Labor & Delivery Nurse salary
A labor & delivery nurse earns about $99,220 a year — roughly $47.70/hour, with most earning between $80,550 and $106,830. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Labor & Delivery Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$99,220
Hourly
$47.70/hr
- Typical range
- $80,550–$106,830
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $143,440
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $69,990
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Inpatient OB certification (RNC-OB)
- High-risk / NICU exposure
- Nights and on-call
- Metro labor market
About Labor & Delivery Nurses
What they do
Labor & delivery nurses support patients through labor, delivery, and immediate recovery, monitoring both mother and baby and assisting with both vaginal and cesarean births.
How to become a Labor & Delivery Nurse
L&D nurses are RNs who gain obstetric experience and often hold the RNC-OB certification; high-risk and NICU-adjacent roles add fetal-monitoring and neonatal-resuscitation credentials.
What drives the pay
Public wage data doesn’t separately track L&D nurses; figures are based on registered nurse pay. The modest premium reflects specialized OB skills, on-call demands, and high-risk exposure.
Labor & Delivery Nurse pay by state
Where this role tends to pay the most.
| State | Annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $136,920 | +38% vs national |
| Hawaii | $119,060 | +20% vs national |
| Alaska | $117,070 | +18% vs national |
| Oregon | $117,070 | +18% vs national |
| Washington | $117,070 | +18% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $114,100 | +15% vs national |
| New York | $112,110 | +13% vs national |
| District of Columbia | $111,120 | +12% vs national |
Compare next
Roles nurses weigh against this one.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
Labor & Delivery Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.06×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2024. Last reviewed June 1, 2025. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed June 1, 2025.