Midwives
Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
Also called: APC (Advanced Practice Clinician), APP (Advanced Practice Provider), Birth Center Midwife, Birth Doula, Certified Direct-Entry Midwife, Certified Midwife
Median pay
$65,790
Pay for the broader BLS group “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other”
Pay range (10th–90th)
$38,660 – $129,830
People employed
35,010
Whole BLS group
Holland code
SRI
Social · Realistic · Investigative
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you prefer a steady pace without constant deadlines?
- 2.Are you OK with hours that change?
- 3.Do you want a lot of freedom to make your own decisions?
- 4.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 5.Do you prefer working indoors?
- 6.Do you want variety, with new tasks often?
The hard parts
- Mistakes can have serious consequences
- Exposure to disease or infection
Midwives pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (48 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, for the broader group “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other”.
What midwives do
- 01Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
- 02Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
- 03Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
- 04Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
- 05Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
- 06Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
Skills that matter most
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- English Language
Work styles that stand out
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a graduate degree (O*NET Job Zone 5).
- Related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.
- On-the-job training: over 3 months, up to and including 6 months.
- A professional certification is often expected.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from midwives
- Registered Nurses88% · —
- Acute Care Nurses85% · group pay
- Clinical Nurse Specialists84% · group pay
- Physical Therapists83% · —
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses83% · group pay
Change into midwives
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Hospitalists84% · $265,930
- Naturopathic Physicians82% · $115,210
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians81% · $265,930
- Sports Medicine Physicians81% · $265,930
- Clinical Nurse Specialists80% · $97,550
Majors that lead here
- Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
- Bioethics/Medical Ethics
- Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbology
- Herbalism/Herbalist
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.