Nurse practitioner salary in the Washington, DC area
For nurse practitioners, the BLS May 2025 row in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV lists a $138,570 mean annual employee wage and a $134,840 median. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Washington, DC area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $138,570 |
| Median annual wage | $134,840 |
| Employment estimate | 4,050 |
| Wage relative standard error | 1.4% |
Employee wages annualized at 2,080 hours. Not total compensation, guaranteed pay or a salary range. RSE measures estimate uncertainty, not your pay spread.
View official BLS wage data for this areaWhat the Washington, DC area row can tell you
BLS covers Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $138,570, which is above the median of $134,840; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 4,050 counts employee jobs, not open positions. The wage relative standard error is 1.4%, which describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile.
The District of Columbia state mean for nurse practitioners is $146,470, so this metro mean is 5.4% below the state figure. The metro is part of the state estimate, so the two overlap.
Metro figures cover wage and salary employees only. Locum, 1099 and per diem pay can look very different, and benefits, call pay and bonuses are not included. Compare a written offer on hours, scope and benefits instead of reading these two wages as a salary range.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. How Saile salary pages work.
Keep comparing
Browse all salary guides · Physician side-gig guides · Report your pay
See how much your staffing agency is making off you
Compare what the facility pays your agency with what the agency pays you. Then report your rate privately so we can look into the gap.
See the agency spread
Bill rate (hospital pays agency) - Pay rate (agency pays you) = Agency spread
These calculator inputs stay in your browser and are not submitted.Hiring clinicians for your facility? Book a Demo
More ways to work. One Saile profile.
Explore telemedicine, AI-lab clinician work, consulting, per diem, locums and full-time opportunities. Matching depends on specialty, credentials and location.
How Washington, DC compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 15 of 50; employment rank: 13 of 50. Rank = one plus metros with a larger estimate; ties share rank. This site’s group, not all US metros.
Versus highest-mean Los Angeles ($163,610): $25,040 (15.3%) below; versus lowest-mean Knoxville ($112,460): $26,110 (23.2%) above.
Dollar gap = metro mean minus comparator mean; percent = difference divided by comparator, times 100. Absolute gaps shown.
National comparison
BLS OEWS national mean: $137,300; Washington, DC is $1,270 (0.9%) above it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
This is the only metro in this role group mapped to District of Columbia; see the District of Columbia state pay page.
District of Columbia mean: $146,470; employment: 680. Metro share = 4,050 divided by 680, multiplied by 100 = 595.6%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Washington, DC: $237,070; Internal medicine physician mean in Washington, DC: $227,190; Physician assistant mean in Washington, DC: $152,430
What to check before using this number
A $3,730 mean–median gap ($138,570 minus $134,840) describes this row, not an individual wage band.
Compare the 1.4% wage RSE with the group's 1.8% midpoint: less uncertainty on this relative measure, not offer variability.
Use 4,050 as an employment estimate only; the group median is 1,790, not a hiring-demand threshold.
Mean–median = mean minus median. Group median = middle sorted value (average of middle pair); unavailable RSE excluded.
Licensing in District of Columbia: physician state licensing guidance; NP licensing guide. Check the relevant board and facility for your role.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metro/state rows; wages, not total compensation.
Nurse practitioner salary questions in the Washington, DC area
What is the average nurse practitioner salary in the Washington, DC area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $138,570 and a median of $134,840 for nurse practitioners in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. The mean is the average; the median is the midpoint. These are employee wages, not total compensation, a guaranteed offer or a salary range.
What is the hourly pay equivalent in the Washington, DC area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $66.62 per hour for the mean and $64.83 for the median, rounded to cents. This is an arithmetic equivalent, not a quoted locums, per-diem or telemedicine rate.
How many nurse practitioners work in the Washington, DC area?
BLS estimates 4,050 nurse practitioners employed as wage and salary employees in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Washington, DC area pay compare with District of Columbia?
The District of Columbia state mean for nurse practitioners is $146,470, so this metro mean is 5.4% below the state figure. The metro is part of the state estimate, so the two overlap.
How reliable is this metro estimate?
The wage relative standard error for this row is 1.4%. RSE describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile or a negotiating band.
Where does Washington, DC rank for nurse practitioner mean wages?
Washington, DC ranks 15 of 50 by mean wage and 13 of 50 by employment in this site's role group. Rank = one plus metros with larger estimates; ties share rank. This is not every US metro.
Which other District of Columbia metros can I compare with Washington, DC?
Washington, DC is the only metro in this site's role group mapped to District of Columbia. The linked state page reports a $146,470 mean; a single listed metro does not mean the state has no other labor markets.
Find nurse practitioner gigs on Saile
Supplement your income or find a full-time job. Explore telemedicine, AI-lab clinician work, consulting, local per-diem, locums and full-time opportunities in Saile. Free to download and search; matching depends on your specialty, credentials and location.
Download Saile Medical