Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
29-1161 Nurse Midwives
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 estimates for Nurse Midwives
Industry profile for Nurse Midwives
Geographic profile for Nurse Midwives
National estimates for Nurse Midwives:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Nurse Midwives:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 7,750 |
5.7 % |
$ 54.91 |
$ 114,210 |
2.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Nurse Midwives:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 29.57 |
$ 46.17 |
$ 54.24 |
$ 62.72 |
$ 79.89 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 61,500 |
$ 96,040 |
$ 112,830 |
$ 130,450 |
$ 166,170 |
Industry profile for Nurse Midwives:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Nurse Midwives are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Nurse Midwives, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Nurse Midwives:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Nurse Midwives:
Top paying industries for Nurse Midwives:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
1,070 |
0.11 |
$ 70.40 |
$ 146,430 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1,680 |
0.03 |
$ 57.64 |
$ 119,900 |
| Offices of Physicians |
3,880 |
0.14 |
$ 54.77 |
$ 113,920 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
70 |
(7) |
$ 51.51 |
$ 107,130 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
90 |
(7) |
$ 50.32 |
$ 104,670 |
Geographic profile for Nurse Midwives:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Nurse Midwives are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Nurse Midwives, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Nurse Midwives:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
1,230 |
0.07 |
1.35 |
$ 65.90 |
$ 137,070 |
| New York |
490 |
0.06 |
1.03 |
$ 60.66 |
$ 126,170 |
| Texas |
450 |
0.04 |
0.66 |
$ 40.88 |
$ 85,030 |
| Pennsylvania |
340 |
0.06 |
1.10 |
$ 53.84 |
$ 111,980 |
| Massachusetts |
310 |
0.09 |
1.64 |
$ 62.19 |
$ 129,360 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nurse Midwives:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
90 |
0.31 |
5.67 |
$ 46.17 |
$ 96,020 |
| Delaware |
80 |
0.19 |
3.37 |
$ 51.31 |
$ 106,730 |
| New Mexico |
140 |
0.18 |
3.29 |
$ 51.73 |
$ 107,600 |
| Vermont |
50 |
0.17 |
3.18 |
$ 49.11 |
$ 102,160 |
| Idaho |
110 |
0.14 |
2.63 |
$ 29.68 |
$ 61,740 |
Top paying states for Nurse Midwives:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Nurse Midwives:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
400 |
0.05 |
0.84 |
$ 62.01 |
$ 128,970 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
320 |
0.06 |
1.02 |
$ 64.26 |
$ 133,660 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
250 |
0.10 |
1.73 |
$ 62.36 |
$ 129,720 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
240 |
0.11 |
1.98 |
$ 78.27 |
$ 162,800 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
200 |
0.07 |
1.23 |
$ 54.04 |
$ 112,400 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
160 |
0.06 |
1.13 |
$ 56.02 |
$ 116,510 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
160 |
0.04 |
0.70 |
$ 56.74 |
$ 118,030 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
160 |
0.11 |
1.99 |
$ 59.37 |
$ 123,480 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
160 |
0.11 |
2.06 |
$ 46.47 |
$ 96,650 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
150 |
0.12 |
2.21 |
$ 54.48 |
$ 113,320 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nurse Midwives:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Anchorage, AK |
60 |
0.38 |
6.82 |
$ 46.57 |
$ 96,870 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
90 |
0.25 |
4.58 |
$ 51.00 |
$ 106,090 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ |
50 |
0.15 |
2.65 |
$ 53.55 |
$ 111,390 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
90 |
0.13 |
2.31 |
$ 64.40 |
$ 133,950 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
150 |
0.12 |
2.21 |
$ 54.48 |
$ 113,320 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
40 |
0.11 |
2.07 |
$ 48.42 |
$ 100,710 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
160 |
0.11 |
2.06 |
$ 46.47 |
$ 96,650 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
160 |
0.11 |
1.99 |
$ 59.37 |
$ 123,480 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
240 |
0.11 |
1.98 |
$ 78.27 |
$ 162,800 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI |
50 |
0.10 |
1.88 |
$ 58.55 |
$ 121,770 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Nurse Midwives:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Charleston, WV |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 81.47 |
$ 169,460 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
240 |
0.11 |
1.98 |
$ 78.27 |
$ 162,800 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
80 |
0.07 |
1.35 |
$ 75.76 |
$ 157,570 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
90 |
0.09 |
1.65 |
$ 72.59 |
$ 150,990 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
90 |
0.13 |
2.31 |
$ 64.40 |
$ 133,950 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
320 |
0.06 |
1.02 |
$ 64.26 |
$ 133,660 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
60 |
0.07 |
1.36 |
$ 63.26 |
$ 131,580 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
250 |
0.10 |
1.73 |
$ 62.36 |
$ 129,720 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
400 |
0.05 |
0.84 |
$ 62.01 |
$ 128,970 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
100 |
0.09 |
1.66 |
$ 60.17 |
$ 125,160 |
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
