Registered nurses in Texas interested in becoming nurse practitioners (NPs) often have a few questions about what career benefits could be, including:

• What is the average nurse practitioner salary in Texas?
• Which regions of Texas have higher or lower salaries for nurse practitioners?
• What is the nurse practitioner job outlook?
• Where do nurse practitioners in Texas work/what is their practice environment?

The answers to these important questions can help nurses decide if pursuing licensure as a nurse practitioner could be the right choice for them.

How Much Do Nurse Practitioners Make in Texas?

The average annual salary for a nurse practitioner in Texas is $117,890, which is on par with the national average. However, Texas NP salaries may be different across geographic locations and nurse practitioner specialties.

Nurse Practitioner Salaries by Location

Salaries vary across regions of Texas, with nurse practitioners in the College Station-Bryan Area earning the lowest average salary and nurse practitioners in the Wichita Falls area earning the highest.

Typical salaries in some of the major Texas regions are:

• Wichita Falls: $125,820
• Midland: $125,190
• Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: $123,810
• Austin-Round Rock: $120,850
• Corpus Christi: $118,330
• San Antonio-New Braunfels: $117,640
• Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $115,510
• Abilene: $112,670
• Waco: $110,090
• Amarillo: $106,250
• College Station-Bryan: $100,090

While location affects salary to some degree, wages are also set based on years of experience, educational degrees, and specialty certifications.

Nurse Practitioner Salaries by Specialty

When it comes to Texas NP salaries, various wage trackers report a range of incomes. For example, Salary.com states that the median FNP salary in Texas is $117,235, while ZipRecruiter lists a much lower $97,501. Texas-specific data is not available, but there are national reports on salaries for nurse practitioners based on clinical focus area. Read more about Nurse Practitioner Salary.

While nurse practitioner salaries vary by area and specialty, it is certainly the case that nurse practitioners make a substantially higher average salary than registered nurses. In Texas, the annual mean wage for a registered nurse is $79,120. That means the average Texas NP salary of $117,890 represents a 49% increase from the average Texas RN salary. That large wage increase is an important factor for nurses who are trying to decide if going back to school is worth the investment of time and money. Nurses who want to increase their career possibilities, practice more independently, and earn more money may very well find that the time spent earning an NP degree is worth it in several meaningful ways.

Nurse Practitioner Practice Environment in Texas

Nurse practitioners are licensed to provide advanced nursing services to patients, including assessment, management and integration of health promotion strategies.

Texas is one of eleven states with restricted practice for nurse practitioners. Restricted practice means that nurse practitioners in Texas must work under physician supervision in order to practice and/or prescribe. In Texas, nurse practitioners are not recognized in policy as primary care providers, nor are they explicitly authorized to sign provider orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) forms.

There is still much to be done on behalf of the nurse practitioner scope of practice in Texas. But aspiring Texas nurse practitioners can be encouraged by the growth within their field of interest. Aspiring and new nurse practitioners may want to consider joining advocacy or professional organizations that align with their hopes for the nurse practitioner role. They can also advocate for change within organizations on behalf of the nurse practitioner profession.

How Common Are Nurse Practitioners in Texas?

In the state of Texas, every 1.46 out of 1000 jobs are nurse practitioner roles. 17,810 nurse practitioners call Texas home, making it the state with the highest number of nurse practitioners in the country. The rate of employment per 1000 jobs is a bit lower than the national average of 1.666.

Two Texas metropolitan areas also make the Bureau of Labor Statistics list of metropolitan areas in the United States with the highest employment level in nurse practitioners. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area employs 4,960 nurse practitioners, which is 1.38 jobs out of every thousand. The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area employs 3,810 nurse practitioners, which is 1.31 jobs out of every thousand.

The BLS reports that employment rates of nurse practitioners per 1,000 jobs in major Texas areas range from well below the national average at .597 (Midland) to far beyond it at 2.850 (Wichita Falls). Since Texas is such a large state with a wide variety of communities, practitioners who want to work in Texas should take care to research their specific city or cities of interest.

What Is the Nurse Practitioner Job Outlook in Texas?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for nurse practitioners will grow by a rate of 46% between 2021–2031. This is much faster than the average for all occupations of 5%. Experts attribute this high projected growth rate to several factors, including an aging population and a growing cultural emphasis on preventative healthcare.

When it comes to Texas, Projections Central (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor) projects that there will be a 66% increase in nurse practitioner roles between 2020–2030. That represents 9,780 new jobs. Projections Central estimates that there will be an average of 2,010 annual openings for nurse practitioner roles each year during that decade.

Are You Ready to Become a Nurse Practitioner?

The future is bright for aspiring nurse practitioners in Texas. New jobs are rapidly becoming available, and the salary potential for nurse practitioners is significantly higher than the average RN salary. Best of all, working nurses do not need to put their careers on hold to pursue further education and nurse practitioner licensure.

One of the nation's top nursing graduate programs, the online Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at Texas Woman’s University, prepares practicing RNs with a BSN to become holistic primary care providers. Designed for working nurses, the online FNP offers a contemporary curriculum that is aligned with the latest standards. The program features three annual intakes and clinical placement assistance. Texas Woman’s FNP alumni have experienced high passing rates of the licensure exam: in 2021, the first-time pass rate was 90%.

Texas Woman's graduates are prepared to deliver high-quality nursing in a variety of work settings across Texas and 29 other states. Increase your career possibilities, salary potential, and job outlook through the online MSN-FNP program from Texas Woman's University.