The average nurse practitioner salary in the state of Utah is $112 920. This is lower than the national average for nurse practitioners but considerably higher than for registered nurses without a specialized graduate education.
For nurse practitioners working in Utah, the prospects have recently improved by being granted full practice authority in 2021. This means that they can practice independently, without supervision by a medical practitioner.
This article provides a detailed look at nurse practitioner salaries in Utah. Besides the average salaries for all nurse practitioners, we also have a look at other factors which can influence their income like years of experience, qualifications, employer, and location.
Average Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary
According to the latest survey by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) nurse practitioners employed in Utah earned an average annual salary of $112 920, that is $9 410 per month, or $54.29 per hour,
This figure does not include any additional income from overtime, leave, medical, retirement, or other employment benefits. It also does not include the salaries of nurse in Michigan anesthetists or nurse-midwives who are reported on separately by the BLS.
| Hourly | $54.29 |
| Monthly | $9 410 |
| Yearly | $112 920 |
Looking at the salary distribution rather than the average, gives a slightly different picture. The annual median salary was slightly lower at $105 220 than the average. This means that half of the nurse practitioners in Utah earned more than the median and the other half earned less than this amount.
The 10% of nurse practitioners with the lowest income earned around $60 280 per year, while the top 10% earned around $163 350.
| Annual 10th percentile | Annual 25th percentile | Annual median | Annual 75th percentile | Annual 90th percentile |
| $60 280 | $95 750 | $105 220 | $129 820 | $163 350 |
The above salaries are based on information supplied by employers for 2180 nurse practitioners employed in Utah. Therefore, it excludes the income of those who have their own practices.
According to the Utah Nurse Practitioners (UNP), the local association for NPs, there are over 3000 board-certified nurse practitioners in the state.
While the above number of nurse practitioners appears quite low, consider that the total population of Utah is only just over 3 million.
Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners
The Utah state legislature passed regulations in 2021 granting full practice authority to nurse practitioners. This means that they may diagnose and prescribe independently, without supervision by a medical practitioner.
In the next few years, this change will most likely have a positive effect on both the job opportunities and salaries of nurse practitioners in the state. They can make a valuable contribution to primary health care services, particularly to rural and underserved communities.
Utah currently ranks fourth on the list of US states with the highest healthcare workforce shortage. There is an acute shortage of primary care practitioners in 41% of the counties in Utah.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Starting Salary
You might be wondering what you could earn as a newly qualified nurse practitioner in Utah. Your starting salary, in particular, will be influenced by your qualifications, specialty, demand, and years of experience.
According to information collected by Salary.com directly from employers, the starting salary for nurse practitioners in Utah was $109 520. This equates to $9 127 per month or $52.65 per hour. This is not much less than the average.
| Hourly | $52.65 |
| Monthly | $9 127 |
| Yearly | $109 521 |
This is a considerable increase from the average of $72 790 per year for registered nurses without an advanced graduate education. But also keep in mind that, according to the UNP, these nurses have an average of 8 years of nursing experience before entering graduate school.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary By Years of Experience
In Utah, there appears to be relatively little change in the average nurse practitioner salary with years of experience. Obviously, this does reflect individual careers, where nurses move to higher-paid positions as they gain more knowledge and skill.
Figures provided by Salary.com show that nurse practitioners in Utah with 1-4 years of experience can expect to earn an average of $110 227.
This increases to an average of $112 344 for those with 5-9 years of experience. After ten years of experience, average salaries remain fairly static at $113 049.
| Years of Experience | Average annual salary |
| Less than 1 | $109 521 |
| 1-4 | $110 227 |
| 5-9 | $112 344 |
| 10 years and more | $113 049 |
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary by Level of Education
Nurse practitioners who qualify with a master’s degree earn an average of $108 697. Those qualifying with a doctoral degree can expect a salary equivalent to the average for nurse practitioners.
On the other hand, in 2018, the Utah Department of Workforce Services reported that the salary earned by nurse practitioners with a doctorate was in the range of $122,700-$135,360.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary Compared Nationwide
There are 234 690 nurse practitioners employed in the US. According to the BLS data, their average yearly salary in San Francisco is $118 040, or $53.75 per hour, with a range of $79 470 to $163 350.
In comparison, nurse practitioners in Utah earn an average of $112 920 yearly. This means that they earn $5 120, or 4.3%, less than the national average.
However, when comparing salaries, one should consider the cost of living in a particular state. This comparison can be made using the regional price parities (RPP) index of the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. The RPP is a percentage of the cost of living in each state compared to national price levels.
With an RPP of 95.3, the cost of living in Utah is 4.7% lower than the national average. In comparison, the RPP in neighboring Arizona is 99.1 and 110.4 in nearby California.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary by Practice Setting
According to the BLS, the average salaries of nurse practitioners in Alabama employed at outpatient facilities was the highest at $117 522, followed by those working mainly in the hospital environment at $116 576.
The average income of nurse practitioners employed in physician’s offices was considerably less at $107 954. However, it is a general trend that nurses who work in settings with more regular hours and with weekends and public holidays off earn less than those in high-pressure hospital environments.
| Practice Setting | Average Yearly Salary |
| Outpatient Facilities | $117 522 |
| Hospitals | $116 576 |
| Physician’s Offices | $107 954 |
| Colleges and Universities | $107 207 |
An extensive survey of advanced practice registered nurses was conducted by the Utah Medical Education Council in 2015. The percentages of nurse practitioners working in the main settings were as follows:
- Hospitals and outpatient services – 44.7%
- Physician’s offices – 15.3%
- Self-employed – 5.7%
The remaining nurse practitioners worked in diverse settings, which each employed fewer than 10% of the nurse practitioners in the state.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary by Area
If you plan to work as a nurse practitioner in Utah, you should also consider the average salaries in different areas of the state.
A metropolitan area includes the major cities and counties, with their towns and cities, in the designated area. Non-metropolitan areas are mainly rural and do not have a major city.
The table below lists the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in Utah, the number of nurse practitioners in each area and their average hourly and annual earnings.
From the table below, it is clear that nurse practitioners earn higher average salaries in the more densely populated areas where there is usually a greater demand, but the cost of living is also higher.
| Area | Population | # of Nurse Practitioners | HourlySalary | AnnualSalary |
| Metropolitan | ||||
| Logan | 144 219 | 80 | $45.44 | $94 510 |
| Ogden-clearfield | 691 359 | 260 | $53.32 | $110 900 |
| Provo-Orem | 671 185 | 390 | $54.99 | $114 370 |
| St George | 180 279 | 170 | $48.81 | $101 520 |
| Salt Lake City | 1 257 936 | 1180 | $55.91 | $116 290 |
| Non-metropolitan: | ||||
| Eastern UtahNon-metropolitan | 70 | $50.64 | $105 340 | |
| Central UtahNon-metropolitan | 30 | $51.38 | $106 880 |
Nurse practitioners working in the Salt Lake City Metro earn the most at $116 290, which is well above the average for Utah. The metropolitan area which pays nurse practitioners the least is Logan, which has a small population of 144 219 and only 80 nurse practitioners.
Logan is the city with the lowest median household income in the state, although it is currently showing a steady growth rate.
There are two rural non-metropolitan areas in Utah as defined by the BLS. In the Eastern and Central Utah non-metropolitan areas, nurse practitioners are paid on average $105 340 and $106 880, respectively. Compared to Logan, they are not the lowest paid in the state. The demand for nurse practitioners in these rural areas might be a possible explanation.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary by City
The majority of people choose to work in cities, as this is also where employees earn the best salaries. Salary.com provides the average salaries for nursing practitioner jobs in Utah cities. These figures do differ somewhat from those provided by the BLS.
The table below lists the five cities in Utah where nurses earn the highest average salaries. Except for St George, the other cities are all in close proximity to Salt Lake City.
A considerable portion of health services in this whole region is provided by the extensive University of Utah Hospital health care system.
St George lies on the border of Arizona and its St. George Regional Hospital, part of the Intermountain Health Care group, serves the region of southern Utah, northwest Arizona, and southeastern Nevada.
| City | Population | Average yearly salary |
| St George | 95 342 | $116 350 |
| Salt Lake City | 200 133 | $109 854 |
| Sandy | 96 137 | $109 554 |
| West Jordan | 115 1891 | $109 454 |
| Ogden | 87 175 | $107 090 |
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary Compared To Other Nursing Careers
Advanced practice registered nurses who have specialized in a specific field by earning a master’s or doctoral degree earn considerably more than nurses in any other category.
Among advanced practice registered nurses in Utah, nurse anesthetists earn the highest salaries at an average of $202 270 per year, followed by nurse-midwives with annual average earnings of $143 890 But even nurse practitioners who work in other specialties earn, on average, over 50% more than the average of $72 790 for registered nurses.
| Occupation | AverageAnnual Salary |
| Nurse Anesthetist | $202 470 |
| Nurse Midwife | $143 890 |
| Nurse Practitioner (NP) | $112 920 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers | $ 91 400 |
| Registered Nurse (RN) | $ 72 790 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) | $ 50 740 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) | $ 30 630 |
Graduate study to qualify as a nurse practitioner carries a high cost in terms of personal time and money. Especially as the majority of graduate students are also working, raising children, and managing a household.
But the sacrifice does seem worthwhile. The career of a nurse practitioner ranked #2 in the US Today 100 Best Jobs for 2022. Ratings are based on income, job satisfaction, future prospects, and work-life balance.
Utah Nurse Practitioner Salary Compared To Other Healthcare Careers
The table below lists a number of other healthcare occupations and their average annual salary. In Utah, the average salary for all health care occupations combined is $82 410 per year, or $39.62 per hour. Nurse practitioners earn well in New Jersey above this average.
The above average for all health care occupations is skewed by some very high-earning occupations, particularly medical specialists. This is reflected in the large difference between the average hourly salary and the median at $30.56.
The income of health care providers, who all have some form of higher education, compares favorably with all employees in the state who have an average annual income of $53 400, or $25.67 per hour.
| Occupation | Average Annual Salary |
| Family Medicine Physician | $214 700 |
| Dentist | $134 570 |
| Pharmacist | $125,740 |
| Physician’s Assistant (PA) | $117 780 |
| Nurse Practitioner (NP) | $112 920 |
| Optometrist | $105 510 |
| Veterinarian | $103 350 |
| Occupational Therapist (OT) | $ 89 480 |
| Physical Therapist (PT) | $ 88 240 |
| Speech Therapist | $ 80 060 |
| Chiropractor | $ 70 190 |
| Paramedic | $ 53 600 |
Future Outlook for Nurse Practitioners in Utah
Having been granted full practice authority as recently as 2021, the earnings of nurse practitioners in Utah are bound to increase at a higher than usual rate in the next few years.
Future job prospects also appear to be very good, considering the shortage of healthcare providers in Utah. Furthermore, the BLS has projected a 45% increase in jobs for nurse practitioners nationwide between 2020 and 2030.
Another reason for considering a job as a nurse practitioner in Utah is that the state was ranked 3rd in health care quality in the most recent US News Best States for Health care, and 11th overall.
Written by Frieda Paton
Frieda is a registered nurse and published author with extensive experience throughout her career in research, scientific writing and journalism. She has now turned to writing full time to share her passion for health and wellness, helping readers to prevent and manage chronic conditions. Frieda lives and works in the small museum town of Pilgrim’s Rest in South Africa.
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