Annual wages for some of healthcare’s most in-demand clinical roles continued to rise in 2025, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics published May 15.
BLS’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program surveys employers across hundreds of occupations each year, releasing new figures every spring.
The three roles examined here — registered nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants — are among the fastest-growing in healthcare. NP employment is projected to grow 40% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. PA and RN employment are projected to grow 20% and 5%, respectively, over the same time period.
Note: Employment totals reflect cross-industry national figures, while year-over-year growth comparisons assess hospital industry wage data. Becker’s calculated mean hourly wages adjusted for each state’s cost of living using 2025 cost-of-living index data from the World Population Review. State-level year-over-year comparisons use May 2024 BLS data as the prior-year baseline.
Eight things to know:
1. Hospital wages rose for all three roles, but NPs and PAs outpaced RNs. Mean annual wages for hospital-employed registered nurses rose 3.3% year over year, from $101,100 to $104,420. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants saw larger gains: NP hospital wages climbed 4.3% to $144,760, and PA wages rose 4.8% to $145,850.
2. NPs and PAs are nearing pay parity in hospitals. Hospital-based NPs and PAs now earn within $1,090 of each other annually. Across all industries, the gap widens slightly: PAs average $141,280 versus $137,300 for NPs. The convergence reflects sustained demand for both roles in acute care settings and, in many states, expanded NP scope of practice.
3. RNs outnumber NPs by more than 10 to 1. About 3.38 million registered nurses are employed nationally, compared to 323,040 nurse practitioners and 162,150 physician assistants. The gap between NPs and PAs is narrower but still substantial, with NPs outnumbering PAs roughly 2 to 1.
4. Where a PA works matters more than where an NP works in terms of pay range. The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile hospital wage tells a different story for each role. For hospital-based RNs, the range runs from $76,500 to $138,710. For NPs, it’s $107,450 to $180,650. PAs show the widest variation: $103,070 at the 10th percentile to $196,290 at the 90th percentile.
5. California leads on pay for all three roles, but cost of living changes the picture. California posted the highest hourly mean wages for RNs ($72.25), NPs ($84.98) and PAs ($81.30) in the May 2025 release. Once adjusted for cost of living, the leaders shift: Oregon tops the list for RNs at $52.95 per hour adjusted, and Oklahoma leads for both NPs ($75.02) and PAs ($77.53). Hawaii, which ranks second nominally among RNs at $59.78 per hour, falls to last place on a cost-of-living-adjusted basis across all three roles due to the state’s high cost of living index.
6. RN wage growth was highest in West Virginia and lowest in the District of Columbia. Among states with comparable data from both the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS releases, West Virginia posted the largest year-over-year increase in RN mean annual wages, rising 7.8% from $80,650 to $86,970. South Dakota followed at 6.8% and Nebraska at 6.6%. At the other end, RN wages in the District of Columbia fell 2.1%, from $109,240 to $106,980, and Oklahoma declined 0.9%. The median state-level RN wage increase was 3.4%. These figures reflect nominal wages and are not adjusted for cost of living.
7. NP wage growth was strongest in Arkansas and New Jersey. Arkansas posted the largest year-over-year NP wage increase among states with comparable data, rising 12.3% from $116,030 to $130,260. New Jersey followed at 10.9%, from $140,470 to $155,750, and South Carolina at 9%. NP wages were essentially flat in Kansas, rising less than 0.1%, and Indiana grew just 0.1%. The median state-level NP wage increase was 4.2%.
8. PA wages grew fastest in Arkansas but declined in several states. Arkansas also led PA wage growth, rising 26.2% from $93,880 to $118,430, though BLS notes a relatively high margin of error for PA estimates in that state, and the 2024 figure was a low outlier nationally. North Dakota followed at 10.7% and Kentucky at 8.9%. PA wages declined in several states, including New Mexico (-6.5%), Nevada (-3%) and Arizona (-1.6%). The median state-level PA wage increase was 2.8%.
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