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The FPA (full practice authority) state of North Dakota is an ideal settling place for nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioners in the peace garden state earn a mean salary of $113,940 (Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2022), in line with the national average of $124,680 per year.
North Dakota Nurse Practitioner Salaries – Visualized
Increase Your Nurse Practitioner Salary in North Dakota
Are you looking for ways to increase your nurse practitioner salary to surpass the mean wage? We have a few ideas. The first one might surprise you.
Avoid the City
As a general rule, you can almost always count on higher income if you work in a metropolitan area. That’s not the case with North Dakota, which is a mostly rural state. There is only one city in ND with a population greater than 100,000: Fargo. Bismarck is the second most populated city with nearly 75,000 people.
The salaries of nurse practitioners in the two most populated cities of the roughrider state average a lower annual paycheck when compared to rural areas. Here’s how the geographical areas compare in annual average NP income:
Nurse Practitioners Salaries in rural areas of North Dakota
| Metro Area | # Employed | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | 130 | $117,780 |
| East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | 120 | $111,750 | Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2022 |
Nurse Practitioners Salaries in urban areas of North Dakota
| Metro Area | # Employed | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Bismarck, ND | 70 | $111,190 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | 210 | $114,330 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | 80 | $113,570 | Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2022 |
Even further cementing this trend, the top 10% of highest-paid nurse practitioners are in the non-metropolitan West half of the state, and their salaries average around $139,240 (Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2022) per year. So if you’re wanting to increase your salary in the flickertail state, stay away from the cities!
Take Advantage of Technology
If you follow the above advice, you won’t be in highly-populated areas, so how do you get enough business to cover the bills? Consider going virtual. There are no laws that prevent a nurse practitioner from opening a practice online in North Dakota and parity laws were passed to encourage telehealth. Moving your practice online can benefit you and your patients in multiple ways:
- Low start-up costs
- Decreased overhead
- Increased efficiency
- Increased comfort
- Increased geographical access
Opening a telehealth practice is the most cost-effective and simplest way to open your own practice. The lower operating costs allow you to provide care for less money to your patients, leaving a larger margin for profit in your pocket. Online care expands your patient base exponentially, which is crucial in a state such as North Dakota.
Keep up-to-speed with changing laws in telehealth by joining the North Dakota Nurse Practitioner Association. This state-wide organization holds annual conferences and events to keep you informed. You can get involved online by advocating collectively with other health professionals in the group on legislation that affects your practice.
Consider Your Competition
There are not many nurse practitioners licensed to practice in the state of North Dakota, the current statistic is just above 1,600. If you’re still choosing your focus area, keep in mind where the demand is to make yourself more marketable. The current nurse practitioner license holders in North Dakota are as follows:
- Adult = 148
- Family = 1,224
- Gerontology = 19
- Neonatal = 43
- Oncology = 2
- Pediatric = 31
- Pediatric/Family = 1
- Psychiatric = 103
- Women’s Health = 36
Based on these statistics, you could increase your salary as a nurse practitioner in the peace garden state by specializing in pediatrics, oncology, or gerontology.
Concluding Thoughts
The roughrider state provides nurse practitioners the freedom to practice. The lack of limiting legislation and support of telemedicine creates a powerful combination that produces results quickly when trying to increase your nurse practitioner salary in the state of North Dakota.