Child and Adolescent PMHNP Salary
There is no published salary figure specific to child and adolescent PMHNPs. The BLS reports nurse practitioner wages, not psychiatric sub-roles, so this page anchors to the psychiatric PMHNP baseline of about $138,000. Because there's a severe national shortage of providers who treat youth, focused clinicians often earn at or above that baseline. Here's what the data actually supports, broken down by experience and setting, with every range clearly labeled as the psychiatric baseline or a typical reported figure rather than an official youth-specific number.
Median lands 36% up the 10th–90th range
Child and Adolescent PMHNP pay at a glance
No salary figure is published specifically for child and adolescent PMHNPs. The BLS reports nurse practitioner wages, not psychiatric sub-roles, so any precise youth-specific number is invented. This page anchors to the psychiatric PMHNP baseline of about $138,000 (see our PMHNP salary guide).
The baseline sits above the broader NP market. The BLS median for all nurse practitioners is $132,300 (May 2025), and NPs in psychiatric and substance-use settings earn a median near $142,100. The roughly $138,000 figure is the psychiatric PMHNP baseline, not a child-specific number.
The youth-provider shortage supports pay at or above the baseline. There's a severe, well-documented national shortage of clinicians who treat children and adolescents, per the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, which gives focused PMHNPs strong negotiating leverage.
Setting variation should be read as typical reported ranges, not official figures: outpatient and community roles $115,000 to $150,000, telehealth $120,000 to $180,000 W-2, and inpatient $130,000 to $170,000.
There's no separate license behind the pay. The ANCC PMHNP-BC is lifespan and already covers youth, so child and adolescent PMHNPs earn within the general PMHNP range.
Child and adolescent PMHNP salary is a common search, and the honest answer is that no one publishes a figure specific to it. The BLS reports nurse practitioner wages, not psychiatric sub-roles, so this page anchors to the psychiatric PMHNP baseline of about $138,000 and labels every range accordingly. Numbers tied to experience are the general NP and psychiatric ramp shown as a baseline, and numbers tied to setting are typical reported ranges, not official youth-specific figures. The one thing the data supports clearly is leverage: a severe, well-documented national shortage of providers who treat youth, per the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, means focused clinicians often earn at or above the baseline. For the full credential and career picture, see our child and adolescent PMHNP career guide.
Let's be direct: there is no published salary figure specific to child and adolescent PMHNPs. The BLS reports wages for nurse practitioners as a whole, and no agency anywhere publishes a child-and-adolescent-PMHNP number. So the $138,000 figure shown here, along with the $112,000 to $185,000 range, is the psychiatric PMHNP baseline, not a youth-specific median. We say so plainly because precision you can't source is just a guess.
For context, the BLS median for all nurse practitioners is $132,300 (May 2025), and NPs working in psychiatric and substance-use settings earn a median near $142,100. The roughly $138,000 baseline reflects this site's PMHNP salary analysis. A child and adolescent PMHNP earns within that PMHNP range. The difference is leverage: because there's a severe, well-documented national shortage of providers who treat youth, per the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, focused clinicians frequently negotiate pay at or above the baseline rather than below it.
How Child and Adolescent PMHNP pay grows over a career
Pay climbs steeply in the first few years, then flattens. The early jumps come from speed and a full caseload, not new titles.
- 1
New graduate (Year 1), NP/psychiatric baseline
$110,000 to $135,000
-
2Early career (1 to 3 years), baseline
$125,000 to $150,000
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3Mid career (4 to 9 years), baseline
$135,000 to $165,000
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4Experienced (10 to 19 years), baseline
$150,000 to $185,000
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5Senior (20+ years), baseline
$160,000 to $210,000+
Where Child and Adolescent PMHNPs earn the most
Employer type moves pay more than tenure does. Practice ownership and high-volume telehealth sit far above salaried clinic roles.
Outpatient clinic / community mental health (reported range)
$115,000 to $150,000
Children's hospital / inpatient psychiatric unit (reported range)
Highest ceiling$130,000 to $170,000
Telepsychiatry / telehealth platform (reported range)
$120,000 to $180,000 W-2
School-based / pediatric integrated care (reported range)
$115,000 to $150,000
How Child and Adolescent PMHNP pay compares
Median pay for the roles people weigh against this one. Pay tracks scope of practice and years of training. Tap a role to read its guide.
| Role | Relative median | Median pay | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNP-PMHNP | $150,000 | ||
| Child and Adolescent PMHNP This role | $138,000 | ||
| PMHNP | $138,000 | ||
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
How to increase your Child and Adolescent PMHNP salary
Since there's no published youth-specific salary, the practical question is how a child and adolescent PMHNP moves above the psychiatric baseline. The levers are the same ones that drive PMHNP pay generally, sharpened by the severity of the youth-provider shortage. Here's how focused clinicians raise their pay, roughly in order of impact.
Lean into the shortage. Because there's a severe national shortage of providers who treat youth, you have real leverage. Use it to negotiate base pay, sign-on bonuses, and loan repayment, especially at community and rural sites that struggle to recruit pediatric prescribers.
Change your practice model. Moving from a W-2 salary to 1099 contracting or cash-pay practice is the largest pay lever in the broader PMHNP field, and it applies to youth care too. See our PMHNP salary by setting guide for how models compare.
Add multi-state telehealth licensure. Telepsychiatry reaches families with no local pediatric prescriber, and holding licenses in several states expands a youth-focused caseload into higher-paying markets.
Build demonstrable pediatric expertise. Post-graduate fellowships, child-focused continuing education, and a caseload concentrated on youth distinguish you in hiring and contract negotiations, since the lifespan credential alone doesn't signal specialization.
Move toward higher-acuity settings. Inpatient and children's-hospital roles report higher typical pay than general outpatient youth care because acuity and complexity are higher.
Stack a 1099 telehealth side gig onto a salaried base. Many PMHNPs keep a benefits-bearing W-2 role and add youth-focused telehealth shifts to raise total income without giving up health insurance and retirement.
Keep reading
Child and Adolescent PMHNP Career Guide
What the role does for kids and teens, the pediatric-focused pathway, and why it's the highest-demand PMHNP niche.
PMHNP Salary
The full psychiatric PMHNP salary breakdown by state, experience, and practice model, where the $138,000 baseline comes from.
Best PMHNP Programs
Our national ranking of PMHNP MSN and DNP programs, scored by accreditation and clinical placement support.
Salary questions, answered
How much does a child and adolescent PMHNP make?+
Why isn't there a specific child and adolescent PMHNP salary?+
Do child and adolescent PMHNPs earn more than other PMHNPs?+
What do child and adolescent PMHNPs earn by setting?+
Does a child and adolescent PMHNP need a special license?+
How can a child and adolescent PMHNP increase pay?+
Every figure on this page traces to a primary source.
- [1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners
- [2] American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
- [3] Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
- [4] ANCC, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Certification (PMHNP-BC)