Nurse Practitioner Salary in New Jersey for 2024

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Two factors shape the average salary of a nurse practitioner in New Jersey. First, many parts of central and northern New Jersey belong to the greater New York City metropolitan area where the employment market for nurse practitioners is one of the most highly paid in the nation. Second, NPs in the Garden State have no prescriptive authority. Though technically New Jersey NPs are licensed to operate as independent healthcare providers, NPs in the Garden State are still dependent upon physicians because they cannot prescribe medications for their patients without entering into a collaborative agreement with a physician. So, how much does a nurse practitioner make in New Jersey? This article will provide you with important information about nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey for 2024.

What is the Starting Salary of a Nurse Practitioner in New Jersey?

The starting nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey ($111,560) is 15 percent less than the national average for nurse practitioners embarking upon their first job out of graduate school (($131,543)). It’s also more than twice as much as the average salary for all entry-level positions in the U.S. ($40,153).

Entry-level wages are typically determined by cost of living and demand. New Jersey is an expensive place to live: If you assign an overall score of 100 as the base cost of living in the U.S., then the Garden State scores 120.4, meaning that, on average, it’s 20 percent more expensive to live in New Jersey than it is to live in the U.S. as a whole. And nurse practitioners are filling in the gaps in the Garden State’s access to primary healthcare services, which puts their services in high demand.

What is the Average Salary of a Nurse Practitioner in New Jersey?

What is the average salary of a nurse practitioner in New Jersey? The average nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey is $68.87 an hour, which adds up to $11,940 a month or $143,250 a year. This is 15 percent more than the average yearly salary an NP makes when you look at all parts of the United States ($124,680). However, it’s only 31 percent more than the average yearly salary for all occupations in New Jersey ($109,000). In most states, the salary differential between NPs and other occupations ranges between 50 and 200 percent, so it could be argued that nurse practitioners in the Garden State are actually being underpaid relative to their utility and training.

New Jersey salaries overall are high because the cost of living in the state is high. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the union, and this means land is expensive, leading to higher mortgages, higher rents and higher costs all around. New Jersey workers require high salaries to keep them from moving elsewhere.

Though 90 percent of New Jersey’s population is urban, this is no guarantee of access to healthcare services. The Garden State has its share of medically underserved counties. In these areas, federally qualified health centers, staffed by nurse practitioners, often supply the only access to healthcare. The demand for primary care NPs in these areas is high and continues to grow, which also influences nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in New Jersey by Years of Experience

As a new MSN or DNP advanced practice graduate in New Jersey, it’s likely you’re not functioning efficiently because you’re still fine-tuning your clinical and leadership skills. It will take some time before you get completely up to speed, and that lag is reflected in the pay differential that’s associated with experience.

By the time an NP in the Garden State has been on the job for four years, he or she can expect to earn $126,160 annually on average, which is 13 percent higher than the entry-level nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey of $111,560. By the time you’ve accumulated nine years of experience, you can expect to make $136,480 a year on average, which is 22 percent higher than your starting salary. With 20 years or more experience, your average salary will be $170,940, which is 11 percent more than what an NP with 10 to 19 years of experience earns. By this point, it’s likely you’ve become so good at what you do that the facility you work for has identified you as a revenue generator, and your salary has become a retention incentive.

Total Annual Nurse Practitioner Compensation (Including Other Benefits) in New Jersey

New Jersey employers offer various types of indirect compensation to attract nurse practitioners to their organizations. These types of indirect compensation are called benefits. The main advantage to separating benefits out from salaried compensation—at least, from the employee’s point of view—is that benefits don’t get taxed. NP benefits typically include perks like medical insurance, 401(k) contributions, paid sick time, paid vacation time, tuition reimbursement and professional liability coverage.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, only 75 percent of U.S. private-sector workers get paid sick time and only 70 percent of U.S. private-sector workers get some type of health insurance. Other benefits are distributed very unevenly. When U.S. workers do get benefits, those benefits seldom amount to more than 30 percent of the workers’ total compensation package. Yet the benefits paid to private sector NPs in New Jersey have a cash equivalence that’s equal to 42 percent of their salaries, and the benefits paid to public sector NPs in New Jersey have a cash equivalence that’s equal to 62 percent of their salaries.

The average value of a private sector nurse practitioner’s benefits is $60,524 a year, which—when added to the average private-sector nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey of $143,260 a year—brings his or her total compensation to $203,784 a year. The average value of a public sector nurse practitioner’s benefits is $88,104 a year, which—when added to the average public sector nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey of $143,140 a year—brings his or her total compensation to $231,244 a year. When you look at salary and benefits together, it’s easy to see that nurse practitioners working for state and local governments make a higher average nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey than nurse practitioners working for private hospitals and physicians.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in New Jersey by Practice Setting

Numerous studies have found that nurse practitioner effectiveness is not dependent upon practice settings per se, so other factors must be at work to explain the salary differentials of New Jersey nurse practitioners in various practice settings. One of these may simply be the number of patients seen.

Outpatient care centers typically provide complex medical procedures, tests and services that don’t necessitate overnight hospital stays. Revenue is generated according to the number of patients treated, and patient turnover is higher than it might be in a hospital. Experienced NPs treat more patients, thereby generating more revenue. Nurse practitioners who work in one of the Garden State’s outpatient care centers earn $74.04 an hour or $153,990 a year on average. Nurse practitioners who work in one of the Garden State’s hospitals, where the turnover is not as high, make $71.44 an hour or $148,590 a year on average, which is 4 percent less.

Procedures and services performed at physicians’ offices are not as complex as those performed in outpatient care centers and hospitals, and so, are not billed at the same high rates. The average nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey for an NP working out of a physician’s office is $67.33 an hour or $140,030 a year, which is 9 percent less than what an NP associated with an outpatient care center earns.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in New Jersey by Specialty

1. Adult Gerontology-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner:

Adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioners specialize in the care of adults and the elderly in hospital settings. In the Garden State, adults who are 65 or over are hospitalized 12 times more frequently than adults between the ages of 18 and 44. More than 1,113,000 New Jersey residents—13.2 percent of the state’s population—are over the age of 65. The demand for AG-ACNP services is high. The average adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner pay in New Jersey is $69.02 an hour or $143,570 a year.

Hourly	$69.02
Annual	$143,570

2. Adult Gerontology-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner:

To some extent, the care provided by adult gerontology-primary care nurse practitioners and family nurse practitioners overlaps. AG-PCNPs in the Garden State work primarily within physician practices and community agencies. The average adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey is $135,770 annually, which works out to just under $65.28 an hour.

Hourly	$65.28
Annual	$135,770

3. Dermatology Nurse Practitioner:

Dermatology nurse practitioners in New Jersey are employed in a variety of professional settings, including dermatology practices, plastic surgery practices, hospitals and burn centers. NPs working in the field of cosmetic dermatology can expect to earn more than NPs working in traditional dermatology. On average, these professionals take home $68.08 an hour, which calculates out to just over $141,600 annually.

Hourly	$68.08
Annual	$141,600

4. Family Nurse Practitioner:

Trenton and Newark are two densely populated cities in New Jersey where grant-funded primary care centers, staffed and directed by family care practitioners, are exploring new delivery models for comprehensive health care that’s high quality but low cost. Presently, 13 counties in the Garden State are looking at serious shortage of primary healthcare providers, and that number is expected to grow. Family nurse practitioners can help bridge that healthcare gap because they’re effective substitutes for primary care physicians although the fact that they can’t prescribe medications without a physician’s signature hinders their efficiency. The average family nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey is $67.72 an hour, which calculates out to $140,840 a year.

Hourly	$67.72
Annual	$140,840

5. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner:

As in many other states, the highest-paid nurse practitioners in New Jersey are neonatal nurse practitioners. The average neonatal nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey is $72.68 an hour or $151,180 annually. Neonatal nurse practitioners care for medically fragile newborns in neonatal intensive care nursery settings. NNPs are in high demand in the Garden State where approximately one out of every 10 babies is born preterm.

Hourly	$72.68
Annual	$151,180

6. Pediatric-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner:

It’s been estimated that more than 25 percent of Black and Hispanic children under the age of five in New Jersey are living in poverty. New Jersey’s overall early child poverty rate is 16.5 percent. Children living in poverty have higher incidences of asthma, obesity and developmental issues than children growing up in more affluent circumstances and typically have worst outcomes when their health issues are treated. New Jersey’s pediatric-acute care nurse practitioners work in hospital settings where they frequently encounter these types of children. P-ACNPs make $70.83 an hour or $147,330 a year on average.

Hourly	$70.83
Annual	$147,330

7. Pediatric-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner:

Pediatric-primary care nurse practitioners specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and management of common illnesses in children and adolescents. In the Garden State, they’re employed in a variety of settings, including pediatricians’ offices, schools, hospitals and urgent care clinics. The average pediatric-primary care nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey is $65.59 an hour or $136,410 annually.

Hourly	$65.59
Annual	$136,410

8. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP):

New Jersey is one of the best states in the nation when it comes to providing access to mental healthcare services. Still, there are many gaps in coverage, particularly when it comes to providing services for substance abuse recovery. Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has strained the resources available for the treatment of clinical depression and anxiety throughout the Garden State. Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners promise an effective, cost-efficient means of making more mental health services available. The average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary in New Jersey is $148,320 a year, which breaks down to $71.31 an hour.

Hourly	$71.31
Annual	$148,320

9. Women's Health Nurse Practitioner:

Women’s health nurse practitioners in New Jersey provide wellness care, prevention education and contraceptive counseling in a variety of practice settings, including the offices of physicians and community clinics. A piece of legislation called the Reproductive Freedom Act, which (among other things) would expand the scope of practice for WHNPs, was introduced in October 2020, though it has not yet come before New Jersey’s state legislature. The average WHNP salary in New Jersey is $65.59 an hour or $136,410 a year.

Hourly	$65.59
Annual	$136,410

Nurse Practitioner Salary in New Jersey by City

1. Newark:

Newark, New Jersey, is considered part of the greater New York City metropolitan area, so NP salaries here are high. The average nurse practitioner salary in Newark is $66.05 an hour or $137,380 annually. Nearly 30 percent of the city’s population lacks healthcare insurance, and the incidence of conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity is high. Newark’s best-known medical center is University Hospital, a teaching hospital associated with Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

Hourly	$66.05
Annual	$137,380

2. Trenton:

Trenton, New Jersey’s state capital, is a relatively impoverished city in mostly affluent Mercer County. In 2019, nearly one-third of Trenton’s population was estimated to be living beneath the poverty line. Poverty is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including higher rates of infant mortality and shorter life expectancies. The salary of a nurse practitioner in Trenton, NJ, is $67.94 an hour or $141,300 annually.

Hourly	$67.94
Annual	$141,300

3. Camden:

Although Camden is in New Jersey, it’s considered part of the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. Camden is one of the poorest cities in the nation; more than one-third of its residents live in poverty. Many of these residents are affected by health conditions like substance abuse, depression, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Access to healthcare services can be problematic in Camden. The salary of a nurse practitioner in Camden is $121,370 annually, which works out to $58.35 an hour.

Hourly	$58.35
Annual	$121,370

4. Vineland:

Vineland in the Garden State’s Cumberland County got its start as a planned Utopian community just before the start of the Civil War. Today, this medium-sized city in the southern part of New Jersey is one of the state’s most economically and ethnically diverse municipalities. The poverty rate here is higher than the nation’s as a whole, but nearly 90 percent of the population has health insurance. The average NP salary in Vineland, NJ is $61.22 an hour or $127,330 a year.

Hourly	$61.22
Annual	$127,330

NP Pay in New Jersey VS. Other Nursing Careers

Nurse practitioners in the Garden State make $143,250 per year, which is more than 48 percent over the $96,670 annual salary that registered nurses take home in New Jersey. Among all the states in the U.S., this is one of the largest NP/RN salary differentials, and it highlights the positive effect that graduating from one of the best nurse practitioner programs in New Jersey can have on your earning potential.

NP Pay in New Jersey VS. Other Healthcare Careers

NP earnings are comparable to the earnings of other highly trained ancillary healthcare professionals like physician assistants, podiatrists and optometrists. On average, New Jersey nurse practitioners take home salaries that are 44 percent less than the average salaries that family practice physicians take home ($244,509). In January 2020, the New Jersey legislature struck down a bill that would have allowed nurse practitioners to prescribe medication independently without a physician. It’s likely that if such a measure passes in the future, the differential between Garden State NPs and physicians will decrease.

Why is the Outlook Bright for Nurse Practitioner Salary in New Jersey?

The U.S. Labor Department’s Projections Central project estimates that the occupational growth rate for nurse practitioners in New Jersey throughout the next five years will exceed 30 percent. The utility and versatility of the NP workforce makes them an excellent solution to the Garden State’s issues with poverty and access to care. At present, NPs lack the signatory authority that would allow them to prescribe medications and thereby exercise full independence in their scope of practice, but it’s highly likely that this will change in the future.

Summing It Up

This article has reviewed the various dynamics that influence the answer to the question: How much does a nurse practitioner make in New Jersey? As you have seen, the average salary of a nurse practitioner in New Jersey for 2024 depends upon a number of factors, including NP specialization, years of experience, practice setting and location. But while salary is an important consideration, it should never be the only thing you think about when you’re evaluating your employment options. Once you identify a job that promises professional fulfillment, pursue additional certifications within your niche to raise your compensation.

TOP QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY OUR EXPERT

1. How many Nurse Practitioners are currently employed in New Jersey?

At present, 6,640 nurse practitioners are employed throughout the state of New Jersey.

2. How much does a nurse practitioner make per hour in New Jersey?

The average nurse practitioner salary per hour in New Jersey is $68.87. You probably won’t earn this amount, though, until you’ve been at your job for at least a decade. As an entry-level NP, you’re only likely to make 77 percent ($53.63 an hour) of the average NP hourly wage. Once you’ve been working for 20 years or more, however, you’re likely to earn 20 percent ($82.18) more than the average hourly NP wage.

3. How does the average salary of a nurse practitioner in New Jersey compare to the average NP salary in the U.S?

In New Jersey, nurse practitioners earn $143,250 a year on average, which is 15 percent more than the average NP salary throughout the U.S. ($124,680 a year.)

4. How much does a family nurse practitioner make in New Jersey?

The average FNP salary in New Jersey is $67.72 an hour, which adds up to $11,730 a month or $140,840 a year.

5. How much does a psychiatric nurse practitioner make in New Jersey?

The average PMHNP salary in New Jersey comes to $71.31 an hour, which is $12,360 a month or $148,320 a year.

6. What are the 5 highest-paid Nurse Practitioners in New Jersey?

With an annual salary that averages $151,180, the neonatal nurse practitioner is the highest-paid nurse practitioner in New Jersey. Other high NP earners in the Garden State include psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners ($148,320), pediatric-acute care nurse practitioners ($147,330), adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioners ($143,570) and dermatology nurse practitioners ($141,600).

7. What are the 5 highest paying cities for Nurse Practitioners in New Jersey?

Nurse practitioners working in Trenton, New Jersey, average the highest annual NP salaries in the state ($141,300); this is probably because Trenton is part of the greater New York City metropolitan area. Trenton NPs make 11 percent more than Garden State NPs working in the towns bordering the eastern boundary of the Ocean City who earn $126,990 a year.

8. How much do Nurse Practitioners earn in the various metros of New Jersey?

New Jersey NP salaries are highest in Newark, probably because of the city’s inclusion in the greater New York City metropolitan region. Trenton nurse practitioners average $141,300 a year. On the other side of the state, NPs working in the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan area—most of which is in Pennsylvania—average $127,330 a year.

9. Where do the majority of Nurse Practitioners practice in New Jersey?

Some 3,160 nurse practitioners in New Jersey work out of MD offices. The next largest NP practice setting in the Garden State is hospitals, which employ 1,490 nurse practitioners.

10. What are the approximate number of annual job openings for nurse practitioners in New Jersey for 2023?

Every year, nurse practitioners in New Jersey either retire, move away or leave the profession for some or the other reason, creating 377 replacement jobs. One hundred and seventy-six new nurse practitioner jobs also open throughout the state. The annual number of NP job openings is 377 + 423, which comes to 800 annual job openings every year.

11. What is the job outlook for NPs in New Jersey?

The demand for nurse practitioners is growing in the Garden State. By 2030, it’s estimated that 9,920 NPs will be employed in New Jersey, which is an increase of more than 61 percent over 2020 NP employment figures.