CNM Salaries: How Much Do Certified Nurse-Midwives Make Across the US?
A Certified Nurse-Midwife is an advanced practice nurse whose main area of expertise revolves around women’s reproductive health and childbirth. It’s a career track that’s perfect for RNs who are equally as passionate about helping women become mothers as they are about newborns. It’s also an excellent opportunity for Registered Nurses who wish to advance their career and, in order to do so, are ready to embark on the BSN journey and not stop there.
There’s no doubt that midwifery is a very complex, albeit rewarding, nursing field. And for nurses who choose to specialize in this area, the rewards are manifold. First of all, they get the professional satisfaction of helping bring the miracle of life to the world. Equally important is the financial aspect: Nurse-Midwives are among some of the highest-paid nurses in the U.S.
But how much do Nurse-Midwives actually earn? In what parts of the US does an aspiring CNM have the highest earning potential? How promising is the job outlook for this particular APRN specialization? All in all, is it worth investing your time, energy, and money in getting a BSN degree, followed by an MSN in pursuit of a career in midwifery?
Keep reading to find out.
Job Outlook for Nurse-Midwives: Why Should You Consider This Career Path?
Nurse-Midwives play a central role in the healthcare industry. Their job goes far beyond just delivering babies. CNMs also provide care to women by performing gynecological exams, offering family planning services, and prenatal care. They also provide basic nutrition counseling, wellness care and they educate their patients on how to lead healthy lives. Nurse-midwives also have prescriptive authority in all 50 states.
With such a far-reaching job description, it’s clear that becoming a Nurse-Midwife is no walk in the park. In order to become a CNM, nurses have to start by obtaining their Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, followed by a Master’s Degree in the field. MSN-educated nurses typically have higher salaries, less stressful work environments, more autonomy, and consequently increased control over their schedules as well as a wider pool of job opportunities.
Get one step closer to your dream of becoming a Nurse-Midwife. Enroll in Nightingale College’s BSN program and advance your nursing skills to the point where a career in midwifery is right within your reach!
An additional and equally compelling reason to pursue a career in midwifery is the increasing demand for Nurse-Midwives. Official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 45% increase in job prospects for APRNs (Nurse-Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Anesthetists) over the course of this decade. Let’s only take Nurse-Midwives into account. The expected job growth by 2029 is around 12%, which is still significantly higher than other occupations, which expect a projected rise in employment by 4%.
More than 800 job openings are projected for CNMs every year over the decade. So, if you are considering a career in midwifery, now is a great time to pursue an advanced degree that will get you one step closer to your dream career.
The job outlook for Nurse-Midwives is great, it’s a recession-proof career that also allows you to cash in a fairly high yearly salary. In the next section, let’s take a look at how high a Nurse-Midwife’s earning potential actually is.
How Much Do Nurse-Midwives Earn?
Whether you’re planning a career switch to midwifery or becoming a CNM has been your goal all along, the possibility of increasing your income makes this job very attractive.
At Nightingale College, we are firm believers in elevating healthcare through advancing your education. We aim to boost your nursing skills and be the springboard for your dream career, and that extends to midwifery. If you are already a working professional, enroll in our RN-to-BSN program to get your Bachelor’s Degree. If you are just commencing your nursing odyssey, our hybrid BSN program is the best first step.
Given their advanced degree, Nurse-Midwives receive a reasonably high salary. Naturally, their wages are tied to more factors than just the education level. Type of employer, years of experience, the state where they practice – each of these aspects are taken into account when it comes to midwives’ salaries.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for Nurse-Midwives in 2020 was $115,540.
Working as a CNM, you have the highest earning potential in California. In the Sunshine State – which is also the state with the highest employment level for this occupation – Nurse-Midwives can expect to make around $159,590 yearly. Second on the list of top paying states for CNMs is Utah, with an annual salary of $133,680, and not too far behind is Mississippi, where Nurse-Midwives can earn up to $127,960 a year.
On the lower-paying side of the spectrum, there is Georgia, with a mean wage of $92,840. In Idaho, Nurse-Midwives take home around $72,150, and finally, according to BLS available data, Florida CNMs have the lowest wages – $67,530.
Before embarking on any career path, having a clear idea regarding your earning possibilities would be a deciding factor. That’s why we put together a list of all the states for which official BSL data was available and in it, you will find how much Nurse-Midwives can expect to earn in each of them:
Nurse-Midwife Average Salaries in most states*
| State | Annual salary | Hourly Salary |
| Alabama | Data not available | Data not available |
| Alaska | $93,080.00 | $44.75 |
| Arizona | $121,530.00 | $58.43 |
| Arkansas | Data not available | Data not available |
| California | $159,590.00 | $76.73 |
| Colorado | $106,280.00 | $51.10 |
| Connecticut | $104,200.00 | $50.10 |
| Delaware | $96,090.00 | $46.20 |
| Florida | $67,530.00 | $32.47 |
| Georgia | $92,840.00 | $44.63 |
| Hawaii | Data not available | Data not available |
| Idaho | $72,150.00 | $34.69 |
| Illinois | $109,310.00 | $52.55 |
| Indiana | $112,510.00 | $54.09 |
| Iowa | $102,830.00 | $49.44 |
| Kansas | Data not available | Data not available |
| Kentucky | Data not available | Data not available |
| Louisiana | Data not available | Data not available |
| Maine | $119,030.00 | $57.23 |
| Maryland | $107,670.00 | $51.76 |
| Massachusetts | $113,910.00 | $54.76 |
| Michigan | $103,870.00 | $49.94 |
| Minnesota | $123,600.00 | $59.42 |
| Mississippi | $127,960.00 | $61.52 |
| Missouri | $113,320.00 | $54.48 |
| Montana | Data not available | Data not available |
| Nebraska | Data not available | Data not available |
| Nevada | Data not available | Data not available |
| New Hampshire | $115,760.00 | $55.65 |
| New Jersey | $117,070.00 | $56.28 |
| New Mexico | $105,980.00 | $50.95 |
| New York | $125,780.00 | $60.47 |
| North Carolina | $102,020.00 | $49.05 |
| North Dakota | Data not available | Data not available |
| Ohio | $105,960.00 | $50.94 |
| Oklahoma | Data not available | Data not available |
| Oregon | $105,600.00 | $50.77 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,230.00 | $49.63 |
| Rhode Island | $107,510.00 | $51.69 |
| South Carolina | Data not available | Data not available |
| South Dakota | Data not available | Data not available |
| Tennessee | $93,690.00 | $45.04 |
| Texas | $109,510.00 | $52.65 |
| Utah | $133,680.00 | $64.27 |
| Vermont | $97,240.00 | $46.75 |
| Virginia | Data not available | Data not available |
| Washington | $112,310.00 | $54.00 |
| West Virginia | $123,450.00 | $59.35 |
| Wisconsin | $110,380.00 | $53.07 |
| Wyoming | Data not available | Data not available |
*Data gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Take the first step toward a career as a Nurse-Midwife by getting your BSN Degree! Enroll in our online RN-to-BSN program today!
Average Salary of Certified Nurse-Midwives Based on Where They Work
As a Certified Nurse-Midwife, you can find employment in various settings. Still, you have the highest chance of being employed by physicians’ offices, followed by general medical and surgical hospitals and outpatient care centers.
Per the BLS, the industries which pay Nurse-Midwives best are as follows:
- Local Government: here CNMs can earn up to $158,210. This particular industry’s employment levels are very low, with only around 80 Nurse-Midwives working in this position.
- Outpatient care centers: typically pay slightly above average. Working here, Nurse-Midwives can expect to earn in the vicinity of $142,010 a year.
- General medical and surgical hospitals: pay fairly high salaries: $111,420 a year.
- Offices of physicians: employ a little over 3,000 Nurse-Midwives and offer salaries to midwives that typically range around $116,440.
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools: Although just around 100 CNM are employed in academic settings, usually, these institutions offer relatively high salaries: $107,130.
If you have a passion for teaching, you can also consider nursing education as a career track. Find out more about becoming a Nurse Educator.
How Do Nurse-Midwives’ Salaries Compare to Other Nurses’?
As the population ages and the number of baby boomers with chronic and acute illnesses grows steadily, the demand for nurses is becoming more urgent than ever. The need for nurses on a national level is only accentuated by the high number of nurses who have reached (or are soon to reach) retirement age. So, nurses of all specialties are now in demand more than ever, which translates to quite high salaries for RNs.
Naturally, the more you advance your education level, the more your earning potential increases. Nurses with an MSN under their belt have significantly higher salaries compared to nurses with a BSN. At the same time, BSN-trained nurses automatically have salaries that generally surpass those of ADN-educated nurses.
If you are thinking about whether or not it’s worth advancing your education, one thing that may tip the scales one way or the other is knowing how big your paycheck is going to be depending on the route you take in your professional life. Surely, midwifery is an excellent choice in terms of pay. But how does it compare to other nursing jobs?
Below you will find a side by side comparison of salaries associated with different nursing specialties:
Registered Nurses- $80,010 per year.
Required education level: ADN or BSN – BSN highly preferred.
Find out how much Registered Nurses earn in every state.
Nurse Anesthetists – $189,190 per year.
Required education level: MSN
Find out what are the average salaries for Nurse Anesthetists across the country.
Nurse Practitioners – $114,510 per year
Required education level: MSN
Discover how much can Nurse Practitioners earn in all 50 states.
Nurse Educator – $84,060 per year
Required education level: MSN
A passion for nursing and a passion for teaching? Why choose one when you can do both? Nurse Educators get the best of both worlds. Read our guide with Nurse Educator salaries and find out how much they earn in the US.
All in all, advancing your education is a sure way to also advance your paycheck. If you’re interested in a career in midwifery, the very first step is getting your BSN degree. Not only will you climb higher on the professional ladder, but you will also greatly impact the future of healthcare.
Enroll in our online RN-to-BSN program. Take that step today.