Nurse Practitioners Top the List of Fastest-Growing Jobs as NP Week Begins
Nurse practitioners are projected to be the fastest-growing occupation in the United States over the next decade, a ranking that sets the backdrop for National Nurse Practitioner Week, Nov. 8-14. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects nurse practitioner job growth of 41% from 2025 to 2035, the highest rate of any detailed occupation in its fastest-growing occupations table. For nursing students weighing a master's or doctoral program, it is the clearest federal signal yet about where demand is heading.
The figures come from the BLS 2025-2035 Employment Projections, released Aug. 27, 2026. BLS expects nurse practitioner employment to rise from 336,300 jobs in 2025 to 474,100 in 2035, an increase of 137,800 jobs. Across the whole economy, it projects growth of just 3.5% over the same decade.
How Nurse Practitioner Job Growth Compares
No other occupation comes close. Among the fastest-growing jobs for 2025-2035, solar photovoltaic installers rank second at 36.5%, and data scientists are third at 34.6%. Health care jobs fill much of the rest of the top 30, according to the BLS table:
| Rank | Occupation | Projected growth, 2025-35 | Median pay, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nurse practitioners | 41.0% | $132,300 |
| 2 | Solar photovoltaic installers | 36.5% | $53,140 |
| 3 | Data scientists | 34.6% | $120,230 |
| 5 | Medical and health services managers | 24.2% | $123,860 |
| 7 | Psychiatric technicians | 22.3% | $45,130 |
| 11 | Physician assistants | 21.1% | $135,880 |
| 22 | Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary | 17.1% | $80,250 |
In its release, BLS said nurse practitioners are "projected to experience the fastest employment growth of all detailed occupations." It added that healthcare support and healthcare practitioner jobs together "are expected to account for almost one-third of all new jobs created through 2035."
The agency's Occupational Outlook Handbook links nurse practitioner job growth to an aging population, more chronic disease and changes in state law. "As states change their laws governing APRN practice authority, APRNs are being allowed to perform more services," the handbook says. APRN stands for advanced practice registered nurse, the group that includes nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and clinical nurse specialists.
Nurse Practitioner Salary Compared With RN Pay
Nurse practitioner job growth comes with a pay premium. BLS puts the median annual wage for nurse practitioners at $132,300 in May 2025. The median for registered nurses was $97,550, a gap of $34,750. Half of workers in each occupation earned more than the median and half earned less.
Registered nursing remains a much larger field, with 3,465,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 6% growth for RNs through 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year on average. For the combined group of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners, it projects about 32,200 openings a year.
AANP Counts More Than 461,000 Licensed NPs
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) puts the profession's size well above the BLS job count. Its 2025 NP count, released during last year's NP Week, found more than 461,000 licensed NPs, about 30,000 more than the previous count and a 7% increase. The two numbers measure different things. AANP counts every NP with an active license, removing duplicates across states and including NPs who teach, work in administration or do research. BLS estimates jobs, based on surveys of employers, and its 41% projection for NP job growth starts from that smaller base of 336,300.
Most NPs are trained for primary care. In a position statement revised in October 2025, AANP says about 87% of licensed NPs were educated in programs focused on primary care. Family nurse practitioner (FNP) programs lead by a wide margin: AANP reports that 51.3% of NP graduations in 2023-24 were in the family population focus.
Demand for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners
BLS does not publish separate projections for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) or any other NP specialty. Its 41% projection covers nurse practitioner employment as a whole. Other federal and certification data do show heavy demand for mental health care.
As of Sept. 30, 2026, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) listed 7,127 mental health Health Professional Shortage Areas covering about 154.6 million people, according to its quarterly shortage-area summary. HRSA estimates that 7,796 more providers would be needed to remove those designations. It notes that most mental health designations are based on the ratio of residents to psychiatrists.
The BLS list reflects the same pressure. Psychiatric technicians rank seventh among the fastest-growing occupations, and substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors rank 17th at 18.4%.
The specialty is still small but expanding. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) launched its PMHNP exam in April 2024. Its 2025 statistics show 1,333 first-time PMHNP exams, with 789 taken by post-graduate certificate candidates, a route for nurses who already hold a graduate nursing degree, and 503 by master's graduates. The same report lists 202,048 family NP certifications against 1,717 for PMHNP. The American Nurses Credentialing Center also offers a PMHNP certification, so the AANPCB numbers are only part of the picture.
What NP Job Growth Means for Nursing Students
- Plan for graduate school. BLS says nurse practitioners need at least a master's degree, along with an RN license and national certification. Our guide to types of nursing degrees explains how the BSN, MSN and DNP fit together.
- Pick a population focus early. Family programs produce about half of new NPs. Students drawn to mental health can enter a PMHNP program directly or add the specialty later through a post-graduate certificate.
- Check state practice rules. The handbook ties part of the job growth for nurse practitioners to state laws that widen what APRNs can do. Some states require a set number of supervised hours before NPs can practice on their own.
- Budget for loan limits. As of Oct. 14, 2026, Federal Student Aid is treating MSN and DNP programs as professional degrees for loan purposes on an interim basis, under a court-ordered update that it says "may change as litigation in the case proceeds." Our explainer on the end of Grad PLUS covers the new caps.
What Happens Next
- Nov. 8-14, 2026: National NP Week. AANP has invited NPs to gather at the Today Plaza in New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
- Loan-limit case: AANP asked a federal judge for a final ruling in AANP v. McMahon on Oct. 2, 2026. AANP's update reported no ruling as of Oct. 9. A decision could change how much NP students can borrow.
- 2027: BLS has not yet posted release dates for its next occupational wage estimates or its next 10-year projections. The current projections came out Aug. 27, 2026.
Figures are from BLS, AANP, AANPCB and HRSA as of Oct. 14, 2026. Projections are estimates, and actual hiring will vary by state and specialty.
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