Nurse Practitioner.
Washington DC.
$155,000
median salary, 20% above the national average
$132,000 to $180,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Nurse Practitioner offer in Washington DC, DC, here is the reality: $132,000 to $180,000, with $155,000 as the midpoint. 20% above the national average. Specialty area is the dominant pay lever, with psychiatric and acute care NPs earning 15 to 25% above family practice. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Nurse Practitioner in Washington DC, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $134,840 for Nurse Practitioners (SOC 29-1171) in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, based on 4,050 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$101,340
25th percentile
$119,660
Median
$134,840
75th percentile
$158,660
90th percentile
$175,440
Workers surveyed
4,050
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Nurse Practitioners (SOC 29-1171) rather than Nurse Practitioner specifically. The Washington DC range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1171Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $139,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$101,000
to $124,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$132,000
to $163,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$171,000
to $202,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$194,000
to $240,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $43,000 to the total package.
Base
$155,000
Equity
$25,000
Bonus
$15,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $198,000
How Washington DC compares.
Washington DC, DC
$155,000
Cost of living: 25% above average
National Average
$129,000
Washington DC is $26,000 above
Nurse Practitioner salary by city.
Salary by role in Washington DC.
What you should know.
Here is what the Nurse Practitioner market actually looks like in Washington DC. Washington DC's job market is shaped by the federal government, defense contractors, and a growing commercial tech sector. Cybersecurity, cloud computing, and consulting firms drive demand for cleared professionals. The region's stability, combined with high government pay scales, creates a salary floor that pulls private sector compensation upward. Specialty area is the dominant pay lever, with psychiatric and acute care NPs earning 15 to 25% above family practice. States granting full practice authority pay more due to independent billing. Years of experience and certifications like ACNP or PMHNP also drive meaningful increases.
New graduate NPs start around $100,000 to $110,000. With five to seven years of specialty experience, compensation reaches $125,000 to $140,000. Lead NPs or those in director-level clinical roles can earn $150,000 to $170,000, especially in high-demand specialties. In Washington DC, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 25% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Many NPs receive signing bonuses of $5,000 to $15,000, CME stipends, malpractice coverage, and retirement contributions. Hospital-employed NPs may also receive shift differentials and productivity bonuses tied to patient volume. And on the tax side: dC income tax rates reach 10.75% for high earners. Maryland and Virginia residents working in DC face their own state taxes. Choose your residence jurisdiction carefully to optimize net pay. When someone quotes you $155,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: A security clearance is your strongest negotiation asset. Cleared professionals in DC command 20 to 30% premiums, and transferring your clearance to a new employer saves them significant time and cost. The range for Nurse Practitioners in Washington DC runs from $132,000 to $180,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Nurse Practitioner salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Washington DC.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Nurse Practitioners in Washington DC.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Nurse Practitioner Salary in Washington DC, DC." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/nurse-practitioner/washington-dc
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