Acupuncturists vs Nurse Midwives: $76K vs $134K Median Pay

Acupuncturists vs Nurse Midwives: what changes?

Consider Acupuncturists if you want to diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. Consider Nurse Midwives if you would rather diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team. Both list master's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Acupuncturists and Nurse Midwives. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Acupuncturists

National median pay (2025): $76,040
Route into the job: Master's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 800

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (14,800 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Acupuncturists brief

Nurse Midwives

National median pay (2025): $134,040
Route into the job: Master's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Provide prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, or newborn care to patients.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 400

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (8,200 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Nurse Midwives brief

How the national numbers differ

Nurse Midwives has the edge on median pay

Nurse Midwives is at $134,040, compared with $76,040 for Acupuncturists.

Acupuncturists has the edge on annual openings

Acupuncturists is at 800 annual openings, compared with 400 annual openings for Nurse Midwives.

Nurse Midwives has the edge on projected growth

Nurse Midwives is at 11.5% projected growth, compared with 8.6% projected growth for Acupuncturists.

47.8/ 100

Acupuncturists

54.7/ 100

Nurse Midwives

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence