty differential (ICU, OR, NICU, cath lab, flight and travel assignments all pay above the floor).

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $97,550, mean $101,420; top 10% earn more than $137,470.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 6% (faster than average).
• Education: Bachelor's degree (BSN) typical; ADN accepted by many employers.

6. Nursing instructor or professor

Nurse educators teach in nursing schools, community colleges and hospital education departments. Academic pay is below clinical pay, which is one reason for the faculty shortage that limits nursing-school seats; many educators keep a clinical role on the side.

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $80,250, mean $86,410; top 10% earn more than $129,500.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 7% (postsecondary teachers).
• Education: Master's degree minimum; doctorate for tenure-track roles.

7. Licensed practical / vocational nurse (LPN/LVN)

LPNs and LVNs provide basic nursing care under an RN or physician, most often in nursing homes, home health and physician offices. It is the fastest route into nursing (about a year of training) and a common stepping stone to an RN license through LPN-to-RN bridge programs.

• Pay (BLS, May 2025): median $64,400, mean $67,050; top 10% earn more than $83,440.
• Job outlook 2025–35: 3% (as fast as average).
• Education: Postsecondary nondegree award (about one year).

High-paying specialties the BLS doesn't measure separately

Many of the "highest-paying nursing jobs" you see ranked online, NICU nurse, flight nurse, travel nurse, nurse informaticist, utilization-management nurse, legal nurse consultant, aesthetic NP, psychiatric NP, are specialties inside the RN or NP occupation, and the government publishes no separate wage for them. They do pay more than the baseline, for reasons you can see in the data above:

• Critical-care and procedural specialties (ICU, NICU, PICU, OR, cath lab, flight) carry shift and specialty differentials on top of base pay, and are the pool travel agencies recruit from. They sit in the upper half of the RN distribution, remember the top 10% of RNs earn more than $137,470.
• Travel nursing is a contract model, not a specialty: the same RN license, paid as a weekly package (taxed wage plus stipends) that can exceed a staff salary during shortages and fall below it when demand cools. Rates move with the market month to month, which is why we do not print one.
• Psychiatric-mental-health, acute-care and specialty NPs are inside the NP figure (median $132,300, top 10% above $174,420); demand for PMHNPs in particular is strong enough that they are commonly at the top of that range.
• Non-clinical nursing roles: informatics, utilization management, case management, legal nurse consulting, nurse recruiting, trade bedside differentials for regular hours; most are paid in line with experienced RNs, with informatics and leadership roles reaching into the manager range.

Browse live openings for these roles on the job board linked below; each listing shows the pay range the employer posted.

How to move up the list

1. Get the BSN if you don't have it. It is the entry ticket to every APRN and leadership path and to Magnet hospitals.
2. Spend two years in critical care. ICU experience is required for CRNA school and valued for acute-care NP programs, flight and travel roles.
3. Pick the graduate path by the number. CRNA (median $236,590) is the biggest jump; NP and CNM (around $132,300–$134,040) take two to three years and keep you in patient care; leadership (median $123,860) rewards organizational size.
4. Move, or license to move. The same role pays very differently by state; a multistate compact license lets you follow the pay.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, medical and health services managers, registered nurses, nursing instructors, licensed practical and vocational nurses.
• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 projections: APRNs, registered nurses, medical and health services managers, postsecondary teachers, LPNs and LVNs.