How Much Nurse Practitioners Make in North Carolina? Salary Explained

Nurse discussing a case with girl patient

Whether you are an experienced nurse practitioner, studying to become one, or just starting your nursing career, you may be wondering how much a nurse practitioner makes. Several factors affect nurse practitioner salaries, one of them being location.

When it comes to location, there are many options. For instance, in the United States, you can choose from numerous states. In each state, you can also choose from many different cities. Smaller cities, suburban areas, metropolitan areas, rural communities, and so on. The need for healthcare in each of these areas is growing.

As soon as you’ve chosen a general area to focus on, it’s time to narrow it down and do some research. What city can you see yourself living in and practicing as a nurse practitioner?

In this article, we will examine the salaries of nurse practitioners in North Carolina, city by city. We will also look at the salary ranges for specialties and how North Carolina compares to the rest of the United States for nurse practitioner pay.

Nurse Practitioner Starting Salary in North Carolina

Just starting out in their careers, nurse practitioners in North Carolina can expect to earn a decent salary. Entry-level typically refers to those who just received their degree and have fewer than two to three years’ experience. The entry-level salary varies based on a number of factors, including specialty and city.

On average, though, an entry-level nurse practitioner in North Carolina can expect to make $85,130 per year. This breaks down to just over $7,000 per month, and about $40 per hour. For those who have just graduated from an educational program, this is an appealing and competitive starting salary.

Hourly$40.93
Monthly$7,090
Annual$85,130

Average Nurse Practitioner Salary in North Carolina

As with any job and career, the nurse practitioner salary in North Carolina depends on a variety of factors that can affect salary. These include:

  • Location
  • Specialty
  • Type of practice
  • Years of experience
  • Shift differentials
  • Degrees
  • Certifications

Looking at just North Carolina averages, a nurse practitioner earns about $108,370 per year. That breaks down to $9,030 per month and $52.10 per hour.

Hourly$52.10
Monthly$9,030
Annual$108,370

Nurse Practitioner Salary in North Carolina by Years of Experience

In general, the more experience a nurse practitioner has, the more they’ll earn. As nurse practitioners advance in their careers, their pay will increase over the years. Experience plays a major role in determining nurse practitioner salaries, as it is one of the most important factors to consider.

The average entry-level nurse practitioner salary in North Carolina is $85,130 per year, or $40.93 per hour. Five or six years after becoming a nurse practitioner, you’ll be earning an average of $106,770 per year. That’s a $21,640 increase in salary in just a few short years.

Looking at the mid-range experience level, nurse practitioners with ten years of experience can expect to make an average of $124,680 per year. Nurse practitioners with twenty years and more experience can make over $139,470 each year.

Years of ExperienceHourlyMonthlyAnnual
Starting (Entry-Level)$40.93$7,090$85,130
1-4 Years of Experience$44.97$7,800$93,540
5-9 Years of Experience$51.33$8,900$106,770
10-19 Years of Experience$59.94$10,390$124,680
20 Years or More Experience$67.05$11,620$139,470

Nurse Practitioner Salary in North Carolina: Breakdown By City

It’s not uncommon for the phrase “location, location, location” to be heard when discussing real estate. The same applies to nurse practitioner salaries as well. It is essential to consider location when determining the range of salaries for nurse practitioners in North Carolina.

While comparing different locations, it’s essential to keep in mind the type of area you’re looking for — Metropolitan, small city, suburban, or more of a rural town. The pay for each location also varies based on the need in the specific locations.

Nurse practitioners earn higher pay and receive more competitive benefits and compensation in areas where nurse practitioners are in higher demand. Knowing these factors is critical when selecting a location.

Here we will look at some major cities within North Carolina.

– Charlotte

  • Population: 874,579 in 2020
  • Most populous city in North Carolina and the third-fastest growing city in the United States
  • Average nurse practitioner salary: $108,280 per year
Hourly$52.06
Annual$108,280

– Durham

  • Population: 283,506 in 2020
  • Home to Duke University and North Carolina Central University
  • Average nurse practitioner salary: $110,760
Hourly$53.25
Annual$110,760

– Greensboro

  • Population: 299,035 in 2020
  • Known as “tournament town” for its numerous athletic venues
  • Average nurse practitioner salary: $110,400 per year
Hourly$53.08
Annual$110,400

– Raleigh

  • Population: 474,069 in 2020
  • Capital city of North Carolina and second-most populous in the state
  • Average nurse practitioner salary: $111,260 per year
Hourly$53.49
Annual$111,260

– Winston-Salem

  • Population: 249,545
  • Home to six colleges and institutions
  • Average nurse practitioner salary: $104,440 per year
Hourly$50.21
Annual$104,440

North Carolina Nurse Practitioner Benefits and Compensation

Salary is clearly one of the most important considerations when deciding where to practice and how to pursue a career. But, another major factor to seriously take into consideration is the benefits and compensation. What are the benefits and compensation? In the same way that nurse practitioners may negotiate their salaries, benefits and compensation are also negotiable.

In addition to the average yearly salary of $108,370, nurse practitioners in North Carolina can find themselves earning an extra $45,000 to $66,000 in benefits and compensation. The range here depends on whether or not they work in a private or public sector setting.

Nursing benefits and compensation options that are popular and appealing to nurse practitioners include:

  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off (PTO)
  • Employer-sponsored pension plan
  • Professional liability insurance
  • Continuing education allowance

Salary of Nurse Practitioners in North Carolina by Practice Setting

Again, nurse practitioners’ salaries vary widely based on a number of factors. One of these factors is where they practice. Depending on where they work, nurse practitioners can earn more or less than their counterparts. There are several reasons for this difference, including shift work versus a traditional schedule and also the risk involved within the setting they are practicing.

For example, jobs in hospitals come with higher risk and less attractive shifts (holidays, weekends, nights, etc.). Nurse practitioners working in hospitals typically earn more because of the higher risk and the more difficult to staff shifts. Nurse practitioners working in a hospital in North Carolina can make an average of $111,870 per year.

Whereas those nurse practitioners working in a lower risk area with more appealing shifts will be at the lower end of the salary spectrum, making about $106,030 per year.

Depending on a person’s situation and goals, all of these factors need to be considered. For some people, having to work weekends and holidays may not be a problem, so the higher pay might be worth it. On the other hand, working weekends and holidays might be inconvenient for a family, so they may be willing to take a lower salary rather than have to work during those times.

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of practice settings that can accommodate a range of individual goals and situations.

Type of Practice SettingHourlyAnnual
Doctor’s Offices$50.64$105,340
Hospitals$53.78$111,870
Outpatient Facilities$56.35$117,210
Colleges and Universities$49.17$102,270
Other Healthcare Provider Offices$50.97$106,030

Salary of Nurse Practitioners by Specialty in North Carolina

Specialty is another major factor in determining nurse practitioner salary. Nurse practitioners in North Carolina can choose from a wide variety of different specialties.

Nurse practitioners find themselves choosing a specialty based on personal goals and what they find interesting. Specialties for nurse practitioners include pediatrics, family care, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and women’s health.

Each specialty may require specific certifications once completing a nurse practitioner program. Those certifications vary based on each specialty.

Some people get bored working in one area for any length of time. Being a nurse practitioner gives them the option to work in one specialty for a bit and then move on to another specialty. It’s not uncommon for nurse practitioners to work in a few different specialties throughout their entire career.

Listed below are just some of the specialties nurse practitioners can go into and the average salary for each specialty

– Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat patients from early adulthood to older adults
  • Primary care or acute care
  • Hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, hospice facilities, private practices, specialty clinics
  • Average salary of $102,400 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$49.23
Annual$102,400

– Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat and work with patients with cosmetic issues
  • Four core specialties are: plastic or aesthetic surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, and facial plastic surgery
  • Private settings, including medical spas, dermatology offices, private practices
  • Average salary of $97,010 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$46.64
Annual$97,010

– Dermatology Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat diseases and medical conditions that affect the surface of the skin
  • Appealing hours for work-life balance
  • Dermatology clinic, plastic surgeon’s office, medical spas, research
  • Average salary of $107,680 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$51.77
Annual$107,680

– Emergency Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat patients in a varying level of acuity, in an emergency room or urgent care setting
  • Diagnose and treat in a fast-paced environment
  • Can specialize in adult or pediatric emergency medicine
  • Average salary of $110,060 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$52.91
Annual$110,060

– Family Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat patients ranging from infants to adults
  • Wide range of family-focused care from health promotion to chronic illnesses
  • Acute care centers, physician offices, hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospice centers, private care with patient’s home, urgent cares, correctional facilities, private practice
  • Average salary of $107,100 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$51.49
Annual$107,100

– Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat high risk-infants, usually in a neonatal intensive care unit within a hospital
  • Provide support and education to families for the infants they’re treating and work closely with the neonatologist
  • Hospitals, clinics, home health care services, patient transport, research
  • Average salary of $114,960 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$55.27
Annual$114,960

– Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat children of all ages, from birth up to the age of 21
  • Health promotion, along with diagnosis and treatment while working in collaboration with a pediatrician
  • Hospitals, urgent cares, specialty clinics, physician offices, schools, private clinics
  • Average salary of $102,020 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$49.05
Annual$102,020

– Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat and care for those with mental illness, and their families
  • Practice in offices, outpatient centers, residential facilities, and inpatient hospitals
  • Average salary of $112,790 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$54.23
Annual$112,790

– Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

  • Treat women for a variety of health services, including acute and chronic health problems that are unique to women
  • Health care, health promotion, and disease prevention usually in an office or clinic setting
  • Hospitals, clinics, family planning clinics, prenatal clinics, women’s correctional facilities, private practices
  • Average salary of $103,730 per year in North Carolina
Hourly$49.87
Annual$103,730

Nurse Practitioner Pay in North Carolina Compared to Other Nursing Careers

Registered nurses make an average of $68,950 per year, and nurse practitioners make an average of $108,370 per year in North Carolina. This means that nurse practitioners in North Carolina earn an average salary of nearly 57% more than registered nurses. Nurse anesthetists top the salary charts among the nursing professionals.

Nurse anesthetists make an average of almost $200,000 per year in North Carolina. That’s almost double the nurse practitioner salary of $108,370. Taking into consideration the time and money it takes going through their schooling, we see that they are paid considerably more for their efforts.

Nurse Practitioner Pay in North Carolina Compared to Other Healthcare Careers

When it comes to comparing nurse practitioner salaries in North Carolina with other healthcare professionals, nurse practitioners fall directly in the middle. At the bottom end of the spectrum, speech-language pathologists have an average salary of $73,400 per year.

Looking at the other end of the scale, podiatrists make $186,100 per year on average. As we see, nurse practitioners are basically right in the middle at $108,370.

The Future for Nurse Practitioners in North Carolina

The future is bright for nurse practitioners in general, including in North Carolina. Increasing lifespans and improvements in healthcare have led to people needing more healthcare as they age. Additionally, nurse practitioners are retiring or are on their way to retirement, so there is a need to fill positions in many areas and specialties.

It’s projected that by 2030, North Carolina will be short almost 1,900 primary care providers, including nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician assistants. The supply and demand issue will likely lead to an increase in the salaries for nurse practitioners in North Carolina.

Conclusion

Nurse practitioners have to take a variety of factors into account when choosing where to work. North Carolina offers a variety of attractive incentives for nurse practitioners considering making North Carolina their home to practice. In addition to the pay being fairly comparable to that of the rest of the United States, the benefits and compensation are also highly competitive. North Carolina may be a worthwhile consideration to add to your list of options.

You May also Like to Know

Frequently Answered Questions

Common questions answered by our experts.

How Many Nurse Practitioners are in North Carolina?

There are about 6,400 nurse practitioners currently practicing in the state of North Carolina.

How Much Do Nurse Practitioners Make Hourly in North Carolina?

Entry-level nurse practitioners in North Carolina make $40.93 an hour. Once a nurse practitioner has 10 years of experience, they can expect to make almost $59.94 per hour, which is over 46% more than the average entry-level nurse practitioner salary. Nurse practitioners with over 20 years of experience can expect to make $67.05 an hour, which is over 63% more than the average entry-level nurse practitioner salary.

How Does the Nurse Practitioner Salary in North Carolina Compare with the Rest of the Country?

Nurse practitioners in North Carolina make about $108,370 per year. The average salary for nurse practitioners in the United States is $114,510. As we can see, nurse practitioners in North Carolina make, on average, $6,140 (or about 5.67%) less per year as compared to the rest of the United States.

Family Nurse Practitioners – How Much Do They Make in North Carolina?

In North Carolina, family nurse practitioners can be expected to make a respectable salary. They will make an average of $107,100 per year. Which breaks down to $8,930 per month or $51.49 per hour.

Hourly$51.49
Monthly$8,930
Annual$107,100

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners – How Much Do They Make in North Carolina?

Nurse practitioners who specialize in psychiatry can also expect to earn a good salary. In North Carolina, supply and demand result in higher earnings for psychiatric nurse practitioners. They can earn an average of $112,790 each year. That breaks down to $9,400 per month or $54.23 per hour.

Hourly$54.23
Monthly$9,400
Annual$112,790

What are the Top Five Paid Nurse Practitioners in North Carolina?

The highest-paid nurse practitioner in North Carolina is a neonatal nurse practitioner. A neonatal nurse practitioner in North Carolina makes an average of $114,960 per year. The lowest-paid nurse practitioner on the top five list is a family nurse practitioner at $107,100 per year.

Remember, the highest-paying positions are usually in hospitals and require some weekend, holiday, and night work. Be sure to take into account your own personal goals, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of where to work, which specialty interests you, and what you hope to achieve

RankNurse Practitioner SpecialtyYearly
1Neonatal Nurse Practitioner$114,960
2Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner$112,790
3Emergency Nurse Practitioner$110,060
4Dermatology Nurse Practitioner$107,680
5Family Nurse Practitioner$107,100

What are the Top Five Paying Cities in North Carolina for Nurse Practitioners?

It is evident that location can mean everything when it comes to pay differences. The cities in North Carolina with the highest pay for nurse practitioners are Greenville, Durham, Greensboro, Fayetteville, and Goldsboro. Goldsboro is the lowest of those five at (a still very nice) $109,160 per year on average. Greenville is the highest of those five cities, with a yearly salary of $111,260.

RankCityAnnual Average
1Greenville$111,260
2Durham-Chapel Hill$110,900
3Greensboro-High Point$110,760
4Fayetteville$110,400
5Goldsboro$109,160

How Much Do Nurse Practitioners Make in Different Metros Within North Carolina?

As we continue to consider location, knowing the range in salary for different metropolitan areas is another important aspect to keep in mind when looking at nurse practitioner salaries in North Carolina. Metropolitan areas include major cities and their suburbs, as well as nearby cities and towns. The state of North Carolina has several metropolitan areas to choose from.

As you can see in the following table, the annual salary varies, along with the number of nurse practitioners employed within that metro. For instance, the Raleigh nurse practitioners make an average of $111,260 each year and there are 640 employed.

The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro, on the other hand, employs almost three times that number at 1,760. The nurse practitioners in that metro area make an average of $108,280.

Metro# of NPsHourlyYearly
Raleigh640$53.49$111,260
Greenville110$53.32$110,900
Durham-Chapel Hill830$53.25$110,760
Greensboro-High Point390$53.08$110,400
Fayetteville200$52.48$109,160
Goldsboro40$52.15$108,470
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia1,760$52.06$108,280
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton170$51.71$107,550
New Bern50$51.24$106,580
Burlington60$51.02$106,120
Asheville430$50.22$104,470
Winston-Salem440$50.21$104,440
Wilmington160$49.12$102,160
Rocky Mount30$46.55$96,820
Jacksonville30$45.40$94,440

Where Do the Majority of Nurse Practitioners in North Carolina Work?

Nurse practitioners hold positions in a variety of settings, as with most other occupations. Physician offices employ North Carolina’s largest number of nurse practitioners, almost 3,000. Half that number work in hospitals. Over 500 nurse practitioners work in outpatient centers. You’ll find less than 400 total working in universities, colleges, and offices of other health professionals.

Practice Setting Type# of Nurse Practitioners
Doctor’s Offices2,890
Hospitals1,430
Outpatient Facilities540
Colleges and Universities200
Other Healthcare Provider Offices180

What are the Annual Job Openings in North Carolina for Nurse Practitioners?

There are roughly over 100 new job openings, in addition to almost 300 replacement job openings for nurse practitioners in North Carolina. In total, nurse practitioners in North Carolina can find over 400 annual job openings every year. This number increases every year, as the aging nurse practitioner population retires, and with healthcare advancements and the increasing lifespan.

How is the Job Outlook for Nurse Practitioners in North Carolina?

Currently, nurse practitioners have an excellent job outlook in North Carolina. There is an expected 30% increase in job opportunities for nurse practitioners from 2018 to 2028.

Who Gets Paid More? A Nurse Practitioner or a Registered Nurse?

To become a nurse practitioner, you must first be a registered nurse. After working as a nurse for a number of years, you can pursue a nurse practitioner program. Registered nurses can make decent money, so some may wonder if it’s worth it to spend money on furthering education for a nurse practitioner program. If the salary increase is appealing, the sacrifices, time, and money can be worth it.

Nurse practitioners can expect to see a significant salary increase when they advance their careers from registered nurses to nurse practitioners. With an advanced degree comes a bigger salary.

Several factors come into play when determining the difference in pay between a nurse practitioner and a registered nurse, but in general, a nurse practitioner can expect to make up to $40,000 to $50,000 more per year than a registered nurse.

Written by Joanne Potter
Joanne, BSN and RN, is a writer that specializes in health and wellness. She has fifteen years of experience as a Registered Nurse in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Her years working at the bedside and extensive neonatal knowledge enable her to write with a deep understanding of what patients and families want from their communities. Visit her LinkedIn page.

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Avlin

Avlin is passionate about helping aspirants become better personal support workers. He is an entrepreneur and runs a clinic in Toronto.

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