With a national median of $236,590 and +9.7% projected job growth through 2035, Nurse Anesthetist offers both strong financial return and stable long-term demand.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a nurse anesthetist: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Nursing and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. May assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, or dentists. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
Also known as:
Most nurse anesthetists take home around $236,590 a year, well above what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $206,730 and $294,350, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Worth weighing against how long the training takes. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Well above average for college graduates.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
Working closely with people, teaching, advising, or helping others navigate challenges is a defining feature of this career's daily work.
Hands-on tasks, physical activity, or working with tools and real materials are central parts of the daily work here.
This career demands analytical thinking: researching problems, interpreting data, and applying logical reasoning to find practical solutions.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
High time pressure and significant consequences for errors. Deadline-driven or high-stakes decisions are common.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +9.7%, meaning it is growing faster than most occupations, so jobs should be easier to find over time. Around 2,400 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
Faster than average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Nurse Anesthetist professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $236,590 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 4,600 | $210,570 | -11.0% |
| 2 | Texas | 4,060 | $244,990 | +3.6% |
| 3 | North Carolina | 3,340 | $224,610 | -5.1% |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 2,500 | $221,530 | -6.4% |
| 5 | New York | 2,450 | $321,030 | +35.7% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a master's degree. The program below is the most common route in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
Extensive education (usually a master's or doctoral degree) plus years of field experience is required to qualify for most positions.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 308,114 | $88,910 | 2,190 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | 93 | $12,548 | $82,511 |
| 2 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | 93 | $6,541 | $71,588 |
| 3 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | 92 | $14,251 | $80,735 |
| 4 | North Florida College Madison, FL | 91 | $804 | $33,929 |
| 5 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | 91 | $13,138 | $83,648 |
| 6 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL | 90 | $4,815 | $71,588 |
Once you've sized up Nurse Anesthetist, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Nurse Anesthetist pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
Strong earnings and growing demand make Nurse Anesthetist a compelling path. The 3 strengths and 1 trade-offs below are drawn from BLS wage data and employment projections.
Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
From a $37,000 dietetic technician to a $238,000 family physician, healthcare pay climbs with required schooling. But one rung breaks the pattern.
Air traffic controllers earn more than the typical bachelor's-degree career, with an associate degree. The occupations that pay six figures without four years of college.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
