Doctor of Nursing Practice Salary in North Carolina

North Carolina is providing great incentives for DNP-educated advanced nursing clinical and nonclinical practitioners. In 2015, the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division determined that nurse practitioners, postsecondary nursing instructors and teachers, and nurse anesthetists were all ranked among the state’s top 15 careers that require an advanced degree, citing high salaries and employment growth.

Yet, even on a national scale North Carolina is continually recognized as a salary leader for advanced nursing practitioners with DNP degrees. For example, in 2014 the United States Department of Labor announced enviable salary facts emphasizing North Carolina’s high pay rates for DNP-educated nurses, including:

• The Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan region was the fourth highest paying nonmetropolitan area for nurse practitioners in the country. The 180 nurse practitioners working here earned an average annual salary of over $105,000.
• The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metropolitan district was the fourth highest paying metropolitan area for nurse anesthetists in the country. The state paid the 70 nurse anesthetists practicing here an average annual salary of over $185,000.
• The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan division was among the top ten highest paying metropolitan areas for health and diagnosing practitioners, all others, in the country. This region awarded the 60 health and diagnosing practitioners, all others, an average annual salary of over $120,000.

DNP-Prepared Nurses Receive Top Dollar in North Carolina

Most employers in North Carolina consider an employee’s level of education as a major determining factor in deciding their salary. As such, salaries for DNP-educated nurses are routinely in the 90^th percentile (2016, North Carolina Department of Commerce):

Nurse Anesthetists:

• Asheville – $142,130
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia – $188,630
• Durham-Chapel Hill – $156,970
• Fayetteville – $169,200
• Hickory-Lenior-Morganton – $166,190
• Raleigh – $153,320
• Winston-Salem – $187,680

Nurse Administrators and Executives:

• Asheville – $115,290
• Burlington – $120,820
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia – $127,710
• Durham-Chapel Hill – $135,500
• Fayetteville – $124,320
• Goldsboro – $124,470
• Greensboro-High Point – $124,660
• Greenville – $135,870
• Hickory-Lenior-Morganton – $123,600
• Jacksonville – $103.090
• New Bern – $130,440
• Raleigh – $123,440
• Rocky Mount – $142,140
• Wilmington – $112,600
• Winston-Salem – $124,980

Nurse Practitioners:

• Asheville – $107,640
• Burlington – $96,160
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia – $111,610
• Durham-Chapel Hill – $138,250
• Fayetteville – $111,700
• Goldsboro – $112,310
• Greensboro-High Point – $100,210
• Hickory-Lenior-Morganton – $103,910
• Jacksonville – $119,660
• New Bern – $103,040
• Raleigh – $106,580
• Rocky Mount – $104,290
• Wilmington – $109,780
• Winston-Salem – $106,550

Nurse-Midwives:

• Asheville – $94,100
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia – $104,230
• Greensboro-High Point – $115,350
• Hickory-Lenior-Morganton – $104,910
• Jacksonville – $93,980

Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners:

• Asheville – $94,460
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia – $81,080
• Durham-Chapel Hill – $112,100
• Greensboro-High Point – $88,470
• Raleigh – $138,650

Nurse Educators:

• Asheville – $68,550
• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia – $70,180
• Durham-Chapel Hill – $92.890
• Greensboro-High Point – $74,070
• Hickory-Lenior-Morganton – $59,580
• Raleigh – $104,320
• Winston-Salem – $63,200

Best Paying Jobs for DNP-Prepared Nurses in North Carolina

Salary surveys conducted by the United States Department of Labor in 2014 confirm that certain jobs in North Carolina are more apt to offer DNP-educated nurses greater salaries than others. The following salary table only includes the 75^th and 90^th salary percentiles since DNP-educated nurses typically earn notably higher average salaries than their MSN-educated contemporaries:

*Values are equal to or greater than $90 an hour or $187,199 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide salary data higher than these values.

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