Rheumatology NP salary: what to expect and how to earn more

LS
By Lindsay Smith, AGPCNP
Updated October 2, 2026

Reviewed for clinical accuracy · Methodology: NIH, NCBI, AANP guidelines

Rheumatology NPs earn between roughly $120,000 and $165,000 annually in most US markets. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a rheumatology-specific NP code – all nurse practitioners are classified under SOC 29-1171 – so specialty estimates draw on job posting analysis and wRVU productivity benchmarks rather than a single government figure. The BLS national median for all NPs is $132,300 per year ($63.61/hour) as of the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, with a 10th-to-90th percentile spread of $101,340 to $174,420.

Because no federal or professional body surveys rheumatology NP compensation specifically, every specialty figure on this page is an estimate anchored on that BLS distribution and cross-checked against posted roles. Treat them as planning ranges rather than measured averages.

Rheumatology NP compensation is supported by the specialty’s diagnostic complexity, its biologic pharmacology demands, and a well-documented rheumatologist workforce shortage. The primary salary levers – biologic infusion supervision, state practice authority, and the wRVU productivity model – are covered in detail below. For the full career pathway, see the companion rheumatology NP career guide.

National salary overview

Percentile Estimated annual salary Hourly equivalent
10th percentile $101,000–$112,000 $49–$54/hr
25th percentile $114,000–$124,000 $55–$60/hr
50th percentile (median) $130,000–$140,000 $63–$67/hr
75th percentile $148,000–$158,000 $71–$76/hr
90th percentile $165,000–$185,000 $79–$89/hr

The 90th percentile range reflects high-volume community practice with wRVU productivity bonuses, biologic infusion supervision privileges, independent practice authority, and significant tenure in the specialty. Clinicians at academic medical centers typically earn 5–15% less in base salary than their community counterparts, offset by complex caseloads, research involvement, and structured professional development.

Methodology note: the BLS SOC 29-1171 May 2025 distribution provides the anchor – national percentiles for all nurse practitioners are $101,340 (10th), $132,300 (median), and $174,420 (90th). The rheumatology-specific ranges above adjust that distribution using job posting analysis and wRVU productivity benchmarks. No professional body publishes rheumatology NP compensation data, so these are estimates rather than survey findings. Treat them as ranges, not point estimates.

Salary by work setting

Setting Typical salary range Compensation structure Key notes
Academic medical center $115,000–$145,000 Base salary, minimal productivity bonus HSS, Mayo, UCSF – complex autoimmune caseloads, teaching and research involvement, structured mentorship; lower base than community
Community rheumatology practice $125,000–$165,000 Base + wRVU productivity bonus Most common setting; highest total comp ceiling; infusion suite often on-site; panel autonomy after onboarding period
Veterans Affairs (VA) $120,000–$152,000 Title 38 Nurse I–V grades, not the General Schedule; facility-set locality adjustment Federal benefits package (FEHB, FEGLI, FERS pension); no billing pressure; strong job security; 26 days annual leave; comp is competitive when total benefits are factored in
Dedicated infusion center $120,000–$152,000 Base salary, sometimes per-session supplement NP supervises biologic infusions; may not carry a full ambulatory panel; infusion supervision adds clinical value and sometimes a rate premium; often hospital-affiliated
Telehealth rheumatology $110,000–$138,000 Base or per-visit rate Emerging but limited – physical exam requirements (joint count, synovitis assessment) reduce suitability for new and complex patients; appropriate for stable established patients only
Independent practice (full-practice jurisdictions) $135,000–$195,000+ Revenue-based (billing + payer mix) Revenue ceiling higher; overhead is substantial; biologic infusion in private practice requires significant capital investment; most feasible in markets with rheumatologist shortage
Locum tenens (rheumatology) $155,000–$210,000 W-2 or 1099 per-day rate Less common than in primary care or hospital medicine; rheumatology panels are relationship-based, reducing locum demand; available for coverage gaps at short-staffed practices

wRVU model in rheumatology

Most outpatient rheumatology practices – particularly community practices with 2 or more rheumatologists – use a work relative value unit (wRVU) productivity model for NP compensation. Understanding this model helps you negotiate effectively and project your earning potential.

Rheumatology is an evaluation and management (E&M)-heavy specialty with minimal procedural wRVU generation compared to surgical specialties or procedure-heavy fields like urology or gastroenterology. That is simply how the specialty is built: E&M coding drives the majority of rheumatology revenue.

Typical rheumatology E&M wRVU values:

  • Office visit, established patient, moderate complexity (CPT 99214): 1.92 wRVU
  • Office visit, established patient, low complexity (CPT 99213): 1.30 wRVU
  • New patient evaluation, moderate complexity (CPT 99204): 2.60 wRVU
  • New patient evaluation, high complexity (CPT 99205): 3.50 wRVU

A rheumatology NP seeing 16–18 patients per day, with roughly 20% of those new, might generate 28–34 wRVUs daily. At a conversion factor of $45–$55 per wRVU (a common range in rheumatology practice), that translates to $1,260–$1,870 per day in compensation credit. Keep the distinction clear when you read a contract: the conversion factor converts your production into your pay. What the practice collects for the same visits depends on payer mix and contracted rates, and is a separate and generally larger number. Practices typically set a wRVU threshold (often 4,000–5,500 annually) before productivity bonuses kick in.

Biologic infusion and wRVU: Biologic infusions are billed under drug-administration CPT codes (e.g., 96413 for the initial hour of a complex biologic infusion). Those codes carry a small work RVU – 96413 is about 0.28, against 1.92 for a single 99214 visit – because most of their value sits in practice expense (nursing time, chair, supplies) and in the drug itself. So infusion supervision adds little to your personal wRVU count; its value to the practice is infusion-suite revenue and capacity. When an NP supervises infusion sessions, the credit also depends on payer policies, whether the NP is the supervising provider of record, and whether the practice bills incident-to or under the NP’s own NPI. If you are being offered an infusion premium, get it written into the contract as a stipend or base adjustment rather than assuming it will show up through wRVUs.

Salary levers

1. Biologic infusion supervision privilege

This is the most consequential clinical differentiator in rheumatology NP compensation. NPs with infusion suite supervision privileges – able to independently supervise Remicade, Benlysta, Rituxan, and Orencia infusions – add operational capacity and infusion-suite revenue to a practice, even though the drug-administration codes themselves carry little personal wRVU credit (see above). Many practices pay a specific premium or offer a higher base for this capability. Developing infusion management skills early in your rheumatology career is a high-return investment.

2. Full-practice state authority

The AANP classifies each state’s NP practice environment as full, reduced, or restricted. In full-practice jurisdictions – 27 states plus Washington DC and two US territories as of the AANP’s 2026 State Practice Environment listing – NPs evaluate, diagnose, order and interpret tests, and prescribe under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing, with no physician collaborative agreement required. Reduced-practice states require a career-long collaborative agreement for at least one element of practice. Restricted-practice states require physician supervision or delegation.

Both reduced and restricted environments can cut into earning power, usually through the collaborating-physician fee an NP pays out of pocket or that the practice absorbs, and through limits on independent billing. Practice authority matters most for NPs who want to own or co-own a practice; for an employed NP inside an established rheumatology group, the effect on take-home pay is smaller than setting, volume, and conversion rate. Check the AANP listing for your state before assuming – several states have shifted category recently. Read the scope of any change as well as the headline. New Jersey’s 2026 law (P.L.2026, c.6, signed 30 March 2026) lets APNs with more than 5,000 hours of practice work without a joint protocol, but only in primary care or behavioral health, so a rheumatology NP in New Jersey should expect to keep a physician joint protocol.

A state’s category can be temporary, and New York is the case to watch. The independent practice authority New York grants NPs with more than 3,600 practice hours comes from the Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act as amended in 2022, and it was written with a sunset date rather than made permanent. The legislature has now pushed that date twice: from April 2024 to July 2026, and then, in an extension Governor Hochul approved on 28 May 2026, to 1 July 2030. Bills such as S2360 would make the authority permanent, but until one passes, qualifying NPs would revert to needing a collaborative relationship with a physician if the date lapses. For an employed rheumatology NP the practical effect is administrative rather than financial. For anyone weighing a move to New York specifically to practice independently, or planning to open a practice there, the category on the AANP map is secure for now but has an expiry date. Confirm the current status before you make a relocation or business decision on it.

3. wRVU productivity model vs. straight salary

A pure base salary without productivity component caps your earnings regardless of clinical volume. wRVU-based models – base salary plus productivity bonus above a threshold – reward high-volume, efficient clinicians. When evaluating rheumatology NP contracts, understand the threshold wRVU target and the per-wRVU conversion rate. A higher conversion rate ($50–$55/wRVU vs. $40/wRVU) meaningfully changes total compensation for a productive clinician.

4. Community practice vs. academic center

Academic rheumatology positions pay 5–15% less in base salary than comparable community roles, as a rule. The tradeoff is real: academic centers offer complex caseloads, mentorship, research involvement, and professional development infrastructure. For early-career NPs building diagnostic skills in difficult autoimmune disease, the academic salary discount may be worth taking. For mid-career NPs who have built clinical confidence, the community premium becomes more attractive.

5. Loan repayment – read the eligibility rules before you count on it

Loan repayment is frequently listed as an NP salary lever, and for rheumatology it carries an important restriction. The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program sets its cap by discipline, and awards are made in descending order of the site’s HPSA score. Under the FY2026 guidance, primary care NPs (adult, family, pediatric, women’s health, and geriatrics) serving in a primary care HPSA can receive up to $75,000 for a two-year full-time commitment (up to $37,500 half-time). Psychiatric-mental health NPs fall under the behavioral health tier instead: they must serve in a mental health HPSA, and the cap is $50,000 full-time or $25,000 half-time. Either way, the work has to be primary care or behavioral health at an NHSC-approved site, so an NP practicing rheumatology in a specialty clinic does not qualify on the strength of the rheumatology role.

Where this becomes relevant: an FNP or AGPCNP who splits time between a qualifying primary care panel at an NHSC-approved site and a rheumatology clinic, or who serves an NHSC commitment before moving into the specialty, can capture the award. HRSA’s separate Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program pays 60% of qualifying nursing education debt over two years, with an optional third year adding 25%, and uses its own eligibility rules for RNs and APRNs at critical shortage facilities. Verify your discipline, your site’s NHSC approval status, and its HPSA score with HRSA directly before treating loan repayment as part of your compensation math.

6. Locum tenens positioning

Rheumatology locum tenens positions exist, though less commonly than in primary care or hospitalist medicine. Short-term coverage roles at practices with staffing gaps typically pay $95–$120/hr for experienced NPs. The annual locum range in the setting table above ($155,000–$210,000) assumes roughly 1,600–1,750 booked hours a year; locum work is rarely booked for a full 2,080-hour year, so gaps between assignments pull the real total down. For clinicians comfortable with unfamiliar panel dynamics and less relationship-continuity, locum work between permanent roles – or as a supplement – increases total earnings substantially.

7. Experience and tenure

Rheumatology NP compensation increases meaningfully with experience. Entry-level positions (0–2 years in rheumatology) typically sit $10,000–$20,000 below mid-career positions. After 5+ years in the specialty, NPs with established autoimmune disease management skills and infusion supervision experience represent a hard-to-replace asset, and have meaningful negotiating leverage at renewal.

30-state geographic salary guide

Geography is one of the three largest salary determinants for NPs (alongside setting and experience). High cost-of-living states typically pay more, but purchasing power varies.

The table below gives each state’s median and middle-50% band (25th–75th percentile) for all nurse practitioners, from BLS OEWS May 2025 data (SOC 29-1171, via O*NET). No source breaks state pay down by NP specialty, so use the band as the planning range: an experienced rheumatology NP in a community practice will usually sit in the upper half of it, and a new-to-specialty NP in the lower half. Tiers follow the state median: High is $138,000 or more (roughly the top 10 states nationally), Mid is $128,000–$137,999, and Lower is below $128,000, against a national median of $132,300.

Practice-authority labels below follow the AANP’s 2026 State Practice Environment classification. Practice authority and pay are not correlated in the way people often assume. California is a restricted-practice state and the highest-paying NP market in the country, reduced-practice New Jersey ranks second, and full-practice South Dakota sits below the national median. Authority affects your ability to practice independently; wages track cost of living, market density, and payer mix.

State Tier All-NP median (May 2025) Middle 50% (25th–75th) Notes
California High $168,520 $145,980–$209,350 Restricted-practice state (physician supervision required); highest NP median in the US; highest COL; strong demand in Bay Area, LA, San Diego
New Jersey High $159,310 $136,740–$170,530 Reduced-practice state; the 2026 law letting APNs with 5,000+ hours drop the physician joint protocol covers primary and behavioral health care only, so specialty rheumatology roles are not included; second-highest NP median in the US; large suburban market adjacent to NYC and Philadelphia
Washington High $156,100 $129,670–$169,500 Full-practice state; Seattle metro has academic and community rheumatology
Oregon High $155,680 $134,840–$168,700 Full-practice state; OHSU academic rheumatology; community demand in Portland
Alaska High $155,170 $126,080–$172,000 Full-practice state; rural premium; very limited rheumatology supply
New York High $153,510 $132,490–$170,290 Full-practice for NPs with more than 3,600 practice hours, under a provision now extended to July 2030 – see the practice-authority section above; HSS and academic centers in NYC; lower outside metro
Massachusetts High $142,440 $132,460–$168,100 Full-practice state; Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital rheumatology divisions (both Mass General Brigham)
Nevada High $140,670 $110,160–$161,760 Full-practice state; no state income tax; Las Vegas metro has rheumatology shortage
Connecticut High $138,470 $124,870–$160,700 Full-practice state; proximity to NYC academic centers
New Mexico Mid $137,520 $124,740–$160,950 Full-practice state; UNM Health Sciences; significant rural shortage
Hawaii Mid $135,570 $124,530–$165,810 Full-practice state; high COL; limited rheumatology supply creates opportunity
Arizona Mid $134,420 $126,880–$159,780 Full-practice state; Phoenix/Scottsdale growing market; older population base
Oklahoma Mid $133,390 $122,530–$152,330 Restricted-practice state; OUHSC rheumatology; lower COL extends purchasing power
Minnesota Mid $133,260 $111,750–$155,260 Full-practice state; Mayo Clinic Rochester; strong Twin Cities community market
Colorado Mid $132,930 $118,410–$150,990 Full-practice state; University of Colorado Health Sciences; growing Front Range market
Texas Mid $131,670 $113,840–$147,660 Restricted-practice state (physician delegation and written protocols required); lower COL amplifies purchasing power; large urban markets (Houston, Dallas, Austin)
Illinois Mid $130,680 $113,320–$142,000 Reduced-practice state; Northwestern and Rush academic rheumatology in Chicago
Pennsylvania Mid $130,140 $110,960–$142,720 Reduced-practice state; Penn and UPMC academic centers; strong community rheumatology in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
Florida Mid $129,510 $112,380–$137,610 Restricted-practice state; autonomous primary care practice available after 3,000 supervised hours, but that pathway does not extend to specialty rheumatology; aging population drives demand; no state income tax
Georgia Mid $129,430 $110,360–$141,240 Restricted-practice state; Emory rheumatology in Atlanta; community demand statewide
North Carolina Mid $128,990 $114,260–$142,180 Restricted-practice state; Duke and UNC academic rheumatology; growing Research Triangle market
South Dakota Mid $128,840 $108,190–$136,180 Full-practice state; no state income tax; Sanford Health system; significant rural shortage
Virginia Lower $127,810 $109,180–$139,500 Restricted-practice state; transition to autonomous practice available after qualifying clinical hours; UVA and VCU academic centers
West Virginia Lower $127,320 $108,520–$133,220 Reduced-practice state; WVU Medicine; near-statewide HPSA designation
Arkansas Lower $125,660 $105,450–$137,550 Reduced-practice state; UAMS rheumatology; widespread rural shortage
Louisiana Lower $125,600 $109,850–$135,610 Reduced-practice state; LSU Health academic system; Tulane rheumatology
Mississippi Lower $124,730 $106,660–$134,020 Reduced-practice state; widespread HPSA designation; lower COL
Kentucky Lower $122,870 $106,240–$132,720 Restricted-practice state; University of Kentucky rheumatology; rural shortage areas
Tennessee Lower $117,590 $102,640–$130,330 Restricted-practice state; Vanderbilt rheumatology; no state income tax
Alabama Lower $105,750 $97,960–$123,970 Reduced-practice state; UAB rheumatology (academic); rural shortage areas

Specialty comparison

Rheumatology NP compensation sits at or somewhat above the all-NP median and below the highest-earning procedural specialties. All ranges in this table are estimates built the same way as the rheumatology figures, since no survey publishes NP pay by specialty at this level of detail:

Specialty Estimated median salary range Key differentiator
Cardiology NP $137,000–$178,000 Procedural exposure (cath lab, EP lab) drives top-end premium; see cardiology NP salary guide
Pulmonology NP $131,000–$168,000 Critical care overlap and bronchoscopy supervision; ICU experience premium
Oncology NP $126,000–$163,000 Infusion supervision, chemotherapy management; academic center concentration
Rheumatology NP $120,000–$165,000 Biologic infusion supervision; workforce shortage premium; outpatient-only lifestyle
Dermatology NP $121,000–$158,000 Procedure-light dermatology vs. procedural (Mohs assist, laser); outpatient lifestyle; see dermatology NP salary guide
Urology NP $121,000–$158,000 Cystoscopy privilege is major differentiator; procedure premium available
Neurology NP $118,000–$155,000 Tele-neurology growth; botulinum toxin injection; inpatient neurology premium
Primary care / family NP $110,000–$137,000 Highest volume setting; NHSC loan repayment available; foundational for many specialty transitions; see FNP salary guide

Rheumatology NP compensation is competitive with other outpatient medical specialty NP roles. The procedural specialties – cardiology (particularly EP and cath lab), interventional radiology, and surgery – tend to pay more at the top end, but they also carry greater physical demands and call burden. Rheumatology’s outpatient-only structure and predictable schedule is a meaningful quality-of-life factor that many NPs weight alongside base salary.

Career outlook

The workforce data is unusually clear here. The 2015 American College of Rheumatology Workforce Study – the field’s benchmark supply-and-demand projection, published by Battafarano and colleagues in Arthritis Care & Research in 2018 – projected that by 2030 demand for adult rheumatology care would exceed the supply of clinical providers by 4,133 clinical full-time equivalents – a shortfall of 102%, meaning projected demand is roughly double projected supply. The study put the 2030 supply at 4,882 providers, or 4,051 clinical FTE, a 25.2% decrease from the 2015 baseline driven substantially by retirements, part-time practice, and generational turnover. Patient demand moves the opposite way over the same window: US adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis were projected to rise from 52.5 million in 2012 to 67 million by 2030. Note that the 4,133 figure counts clinical FTEs across the whole adult rheumatology provider workforce, physicians and advanced practice providers together, rather than a headcount of unfilled physician posts.

The ACR’s response strategy explicitly centers APP expansion – NPs and PAs – as one mechanism for closing that gap, alongside fellowship expansion and rheumatology training for primary care clinicians. More recent state-level analysis published in Arthritis Care & Research has mapped where the shortfall bites hardest, finding wide disparities in rheumatologist adequacy between states, with the largest gaps concentrated in rural and non-metropolitan areas.

This creates a hiring environment meaningfully different from saturated primary care markets. Rheumatology practices are recruiting NPs actively, often offering structured onboarding periods with physician mentorship, which reduces the clinical risk for new-to-specialty NPs and speeds the transition.

Biologics expansion is an additional demand driver. The pipeline of biologic and targeted synthetic DMARD approvals continues to grow – each new agent creates complexity (monitoring requirements, biosimilar substitution decisions, prior authorization management) that rheumatologists increasingly rely on NPs to manage. NPs who stay current with ACR treatment guidelines and biologic pharmacology become steadily harder for a practice to replace.

Telehealth in rheumatology is growing, but more slowly than in primary care. The physical examination – joint counts, synovitis assessment, skin and mucosal findings in lupus and Sjögren’s – limits telehealth suitability for complex disease. Remote monitoring for established, stable patients is appropriate and expanding. Fully remote rheumatology NP positions remain rare.

Job security in rheumatology NP practice is high by the standards of the NP workforce. The combination of workforce shortage, growing aging population (gout and osteoporosis incidence both increase with age), and complex pharmacologic management requirements creates structural demand that is unlikely to reverse within the career horizon of a clinician entering the specialty today.

FAQ

Is rheumatology NP a good career financially? Yes, particularly relative to outpatient lifestyle. Rheumatology NPs earn at or somewhat above the all-NP median ($132,300 in May 2025), work entirely outpatient hours, carry minimal to no call burden in most practice settings, and operate in a specialty with documented workforce shortage and strong structural demand. The total compensation package – salary, no-call lifestyle, predictable schedule, professional development through ACR – compares favorably to many NP specialties that pay similarly but require call coverage or inpatient exposure.

Do rheumatology NPs make more than primary care NPs? In most markets, yes. Comparing posted rheumatology roles against posted primary care NP roles suggests a specialty premium in the region of $10,000–$20,000 annually at mid-career. No survey measures this directly, so treat it as an observed pattern in job postings rather than a published statistic. The premium narrows in underserved primary care markets where an NHSC award applies – up to $75,000 over a two-year full-time commitment is a large sum against a $10,000–$20,000 annual salary gap, though the award requires a qualifying primary care discipline and an NHSC-approved site, so a rheumatology role will not itself qualify. See the family nurse practitioner salary guide for primary care comparison data.

Does infusion supervision pay more? It can, though the mechanism varies by practice. Biologic infusion supervision adds only a little to your personal wRVU count, because drug-administration codes such as 96413 carry a work RVU of about 0.28. Its value lies in the infusion-suite capacity and revenue it gives the practice, which makes you harder to replace, and in some contracts it earns a specific supplement or higher base rate. The clearest way to get paid for it is a written stipend or base adjustment. In straight-salary models, the premium may be implicit – you are a more valuable hire – rather than explicit in the contract.

How long to reach top pay? Most rheumatology NPs reach their salary ceiling in 6–10 years of specialty practice. Year 1–2 in rheumatology typically carries a supervised onboarding discount of $5,000–$15,000 below market rate. Years 3–5 bring base salary to market level. Years 5–10, NPs with biologic infusion supervision privileges, established panels, and strong wRVU productivity reach the 75th–90th percentile range. Moving to a higher-paying geographic market or to a higher-production practice setting is often the fastest route to the top of the range, rather than tenure alone.

References

  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: 29-1171 Nurse Practitioners,” May 2025 estimates, released May 2026.
  2. ONET OnLine, “Summary Report for 29-1171.00 Nurse Practitioners” and “Local Wages for 29-1171.00” (state 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles for all 50 states and DC), National Center for ONET Development, BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, accessed 29 September 2026.
  3. Battafarano DF, Ditmyer M, Bolster MB, et al., “2015 American College of Rheumatology Workforce Study: Supply and Demand Projections of Adult Rheumatology Workforce, 2015–2030,” Arthritis Care & Research, vol. 70, no. 4, April 2018, pp. 617–626, doi:10.1002/acr.23518.
  4. Silvestre J, Ferdon RJ, Ravinsky RA, Oates JC, et al., “Identification of State-Level Disparities in the Supply, Demand, and Adequacy of Rheumatologists in the United States,” Arthritis Care & Research, published online 5 June 2026, doi:10.1002/acr.80092.
  5. American Association of Nurse Practitioners, “2026 Nurse Practitioner State Practice Environment” and “Issues at a Glance: Full Practice Authority,” AANP advocacy resources, updated May 2026.
  6. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value Unit Files,” calendar year 2026 national relative value files, US Department of Health and Human Services.
  7. Health Resources and Services Administration, “Fiscal Year 2026 NHSC Loan Repayment Program Application and Program Guidance,” National Health Service Corps, US Department of Health and Human Services.
  8. Health Resources and Services Administration, “Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program Fiscal Year 2026 Application and Program Guidance,” Bureau of Health Workforce, US Department of Health and Human Services.
  9. American College of Rheumatology, “Advanced Practice Provider Resources” and rheumatology workforce solutions initiative materials, ACR.
  10. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners,” Employment Projections 2025–2035 (released 27 August 2026, superseding the 2024–2034 round): 36% growth for the combined category, 399,000 jobs in 2025 rising to 543,000, approximately 32,200 openings per year, combined-category median $134,920 (May 2025). Nurse practitioners alone (SOC 29-1171) are projected to grow 41.0%, from 336,300 to 474,100. US Department of Labor.
  11. New Jersey Legislature, P.L.2026, c.6 (S2996/A4052), signed 30 March 2026: APNs with more than 5,000 hours of licensed, active advanced nursing practice may practice without a joint protocol when delivering primary or behavioral health care; summarized in Brach Eichler, “Governor Sherrill Signs Law Granting Independent Practice Authority for Certain Advanced Practice Nurses,” 2026.
  12. New York Education Law § 6902(3) (Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act), collaborative-relationship exemption for NPs with more than 3,600 hours extended to 1 July 2030 (approved 28 May 2026); reported in Dermatology Times, “New York Extends Nurse Practitioner Independent Practice Authority Through 2030,” 16 July 2026.