How much do labor and delivery nurses make in 2026?
Labor and delivery nurses are paid from the registered nurse series: BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 29-1141 national median at $97,550 a year ($46.90 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $68,940 and the top 10% at $137,470. No obstetric-specific wage exists in the survey, so labour and delivery pay sits within that spread. The distinguishing feature of this specialty is that it is simultaneously critical care and elective service: a unit runs scheduled inductions and caesareans alongside unpredictable emergencies, and it must be staffed for both at all hours, which makes night, weekend and on-call differentials a permanent part of the rota. RNC-OB certification from the National Certification Corporation, plus fetal monitoring credentialing, is the standard route to the higher end of the band, and level-III and level-IV maternity units pay above community hospitals. Registered nurse employment is projected to grow 4.9% through 2034 with roughly 189,100 openings a year. → Full labor and delivery nurse career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $97,550 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Labor and Delivery Nurses earn a national median $97,550/yr ($46.90/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1141); the P10 to P90 range is $68,940 to $137,470.
- BLS reports a single registered nurse wage, so labour and delivery pay must be read as a position inside the $68,940 to $137,470 RN range rather than a separate figure.
- The specialty is staffed around the clock for both scheduled and emergency births, so shift and on-call differentials are structural rather than occasional.
- RNC-OB certification, advanced fetal monitoring credentialing and level-III or level-IV unit acuity are the levers that carry a nurse from the median toward the $112,350 P75.
US Labor and Delivery Nurse Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do labor and delivery nurses earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1141; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1141, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a labor and delivery nurse earn at each career stage?
Obstetric pay follows unit level, certification and on-call responsibility rather than a licence ladder above the RN. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS registered nurse distribution (SOC 29-1141).
By State
Which states pay labor and delivery nurses the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national registered nurse median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Geography is unusually decisive in this specialty because maternity services are consolidating: whole counties now have no labour and delivery unit, so the higher-paying high-risk work clusters in regional referral centres. Nurse Licensure Compact membership still determines how quickly you can move to a job in another member state.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($112,180), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
labor and delivery nurse pay by state — all 3 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay labor and delivery nurses the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the registered nurse national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a labor and delivery nurse’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does labor and delivery nurse pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Labor and Delivery Nurses sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify labor and delivery nurse wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a labor and delivery nurse actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Labor and Delivery Nurse Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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