Popular Nursing Careers, Specialties, and Salaries

In nursing, specializing pays. Advanced degrees and specialty training open the door to higher salaries and, for many nurses, more satisfying work. Here's how the most popular and best-paid roles stack up. Salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What are the most popular nursing jobs?

Specialized roles keep expanding, especially for registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and they come with strong pay, good benefits, and clear paths to advance. Among the most popular:

• Family nurse practitioner
• Neonatal nurse
• Nurse midwife
• Geriatric nurse
• Acute care nurse

What are the most in-demand specialties?

The BLS projects nursing employment to outpace the average for all occupations. Nurse practitioner jobs alone are projected to grow 35% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average. These specialties are among the most sought after:

• Critical care nurse
• Certified nurse midwife
• Certified dialysis nurse
• Operating room nurse
• Nurse case manager

Which nursing career pays the most?

APRNs top the pay scale. Nurse anesthetists lead, with a median annual wage of $223,210 (BLS, May 2024). Other top-paying roles include:

• Certified nurse midwife
• Chief nursing officer
• Clinical nurse specialist
• Geriatric nurse practitioner
• ICU nurse
• Nursing director
• Nurse practitioner
• Psychiatric nurse practitioner

What are the levels in nursing?

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) work after completing training that doesn't lead to a degree. RNs earn an associate degree (ADN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and pass the NCLEX-RN. APRNs hold a master of science in nursing or a doctor of nursing practice.