How much do labor and delivery nurses make?
A labor and delivery nurse earns about $100,210 a year at the median for hospital RNs, and the middle half earn $81,610 to $118,990.[oews_ind] BLS does not publish wages by hospital unit, so no official L&D-only number exists; it counts L&D nurses with the 3,379,720 registered nurses on U.S. payrolls.[oews_ind][oews_faq]
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Take-home* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $76,270 | $36.67 | $62,486 |
| 25th | $81,610 | $39.24 | $66,243 |
| Median (50th) | $100,210 | $48.18 | $79,328 |
| 75th | $118,990 | $57.21 | $92,539 |
| 90th | $138,990 | $66.82 | $106,266 |
*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.
Labor and delivery nurse hourly pay and shift pay
L&D nurse hourly pay is about $48.18 at the hospital median, so one 12-hour shift is worth $578 before differentials.[oews_ind] Births happen at any hour, and BLS wages leave out night, weekend, holiday and on-call premiums, which push real pay above these straight-time figures.[oews_faq]
| Percentile | Hourly | Per 12-h shift | 36 h/week, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36.67 | $440 | $68,643 |
| 25th | $39.24 | $471 | $73,449 |
| Median | $48.18 | $578 | $90,189 |
| 75th | $57.21 | $686 | $107,091 |
| 90th | $66.82 | $802 | $125,091 |
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, hours past 40 in a workweek earn time and a half, so a fourth shift in the same week pays 1.5 times the base rate for its last 8 hours.[flsa]
L&D nurse pay by employer type
Hospitals pay more than outpatient obstetric work: the RN median is $100,210 in general hospitals against $85,000 in physician offices, where prenatal clinics are counted.[oews_ind] Outpatient care centers have the highest 90th percentile of these settings.
| Employer type (BLS industry) | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty hospitals (except psychiatric) | $102,840 | $49.44 | $80,430 | $137,660 | 73,710 |
| General medical and surgical hospitals | $100,210 | $48.18 | $76,270 | $138,990 | 1,902,960 |
| Outpatient care centers | $99,350 | $47.76 | $73,770 | $177,360 | 173,380 |
| All industries | $97,550 | $46.90 | $68,940 | $137,470 | 3,379,720 |
| Offices of physicians | $85,000 | $40.87 | $61,330 | $125,740 | 232,420 |
BLS OEWS national industry-specific estimates, May 2025; jobs are wage and salary employment in that industry.
Labor and delivery nurse salary by state
California pays registered nurses the most at a median of $140,270, then Hawaii ($136,320) and Oregon ($129,010).[onet_rn] These state medians cover all RNs; pick a state and metro area in the calculator, or see every state on nurse salary by state.
| State | Median | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 1. California | $140,270 | $67.44 |
| 2. Hawaii | $136,320 | $65.54 |
| 3. Oregon | $129,010 | $62.02 |
| 4. Washington | $124,200 | $59.71 |
| 5. Alaska | $109,480 | $52.63 |
| 6. New York | $109,440 | $52.62 |
| 7. New Jersey | $106,500 | $51.20 |
| 8. Massachusetts | $104,550 | $50.26 |
| 9. Nevada | $103,670 | $49.84 |
| 10. Connecticut | $102,740 | $49.39 |
How to become a labor and delivery nurse
- Become an RN. Graduate from an ADN or BSN program and pass the NCLEX-RN; see how to become a registered nurse.
- Get hired onto a labor and delivery unit. Hospitals decide whether to hire new graduates into L&D or ask for medical-surgical experience first.
- Certify once you have the hours. The NCC inpatient obstetric exam needs 2,000 hours of specialty practice in 24 months; the fetal monitoring exam needs none.[ncc_fees]
| Credential | Who can sit | Experience required | Exam fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| RNC-OB (Inpatient Obstetric Nursing) | RNs with a current, unencumbered U.S. or Canadian license | 2,000 hours as an RN in the specialty over the past 24 months, and specialty employment within 24 months | $325 |
| C-EFM (Electronic Fetal Monitoring) | Licensed RNs, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, physicians, physician assistants and paramedics | None required (fetal monitoring experience recommended) | $210 |
Both fees include a $50 nonrefundable application charge.[ncc_fees][ncc_exams] NICU nurses take the neonatal version of the same NCC exam; see NICU nurse salary.
From L&D nurse to certified nurse midwife
The natural step up from labor and delivery is midwifery: certified nurse midwives earn a median of $134,040, $33,830 more than hospital RNs.[onet_cnm][oews_ind] It takes a graduate midwifery program and the national certification exam; pay by state and the steps are on nurse midwife salary.
Frequently asked questions
How much do labor and delivery nurses make?
About $100,210 a year at the median for RNs in general hospitals (BLS, May 2025); BLS has no L&D-only figure. The middle half earn $81,610 to $118,990.
How much do labor and delivery nurses make an hour?
About $48.18 at the hospital median, or $578 per 12-hour shift, before night, weekend and on-call pay.
Is an L&D nurse the same as a midwife?
No. An L&D nurse is a registered nurse who cares for patients during labor and birth on a hospital team. A certified nurse midwife is an advanced practice nurse with a graduate degree who can manage births; CNMs earn a median of $134,040.
What certification do labor and delivery nurses get?
The NCC RNC-OB (Inpatient Obstetric Nursing) exam ($325; 2,000 specialty hours in 24 months) and often the C-EFM (Electronic Fetal Monitoring) exam ($210; no experience required).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates for registered nurses (29-1141) and nurse practitioners (29-1171): employment, mean and percentile wages (OEUN series), Public Data API v2
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions (wage definition; 2,080-hour year)
- Overtime Pay (Fair Labor Standards Act: time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek)
- Local Wages: 29-1141.00 Registered Nurses (state and metro percentiles)
- Exam Fees and Eligibility (core RNC exams $325: 2,000 hours as an RN in the specialty over 24 months; C-EFM $210)
- Certification exams and candidate guides (Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing RNC-NIC; Inpatient Obstetric Nursing RNC-OB)
- Local Wages: 29-1161.00 Nurse Midwives (state and metro percentiles)