Diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team. May provide well-woman gynecological care. Must have specialized, graduate nursing education.
National median · BLS
$134,040
▲ +4.08%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$136,980
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
7,920
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Nurse Midwives
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$93,620
25th
$116,510
Median (50th)
$134,040
75th
$157,400
90th — top pay
$188,320
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Nurse Midwives
BLS projects employment of nurse midwives to grow 11.5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
8,200 → 9,100
+900 jobs
Projected change
+11.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
1.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Nurse Midwives salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Nurse Midwives
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Active Listening4.1
Critical Thinking4.1
Social Perceptiveness4.1
Speaking4.1
Active Learning4.0
Monitoring4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Complex Problem Solving3.9
Coordination3.9
Service Orientation3.9
Top knowledge areas
Medicine and Dentistry4.8
Psychology4.3
Customer and Personal Service4.2
English Language4.2
Biology4.1
Sociology and Anthropology3.8
Therapy and Counseling3.7
Education and Training3.7
Software and technology used
eClinicalWorks EHR softwareEpic SystemsMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareAcrendo Medical Software Ob/Gyn EMRAllscripts Professional EHRAmkai AmkaiChartsBizmatics PrognoCIS EMRCerner MillenniumChartWare EMRdigiChart OB-GYNe-MDs softwareGE Healthcare Centricity EMRGreenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITEMedscribbler EnterpriseMicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMRNextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMRPractice Partner Total Practice Partner
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What nurse midwives do
Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.
Monitor fetal development by listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight.
Document patients' health histories, symptoms, physical conditions, or other diagnostic information.
Provide patients with direct family planning services, such as inserting intrauterine devices, dispensing oral contraceptives, and fitting cervical barriers, including cervical caps or diaphragms.
Prescribe medications as permitted by state regulations.
Develop and implement individualized plans for health care management.
Explain procedures to patients, family members, staff members or others.
Order and interpret diagnostic or laboratory tests.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Nurse Midwives, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $134,040.
