The national salary range for palliative care nurse practitioners runs approximately $115,000–$145,000 per year, with a median near $125,000–$128,000 for hospital-based and outpatient palliative NPs. Hospice agency NPs in home-based roles tend to cluster in the $110,000–$130,000 range, with on-call stipends adding $1,500–$4,000 per month in many hospice organizations. The BLS does not separately track palliative care NP salaries — the BLS NP median (SOC 29-1171, May 2024) of $129,210 covers all NP specialties — so specialty estimates draw on job board aggregates, HPNA survey data, and disclosed compensation from health system job postings.
Palliative care NPs earn modestly below the highest-paying procedural NP specialties (cardiology, anesthesia, dermatology), but at or slightly above primary care NP earnings, particularly in academic medical center settings where hospital palliative care consultation teams are well-resourced. ACHPN certification consistently adds an 8–12% salary premium across settings. The most meaningful compensation variable after geography is work setting: academic medical center palliative consultation teams pay significantly more than standalone hospice agencies, often 15–20% more for comparable experience levels.
For career pathway information, see the companion how to become a palliative care nurse practitioner guide.
National salary overview
| Metric | Value | Source / notes |
|---|---|---|
| BLS all-NP median (May 2024) | $129,210 | SOC 29-1171; all NP specialties combined |
| Palliative care NP national average | ~$125,000–$130,000 | Specialty aggregate from ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Salary.com; hospital-based settings weighted higher |
| Hospice NP national average | ~$110,000–$125,000 | Home-based hospice roles; excludes on-call stipends |
| Palliative care NP entry-level (0–2 years NP) | ~$97,000–$112,000 | Adjusted for setting and geography |
| Palliative care NP senior (10+ years) | ~$140,000–$165,000 | Lead NP, program director, or academic palliative care appointment |
| ACHPN certification premium | ~8–12% above uncertified NP peers | HPNA member surveys; Glassdoor/ZipRecruiter certified vs uncertified postings |
Methodology note: The BLS does not break out palliative care or hospice NP salaries separately under SOC 29-1171. The specialty figures above combine disclosed salary ranges from hospital system job postings, ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor aggregates for “palliative care nurse practitioner” and “hospice nurse practitioner” search terms, and available HPNA workforce survey data. Use these figures as benchmarks calibrated to your geography, employer type, and experience level — not as guarantees.
Salary by work setting
Work setting is the single strongest predictor of palliative care NP compensation, controlling for geography and experience. Academic medical centers with formal palliative care consultation services pay the highest base salaries; standalone hospice agencies typically pay less base salary but compensate with on-call stipends and mileage reimbursement that partially close the gap.
| Setting | Typical salary range | Notes on compensation structure |
|---|---|---|
| Academic medical center — inpatient palliative care consultation | $125,000–$155,000 | Salaried; typically includes full benefits, retirement matching, CME allowance ($2,500–$5,000/yr); may include teaching and research responsibilities in faculty-adjacent roles |
| Community hospital — palliative care consultation team | $115,000–$140,000 | Salaried; benefits comparable to academic center; smaller palliative teams may carry broader scope per NP |
| Outpatient palliative care clinic (health system) | $118,000–$142,000 | Salaried or wRVU-based; no on-call in most outpatient programs; clinic hours (M–F) |
| Hospice agency — home-based | $108,000–$128,000 | Base salary plus on-call stipend ($1,500–$4,000/month); mileage reimbursement; caseload-based (12–18 patients typical); large agencies (VITAS, Compassus) offer 401(k) matching |
| Inpatient hospice unit (IPU) | $112,000–$135,000 | Shift-based or salaried; IPU NPs manage acute symptom crises; some weekend/night coverage required |
| Community-based palliative care program | $110,000–$130,000 | Home visit-based; mileage reimbursement essential; some programs use telehealth hybrid models that reduce driving burden |
| PACE program (palliative/geriatric hybrid) | $112,000–$132,000 | All-inclusive elder care program; NP carries geriatric panel with palliative care responsibilities; government-contracted, predictable funding |
Salary by state
The BLS reports NP salaries by state under SOC 29-1171 but does not break out palliative care specifically. State NP medians serve as the appropriate benchmark, adjusted for local cost of living and market demand. High-cost coastal states pay substantially more in absolute terms; mid-Atlantic and Pacific states lead the national rankings.
| State | BLS NP annual median (May 2024) | Estimated palliative care NP range |
|---|---|---|
| California | $161,680 | $138,000–$172,000 |
| New Jersey | $148,130 | $128,000–$160,000 |
| Massachusetts | $145,900 | $125,000–$158,000 |
| Washington | $142,840 | $122,000–$155,000 |
| New York | $139,060 | $120,000–$152,000 |
| Connecticut | $137,700 | $118,000–$150,000 |
| Oregon | $136,480 | $117,000–$148,000 |
| Maryland | $135,210 | $116,000–$147,000 |
| Minnesota | $132,600 | $114,000–$144,000 |
| Colorado | $131,990 | $114,000–$143,000 |
| Illinois | $130,850 | $113,000–$142,000 |
| Arizona | $130,110 | $112,000–$141,000 |
| Nevada | $128,950 | $111,000–$140,000 |
| Texas | $127,240 | $110,000–$138,000 |
| Michigan | $126,870 | $109,000–$138,000 |
| Ohio | $125,640 | $108,000–$136,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $125,280 | $108,000–$136,000 |
| North Carolina | $124,000 | $107,000–$135,000 |
| Virginia | $123,710 | $107,000–$134,000 |
| Florida | $122,680 | $106,000–$133,000 |
| Georgia | $121,430 | $105,000–$132,000 |
| Indiana | $118,600 | $103,000–$129,000 |
| Missouri | $117,890 | $102,000–$128,000 |
| Tennessee | $116,700 | $101,000–$127,000 |
| Alabama | $115,960 | $100,000–$126,000 |
| Mississippi | $110,450 | $96,000–$120,000 |
Note: California’s high NP median reflects both cost of living and the state’s full practice authority legislation, which enables broader NP employment across health systems. States with restricted practice laws and lower NP supply-demand ratios tend to cluster at the lower end.
ACHPN certification premium
ACHPN certification consistently correlates with higher compensation. Survey data from HPNA and salary aggregates from ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor suggest certified palliative care NPs earn approximately 8–12% more than uncertified peers in comparable roles. The mechanism is both direct (some employers pay explicit certification differentials of $2,000–$5,000/year) and indirect (certified NPs are more competitive for senior and lead positions that carry higher base pay).
The return on investment is meaningful: ACHPN exam cost is $295 (HPNA member) or $395 (non-member), with 4-year renewal at $195 (HPNA member). At a $5,000/year compensation premium, the exam cost is recovered in the first three weeks of employment.
HPNA membership ($150–$175/year for RN/APRN members) additionally provides:
- Discounted exam and renewal fees
- Access to the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing and other CE-eligible publications
- Annual conference with CE sessions that count toward ACHPN renewal hours
- Practice guidelines and clinical tools
Maintaining HPNA membership through the 4-year certification cycle typically saves more in renewal fees than the membership costs, particularly for NPs renewing via CE.
Career progression and salary growth
Palliative care NP compensation increases predictably with years of experience and leadership responsibility. The typical progression:
Staff palliative care NP (0–3 years NP): $97,000–$118,000. Mentored practice on a palliative consultation team or hospice caseload. Primary focus is clinical skill development — opioid titration, dyspnea management, goals-of-care facilitation, interdisciplinary team integration.
Senior palliative care NP (4–9 years NP): $118,000–$138,000. Independent clinical management of complex cases. May serve as clinical resource for newer NPs. Eligible to precept NP students or supervise hospice NPs on agency caseloads.
Lead/advanced practice lead (8–12 years): $135,000–$155,000. Operational and clinical leadership for a palliative care service or hospice NP team. Typically involves quality improvement project leadership, staff education, and collaboration with palliative care physicians on program development.
Palliative care program director (10+ years): $150,000–$175,000. Administrative leadership of a hospital or health system palliative care program. Responsibilities extend into hiring, budget management, accreditation, and strategic planning. Often requires DNP or relevant leadership credential.
Faculty / academic palliative care NP (10+ years): $130,000–$165,000. Clinical faculty role at a school of nursing or medical school with palliative medicine program. Combines clinical practice, teaching, and research; total compensation varies widely with institutional funding and grant activity.
Palliative care NP vs. other NP specialty salaries
| Specialty | National average / range | Premium vs. all-NP BLS median | Key salary driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palliative care NP | $115,000–$145,000 | Below median to ~12% above | Setting (academic vs hospice), ACHPN certification, on-call stipends |
| Oncology NP | $139,000–$144,000 | ~10–12% above | Chemo certification differential, wRVU productivity, academic center premium |
| Cardiology NP | $138,000–$158,000 | ~10–20% above | Procedural subspecialty (EP lab, cath lab), per-case stipends |
| Geriatric NP (AGPCNP) | $112,000–$130,000 | Below to at median | Outpatient/SNF setting; less variation by employer type |
| Hospice NP (home-based) | $108,000–$128,000 | ~6–12% below median | On-call stipends partially offset lower base; large geographic variation |
| Family NP (FNP) — primary care | $120,000–$130,000 | At median | Volume-based; RVU productivity in larger practices |
| Emergency NP (ENP-C) | $128,000–$152,000 | ~5–15% above | Shift differentials, locum tenens premium, evening/night pay |
Palliative care NPs earn near or slightly below the all-specialty NP median in purely base salary terms. The compensation picture changes when on-call stipends, CME allowances, loan repayment eligibility (palliative care qualifies for NHSC loan repayment in shortage areas), and the non-monetary aspects of the role are factored in. Many palliative care NPs have chosen the specialty specifically because the patient complexity and communication demands are a professional priority, not because it maximizes hourly earnings.
On-call and after-hours compensation
On-call is a significant compensation component in hospice settings that most salary benchmarks report incompletely. Hospice NPs — particularly in home-based roles — frequently carry on-call responsibilities for after-hours symptom management and family support. The compensation structure varies by employer:
Flat on-call stipend: Most common in hospice agencies. Monthly on-call stipends typically range from $1,500 to $4,000 per month, depending on frequency (one week per month vs rotating) and call volume. Large national hospice chains (VITAS, Compassus, Enclara Pharmacia-affiliated agencies) use structured stipend schedules published in job postings.
Hourly on-call rate: Less common but used by some community and PACE-affiliated programs. Rates typically run $15–$30/hour for being on-call, plus a separate call-back rate ($45–$75/hour) if the NP is activated for a patient visit or phone management episode.
No on-call: Inpatient hospital palliative care consultation teams and outpatient palliative clinics typically do not carry after-hours on-call responsibilities — nights and weekends are covered by the inpatient attending or an on-call physician. This is a meaningful lifestyle factor for NPs comparing hospital palliative roles to hospice agency roles.
When evaluating total compensation for a hospice NP role, add the annualized on-call stipend to the base salary before comparing to non-call positions. A hospice NP at $118,000 base with a $2,500/month on-call stipend has total cash compensation of approximately $148,000 — substantially above the stated base.
Loan repayment and financial incentives
Palliative care NPs may qualify for several loan repayment programs that are underutilized relative to other high-demand NP specialties:
NHSC Loan Repayment Program: The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment for APRNs practicing in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Palliative care positions in underserved rural and community settings frequently meet HPSA criteria. Awards run up to $50,000 (2-year commitment) or $30,000 (part-time equivalent). The NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment programs are worth evaluating early in a palliative care NP career, particularly for NPs in hospice or community-based roles in rural or low-income urban settings.
State loan repayment programs: Many states administer their own APRN loan repayment funds, some of which specifically target hospice, palliative care, or end-of-life care providers. State health department workforce programs are the starting point for researching availability.
Employer tuition and loan assistance: Academic medical centers and large health systems increasingly offer student loan assistance as part of benefit packages. These are not limited to any specialty but are more commonly available in the hospital settings where palliative care consultation teams operate.
Internal resources
- How to become a palliative care nurse practitioner — full career pathway guide: ACHPN certification, education requirements, fellowship programs, scope of practice
- Nurse practitioner salary — all-specialty NP salary benchmarks by state and setting
- How to become a nurse practitioner — NP pathway overview for nurses at the start of the graduate education process
- Oncology NP salary — salary comparison for the closest overlapping specialty
- Palliative care nursing — clinical foundations of palliative nursing practice for context on the RN-level role