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The Washington State Employment Security Department provided the average salary for a number of advanced nursing professions that require an MSN. As of 2015, nurse anesthetists in Washington State earned an average salary of $165,561. Nurse practitioners in Washington averaged $101,934, while nurse midwives earned an average salary of $97,199. Washington’s nurse educators earned an average of $65,949 that year.
Nurse anesthetists in the nonmetropolitan area of Eastern Washington earned an average salary of $233,640 in 2014, the highest average salary in the nation among nurse anesthetists working in rural parts of the country (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014).
This Washington State Employment Security Department provided additional information on the salaries of NPs and nurse midwives:
Nurse Practitioners
- 75th Percentile – $117,541
- 25th Percentile – $87,381
Nurse Midwives
- 75th Percentile – $108,722
- 25th Percentile – $85,114
Having an MSN Can Add up to $38,000 to a Nurse’s Salary in Washington
Since nurse practitioners are required to have an MSN and RNs rarely possess advanced degrees, comparing the salaries of NPs with RNs demonstrates the significant increase in earning power that comes with an MSN. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provided the median salary among nurse practitioners and RNs as of 2014:
Predictions Indicate High Levels of Job Growth for Nurse Educators and NPs in Washington
The Washington State Employment Security Department expects the number of jobs for nurse educators to increase by 40.2% between 2013 and 2018. This high rate of increase should add an average of 50 new jobs for nurse educators in Washington each year due to growth. This figure does not include additional jobs that will come from the replacement of nurse educators who will leave the workforce.
Predictions also suggest a rapid increase in the number of jobs for nurse practitioners. The Department expects the rate of increase to be 23% between 2013 and 2018. This level of growth should generate an average of 56 new jobs each year in Washington.
Nurse Practitioner Salaries in Urban and Rural Parts of Washington
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provided a detailed analysis of salaries for nurse practitioners throughout Washington as of 2014. NPs earned an average salary of more than $107,000 a year in Longview, the Wenatchee area, and the nonmetropolitan area of Northwestern Washington. Nurse practitioners in Longview earned the highest average salary among all NPs in Washington:
Salaries for Nurse Anesthetists in Washington
Salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that nurse anesthetists in the nonmetropolitan area of Eastern Washington earned an exceptionally high average salary as of 2014:
*These salaries are equal to or greater than $90 an hour or $187,199 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salary data higher than these values.
Salaries for Nurse Midwives in the Seattle Area
Shown below is a salary analysis for nurse midwives in two metropolitan divisions of the greater Seattle area as of 2014 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics):