NPs in California are paid the highest average annual salary of NPs in any state, while NPs in Alabama are paid the lowest, according to a Forbes analysis.

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For the analysis, Forbes looked at recently updated Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.

How much nurse practitioners are paid in your state

Overall, NPs are paid a relatively high salary compared to other occupations in the United States, according to Forbes.

BLS data shows that NPs on average are paid $110,030 per year, which is more than two times the U.S. average annual salary for all jobs of $51,960. Moreover, BLS' Occupational Outlook Handbook projects that an estimated 62,000 NP jobs will be added between 2018 and 2028, a 26% increase that outstrips the overall average for job growth.

Below is a breakdown of the average annual pay for NPs in each state in 2018:

The highest- and lowest- paying states for NPs

The five states with the highest average annual salary for nurse practitioners are:

1. California, at $133,780;
2. Alaska, at $122,880;
3. Massachusetts, at $122,740;
4. New Jersey, at $122,100; and
5. New York, at $120,970.

The five states with the lowest average annual salary for nurse practitioners are:

50. Alabama, at $95,970;
51. Tennessee, at $95,990;
52. Pennsylvania, at $98,250;
53. Kansas, at $99,430; and
54. Kentucky, at $99,790.

The list of highest-paying states for nurses is dominated by states in the West and Northeast regions, Forbes reports. By contrast, the lowest-paying states are concentrated in the South with some in the Midwest.

In Alabama, the lowest-paying state, the average salary for nurse practitioners is $14,000 less than the national average, but is still about $40,000 more than the national average for all occupations (DePietro, Forbes, 11/19).