Infectious disease nurse practitioners earn a national median of approximately $115,000–$130,000, with meaningful variation based on work setting, subspecialty, geographic market, and whether the role includes inpatient on-call responsibility. The BLS May 2025 median for all NPs (SOC 29-1171) is $132,300 – ID NPs cluster below this median in nonprofit HIV clinic and public health settings, and reach or exceed it in hospital ASP programs, academic ID consult services, and pharmaceutical/biotech roles. The ceiling in pharma and clinical research reaches $175,000–$200,000 for experienced ID NPs with research backgrounds.
This guide covers salary by work setting, by subspecialty, and by state, plus the structural factors that move compensation up or down in ID careers. For the full career pathway, see how to become an infectious disease nurse practitioner.
National snapshot (2026 estimates):
- 10th percentile: ~$95,000
- 25th percentile: ~$108,000
- Median: ~$120,000
- 75th percentile: ~$138,000
- 90th percentile: ~$158,000
Note: BLS does not publish infectious disease-specific NP salary data. Figures above are based on BLS SOC 29-1171 NP state and metropolitan data (May 2025), adjusted for ID-specific setting and specialty modifiers derived from IDSA workforce surveys, professional association salary reports, and job market data. Because the ID-specific adjustments come from survey and job-market sources rather than the federal wage survey, read the percentile band as directional.
Salary by work setting
Setting is the strongest single predictor of ID NP compensation. Inpatient roles with on-call responsibility pay a premium over ambulatory settings. Pharma and biotech roles carry the highest ceiling but are removed from direct patient care.
| Work setting | Typical salary range | On-call component | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital ID consult service (academic) | $125,000–$155,000 | Yes, common | On-call premium adds $5,000–$15,000 to base; AGACNP-BC preferred |
| Hospital ID consult service (community) | $115,000–$140,000 | Sometimes | Smaller consult volume, fewer learner demands |
| Antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) | $120,000–$145,000 | Rarely | Systems-level role; pharmacy-heavy environment; predictable hours |
| Outpatient ID clinic | $108,000–$130,000 | No | Chronic infection management, HCV, Lyme, immunocompromised follow-up |
| HIV/AIDS clinic (academic program) | $120,000–$155,000 | No | SF, NYC, Boston academic HIV programs at upper end |
| Ryan White clinic (nonprofit) | $90,000–$115,000 | No | Federal grant funding constrains pay; NHSC loan repayment often available |
| Travel medicine clinic | $100,000–$125,000 | No | Usually paired with general ID or occupational health; lower volume specialty |
| Public health (state/CDC) | $85,000–$115,000 | Variable | Civil service pay scales; outbreak response positions at upper end |
| Pharmaceutical / biotech (MSL, clinical research) | $150,000–$200,000+ | No | Medical Science Liaison, CRO roles; requires ID clinical expertise + communication skills |
| FQHC / community health center | $95,000–$120,000 | No | NHSC loan repayment available; HIV and HCV volume high in urban FQHCs |
HIV/AIDS subspecialty compensation
HIV medicine is the largest ID subspecialty for NPs by employment volume. Compensation varies substantially by employer type.
Academic HIV programs (UCSF, Weill Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Boston Medical) pay the highest HIV NP salaries – $130,000–$160,000 – driven by cost of living in hub cities and the research-intensive environment, which generates NIH grant funding that supplements clinical revenue. AAHIVS certification and a publication record provide leverage at this level.
Ryan White Part C clinics are the primary safety-net employers in HIV medicine nationally, operating in all 50 states. Federal grant funding through HRSA constrains base salaries ($90,000–$115,000 range in most markets). The offset for some of these roles is National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment eligibility, worth up to $75,000 tax-free over a two-year full-time commitment. Eligibility turns on the individual site holding NHSC-approved status rather than on Ryan White funding as such, so confirm it site by site. Where it does apply, the effective compensation at a Ryan White clinic can exceed that of a higher-salary commercial practice for an NP carrying significant loan debt.
PrEP-only and sexual health clinics have emerged as a distinct employer category, particularly in LGBT health centers. Salaries range $100,000–$125,000; the clinical scope is narrower than full HIV medicine but volume can be high in urban markets.
Antimicrobial stewardship salary detail
ASP is consistently overlooked in NP career guides, but it is a growing formal employment category with distinct compensation characteristics.
Hospital ASP NPs typically earn $120,000–$145,000 nationally, with minimal night/weekend call. The role pairs NPs with ID-trained pharmacists under physician ASP leadership. Hours are predictable and the setting is intellectually demanding – daily work involves culture result review, antibiotic approval decisions, prescriber education, and program metrics. Academic medical center ASP programs at major institutions (Johns Hopkins, Duke, University of Michigan) pay at the upper end and carry prestige for NPs seeking a research-integrated career.
The CMS Conditions of Participation require an antibiotic stewardship program at every Medicare- and Medicaid-participating hospital under 42 CFR 482.42, and at critical access hospitals under 42 CFR 485.640, with no bed-count exemption anywhere in either provision. The mandate is for the program and a qualified leader rather than for a dedicated NP post, so the smallest facilities often meet it with a part-time pharmacist and a physician champion; hospital size still governs whether a standalone ASP NP role exists. Entry to ASP roles typically requires 2–3 years of ID clinical experience or a strong microbiology and pharmacology background. Some hospitals hire new ID NP graduates directly into junior ASP roles with structured mentorship.
Salary by state
The table below uses BLS SOC 29-1171 (Nurse Practitioners) May 2025 state-level median data as a baseline, adjusted for ID-specific factors where market data supports differentiation. States with large urban academic HIV programs or major hospital systems with expanded ID APP programs tend to pay above the NP median for ID-specific roles.
Two things to hold in mind when reading the ID range against the BLS column. The May 2025 release lifted state NP medians substantially – low-wage states moved further in percentage terms than high-wage ones – so the general NP median in several states now sits at or above the ID-specific range shown. Where that happens, it reflects the ID estimates being anchored to older specialty survey data rather than a measured finding that ID roles underpay in that state. The BLS column is survey-measured; the ID column is not.
| State | Estimated ID NP salary range | BLS NP median (SOC 29-1171) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $140,000–$175,000 | $168,520 | UCSF, UCLA, SF DPH HIV programs at upper end; restricted practice (AB 890 creates a phased pathway to independent practice) |
| New York | $130,000–$165,000 | $153,510 | NYC academic HIV programs (Weill Cornell, Columbia, Bellevue); full practice for NPs with 3,600+ hours, with the sunset extended to July 1, 2030 – see below |
| Massachusetts | $128,000–$158,000 | $142,440 | Boston academic ID programs (BMC, MGH, Dana-Farber ID); full-practice authority |
| Washington | $125,000–$155,000 | $156,100 | UW Medicine, Seattle/King County HIV program; full-practice authority |
| Oregon | $120,000–$148,000 | $155,680 | OHSU ID program; full-practice authority |
| Colorado | $118,000–$145,000 | $132,930 | UCHealth, Denver Health HIV clinic; full-practice authority |
| Minnesota | $118,000–$145,000 | $133,260 | Mayo Clinic, Hennepin Healthcare; full-practice authority |
| Maryland | $120,000–$150,000 | $131,110 | Johns Hopkins ID/ASP programs; full-practice authority; federal public health proximity (CDC/NIH) |
| Virginia | $115,000–$140,000 | $127,810 | VCU, UVA ID programs; restricted practice |
| North Carolina | $112,000–$138,000 | $128,990 | Duke, UNC Chapel Hill ID; restricted practice |
| Georgia | $108,000–$132,000 | $129,430 | Emory ID/HIV programs, Grady Ryan White; restricted practice |
| Texas | $110,000–$138,000 | $131,670 | UT Southwestern, MD Anderson ID; restricted practice; large state variation |
| Florida | $108,000–$135,000 | $129,510 | University of Miami, Broward Ryan White; restricted practice |
| Illinois | $112,000–$138,000 | $130,680 | Northwestern, Rush, University of Chicago ID programs; reduced practice |
| Michigan | $110,000–$136,000 | $131,450 | U Michigan ASP program, Henry Ford ID; restricted practice |
| Ohio | $108,000–$132,000 | $124,870 | Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State ID; reduced practice |
| Pennsylvania | $110,000–$135,000 | $130,140 | UPMC ID fellowship/APP program, Penn Medicine; reduced practice |
| Tennessee | $105,000–$130,000 | $117,590 | Vanderbilt ID, UT Medical; restricted practice |
| Arizona | $112,000–$138,000 | $134,420 | Banner Health, Mayo Clinic Arizona; full-practice authority |
| Nevada | $118,000–$145,000 | $140,670 | Las Vegas market; significant ID demand; full-practice authority |
| New Mexico | $110,000–$135,000 | $137,520 | UNM Health Sciences ID; NHSC sites common; full-practice authority |
| Indiana | $105,000–$128,000 | $128,830 | IU Health ID programs; reduced practice |
| Wisconsin | $108,000–$132,000 | $131,980 | UW Health, Froedtert ID; reduced practice |
| Iowa | $105,000–$128,000 | $130,160 | UI Health Care; full-practice authority; lower cost of living |
| Missouri | $105,000–$128,000 | $129,930 | WashU/Barnes-Jewish ID, MU Health; restricted practice |
| Kansas | $100,000–$122,000 | $126,650 | KU Medical Center; full-practice authority; NHSC-eligible rural sites |
| Louisiana | $100,000–$125,000 | $125,600 | LSU, Ochsner Health ID; Ryan White programs in New Orleans; reduced practice |
| Alabama | $98,000–$120,000 | $105,750 | UAB ID (major academic ID program); reduced practice; rural NHSC opportunities |
| Mississippi | $95,000–$118,000 | $124,730 | UMMC ID; reduced practice; highest NHSC loan repayment eligibility |
| Montana | $105,000–$128,000 | $137,210 | Full-practice authority; ID services concentrated at Billings Clinic, St. Patrick |
| Alaska | $120,000–$148,000 | $155,170 | Geographic premium; full-practice authority; travel health component common |
Factors that move ID NP salary
Inpatient on-call responsibility Hospital ID consult service positions typically include a night/weekend on-call component, compensated either as a flat annual stipend ($5,000–$15,000) or as hourly call pay. Before accepting a hospital ID role, negotiate call structure explicitly – some institutions expect unpaid “availability” that erodes the effective hourly rate.
Full-practice authority state NPs in full-practice authority states – 27 states plus the District of Columbia under the AANP State Practice Environment map – can negotiate without a collaborating physician fee structure, which increases take-home compensation and reduces administrative overhead. The remaining 23 states are split between 12 reduced-practice states, where a career-long collaborative agreement is required, and 11 restricted-practice states, which require ongoing physician supervision or delegation. Both arrangements sometimes come with cost-sharing terms that reduce NP net pay.
New York is the exception worth understanding before you sign anything. Its full-practice status rests on the 2022 Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act, which waived the collaborative-relationship requirement for NPs with 3,600 or more practice hours, and that waiver carried a July 1, 2026 sunset. S2360, the standalone bill that would have removed the sunset permanently, never left the Senate Higher Education Committee. The waiver was extended through the budget process instead: Governor Hochul signed A10007C, the FY2027 budget legislation, on May 28, 2026, pushing the sunset to July 1, 2030. ID NPs in New York with 3,600+ practice hours continue to work without a written collaborative agreement through that date. Confirm current requirements with the New York State Education Department before relying on independent practice there.
NHSC loan repayment eligibility FQHCs, community health centers, and some outpatient HIV and public health settings qualify as NHSC-approved sites. Under the FY2026 program guidance, NPs practicing in a primary care discipline can receive up to $75,000 for a two-year full-time commitment at an approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area, or up to $37,500 half-time, with a further $5,000 available for demonstrated Spanish-language proficiency. The $50,000 figure that circulates in much NP salary content is the behavioral and oral health tier, not the primary care one. Awards are excluded from gross income under IRC section 108(f)(4) and are capped at your outstanding qualifying loan balance, so the headline is a ceiling rather than a payment, and applications are prioritized competitively by HPSA score.
Site eligibility is the part to verify before pricing this into an offer. Hospital-based ID consult services and inpatient ASP roles generally do not qualify, because the program is gated on the site being an approved outpatient facility. Ryan White clinics vary: many are co-located with or operated by an FQHC and therefore qualify, but a Ryan White grant on its own does not confer NHSC-approved status. Check the site’s status in the NHSC site search rather than assuming it from the funding stream.
HIV vs. general ID focus HIV medicine subspecialization adds compensation leverage in urban markets with competitive academic HIV programs. AAHIVS certification and a PrEP/HIV panel building track record both support higher compensation in HIV-focused negotiations.
ASP credentialing and program scope ASP NPs with SIDP (Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists) educational credentials or formal ID pharmacology training command higher compensation. Health system-wide ASP roles (managing stewardship across multiple facilities) pay more than single-hospital ASP positions.
Academic vs. community setting Academic ID programs pay above community hospitals for NPs willing to accept teaching and research responsibilities. The gap is $10,000–$20,000 on average. Academic roles also provide access to malpractice coverage, CME funding, and career advancement tracks not available at community sites.
Pharmaceutical / biotech ceiling ID NPs who transition into pharma as Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) or clinical researchers often see immediate $30,000–$50,000 compensation increases. The trade-off is distance from direct patient care. Antimicrobial, HIV, and hepatitis C drug portfolios represent the most ID-relevant MSL territories.
Specialty comparison
| Specialty | Estimated median salary | On-call common? | Procedures? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infectious disease NP | $120,000 | Yes (inpatient) | Rare |
| Oncology NP | $122,000 | Occasionally | Port access, biopsy assist |
| Cardiology NP | $126,000 | Yes (interventional) | Device interrogation, stress test supervision |
| Pulmonology NP | $120,000 | Yes (critical care) | Bronchoscopy assist |
| Endocrinology NP | $115,000 | Rarely | Rare |
| Dermatology NP | $118,000 | No | Biopsies, excisions, Mohs assist |
| Emergency NP | $130,000 | Built into shift structure | Laceration repair, procedural sedation |
| Neurology NP | $120,000 | Sometimes | LP assist |
ID NPs sit mid-pack within this group of specialist estimates, though the whole group sits below the $132,300 all-NP BLS median. That is a property of the data sources rather than a measured finding: these specialty figures come from association surveys and job-board aggregation, which sample differently from the federal wage survey and tend to under-represent the hospital and academic roles that pull the BLS median up. The salary profile rewards NPs who value intellectual complexity, cross-departmental influence, and public health scope over procedural volume or shift-based premium pay.
Career stage progression
Entry-level ID NPs (years 1–3) typically earn $105,000–$120,000. Compensation accelerates when an NP demonstrates consistent independent clinical judgment in ID decision-making, usually by years 3–5. Senior ID NPs (5+ years, with ASP or HIV subspecialty focus) commonly reach $130,000–$155,000. Program director or ASP director roles at health systems add $15,000–$25,000 in administrative compensation above clinical base.
For broader NP salary context, see the nurse practitioner salary guide. For a salary comparison in another cognitive specialty with similar career trajectory, see the oncology NP salary guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do ID NPs earn less than other specialist NPs? On the available specialty estimates, yes. ID is primarily a cognitive and consultative specialty without the procedure-based income supplements that inflate salaries in cardiology, urology, or emergency medicine. Two qualifications matter before you read too much into the gap. The specialty figures come from surveys and job boards rather than the federal wage survey, so they are not measured on the same instrument as the $132,300 BLS all-NP median and cannot be subtracted from it cleanly. And within ID, hospital ASP roles, academic consult services, and pharma transitions all reach or exceed that median. The nurse practitioner salary guide provides the full specialty comparison.
Does AAHIVS certification increase salary? In HIV-focused markets, yes. Academic HIV programs in San Francisco, New York, and Boston increasingly list AAHIVS as a preferred qualification, and certification provides negotiating leverage. In general ID or ASP roles without a heavy HIV component, the credential has less direct salary impact – though it demonstrates subspecialty commitment.
Are ASP NP salaries competitive? ASP salaries ($120,000–$145,000) are competitive relative to outpatient ID, and the band straddles the $132,300 national NP median – the lower half sits beneath it, the upper half above. The stronger part of the case is structural: predictable hours and no on-call responsibility. For NPs who value work-life structure, ASP roles offer an attractive compensation-to-lifestyle ratio.
How does the Ryan White clinic salary compare after loan repayment? Take an NP earning $105,000 at a clinic that holds NHSC-approved status. A two-year full-time primary care commitment is worth up to $75,000 in loan repayment, or roughly $37,500 a year, and it is tax-free under IRC section 108(f)(4). That puts effective annual compensation in the region of $142,500 during the commitment period, which is competitive with private academic programs despite the lower face-value salary. Two caveats: the award is capped at your actual outstanding qualifying loan balance, so an NP with $40,000 of debt receives $40,000 rather than $75,000, and the benefit stops when the commitment ends while the lower base salary does not.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Nurse Practitioners (SOC 29-1171),” Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. National median annual wage $132,300. This supersedes the May 2024 figure of $129,210 still quoted in much online salary content. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291171.htm
- National ONET Consortium, “Nurse Practitioners (29-1171.00),” state wage tables, ONET OnLine, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Source for the state-level NP medians in the table above, OEWS May 2025 vintage. https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/29-1171.00
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners,” BLS. Used for employment projections only – the OOH wage page runs on a separate release cycle from OEWS and may display an earlier wage vintage. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm
- Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), “IDSA Physician and Advanced Practice Provider Workforce Reports,” IDSA.
- American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), “AAHIVS Credential Overview,” AAHIVM.
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), “Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program,” HRSA.
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), “Fiscal Year 2026 NHSC Loan Repayment Program Application and Program Guidance,” nhsc.hrsa.gov. Primary care clinicians, including NPs, are eligible for up to $75,000 full-time / $37,500 half-time over a two-year commitment at an NHSC-approved site, plus a $5,000 Spanish-language enhancement; the $50,000 tier applies to behavioral and oral health disciplines. Awards are excluded from gross income under IRC section 108(f)(4).
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), “Condition of Participation: Infection Prevention and Control and Antibiotic Stewardship Programs,” 42 CFR 482.42 (hospitals) and 42 CFR 485.640 (critical access hospitals), CMS, 2019 final rule. Neither provision contains a bed-count threshold.
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), “State Practice Environment: Full, Reduced, and Restricted Practice,” AANP, 05/2026 revision. 27 states plus the District of Columbia classed as full practice; 12 reduced; 11 restricted.