Updated for 2026

Midwive Salary in 2026

This Midwive salary guide for 2026 centers on Careerclev's modeled national salary benchmark, built from the latest official BLS wage baseline and extended with wage trend history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available. It covers average salary, hourly pay, experience bands, salary by city, salary by state, industry premiums, in-demand skills, and long-term job outlook so readers can compare what drives higher compensation.

Last updated: 202636,970 employment estimateFull salary breakdown12 min read
Average Salary
$81.4K
per year (USA)
Entry Level
$47.3K
starting range
Senior Level
$116K
upper percentile
Top Earners
$181K+
lead / principal
Hourly Rate
$39
avg. equivalent
Salary figures projected to 2026  from May 2024BLS OEWS baseline·  Projections use wage history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available
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What Does a Midwive Earn?

Careerclev's modeled 2026 benchmark places Midwive pay at $81,418.0 per year in the United States. On the latest official 2024 BLS wage baseline, the lower end of the Midwive salary range starts around $37,220.0, while experienced professionals and top earners can reach $127,340 or more.

That national figure is only the starting point. In practice, pay for this role changes quickly once location, industry, experience level, and specialization enter the picture. A Midwive working in San Jose, CA or a stronger salary industry like Wholesale Trade may see a very different salary path than someone in a lower-cost market, especially when skills like role-specific skills and advanced tools define the role.

Key 2026 BenchmarkThe national median Midwive salary is $81,418.0, with an estimated hourly equivalent of $39.

What Midwive Professionals Do

Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.

Typical Responsibilities

Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
Core
Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
Core
Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
Core
Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
Core
Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
Core
Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
Core
Related job titlesBirth Center Midwife, Certified Direct-Entry Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Homebirth Midwife, Lay Midwife, Licensed and Certified Midwife

Midwive Salary by Experience Level

Experience is one of the strongest salary drivers for Midwive roles. Entry-level workers usually sit closer to the lower salary band while senior, lead, and principal-level professionals move into higher ranges as they take on ownership, decision-making, mentoring, and more specialized work.

That progression matters because the headline median can hide how wide the real pay ladder is. For some roles, early-career pay stays close to the middle; for others, the gap between first-job pay and senior pay is large enough to change how attractive the path looks over time.

LevelExperienceAvg. Base SalaryEstimated Total PayGrowth vs Previous
Entry Level Midwive0-2 years$47,302.0$49.7K - $60.5KN/A
Mid Level Midwive3-5 years$81,380.0$62.8K - $126K+72.0%
Senior Level Midwive6-10 years$115,712$92.0K - $183K+42.2%
Lead / Principal Midwive10+ years$161,870$135K - $212K+39.9%
How to read the experience tableThe cards show the quick salary story, while the table gives a more detailed view of how Midwivepay can move from entry-level work into senior and lead responsibility.

Midwive Salary by City

City salary differences matter because Midwive jobs are tied to local employer demand, cost of living, and industry concentration. Markets like San Jose, CA and District Of Columbia can pay very differently even when the job title looks the same on paper.

That is why city pages are often more useful than national averages once you are actively job searching. They show whether a stronger nominal salary comes from a genuinely better market, a more specialized employer mix, or simply a more expensive metro.

United States — City Comparison

CityProjected SalaryVs. National BenchmarkCost of Living Signal
San Jose, CA$118,470+46%High salary market
District Of Columbia$107,490+32%High salary market
San Juan, PR$107,240+32%High salary market
Lansing, MI$99,360.0+22%High salary market
Washington, DC$97,850.0+20%High salary market
Louisville/jefferson County, KY$95,640.0+17%Competitive
Omaha, NE$91,830.0+13%Competitive
San Francisco, CA$90,210.0+11%Competitive
Indiana$87,870.0+8%Competitive
Bremerton, WA$86,960.0+7%Competitive
City salary pictureA higher Midwive salary in a major metro does not always mean higher take-home value. Housing, taxes, commuting, and remote-work flexibility can change the real outcome.
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Midwive Salary by Industry

Industry can change a Midwive salary as much as geography. Employers in Wholesale Trade may pay more when the role sits close to revenue, regulated operations, complex infrastructure, or scarce technical expertise.

IndustryProjected SalaryBonus PotentialJob SecurityGrowth Pace
Wholesale Trade$130,410HighStrongFast
Government Excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service$99,200.0HighStrongFast
Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service$80,900.0HighStrongFast
Manufacturing$80,890.0ModerateStrongFast
Management of Companies and Enterprises$80,520.0ModerateStrongModerate
Finance and Insurance$77,450.0ModerateModerateModerate
Educational Services$64,910.0ModerateModerateModerate
Administrative, Support, Waste Management, and Remediation Services$62,750.0LowerModerateModerate
Other Services Except Public Administration$61,740.0LowerVariableSlow
Health Care and Social Assistance$59,740.0LowerVariableSlow

The strongest-paying industries for Midwive roles usually combine higher budgets with urgent business needs. Use this table to compare not only salary, but also the tradeoff between upside, stability, and long-term growth.

Midwive Salary by Skill Specialization

Skills shape salary because they tell employers what kind of problems a Midwive can solve. Strong signals around role-specific skills, advanced tools, tools, platforms, analysis, communication, and domain knowledge can help candidates move from average pay into stronger compensation bands.

Common tool stackO*NET maps Midwive work to tools such as Epic Systems, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, and Email software.
role-specific skills can raise the ceilingThe most valuable Midwive skills are the ones connected to business-critical work, scarce tools, and hard-to-fill responsibilities. Pairing role-specific skills with advanced tools can make a candidate easier to price at the top of the salary range.

Remote vs Onsite vs Hybrid — Salary Comparison

Remote, onsite, and hybrid pay can shift the salary story for Midwive jobs. Remote roles often widen the hiring market, while onsite roles may pay more in expensive metros when employers need local availability, team coverage, or specialized workplace access.

Work TypeAvg. BaseExperienceBenefitsFlexibility
Remote Midwive$81,418.0Market dependentVariableHigh
Hybrid Midwive$83,860.5Metro dependentStrongMedium
Onsite Midwive$82,232.2Location dependentStrongLower

Hybrid roles can carry a small premium in high-cost cities, while fully remote roles can be especially powerful for workers outside the most expensive labor markets. The best comparison is total pay after location, taxes, commuting, and lifestyle costs.

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How to Become a Midwive

The most common path into Midwive work is to pair the expected baseline education with early hands-on practice and proof that you can handle the core responsibilities of the role. Candidates move faster when they can connect training, projects, internships, or prior adjacent work to the exact kinds of tasks employers hire midwive professionals to do.

If you want the fuller step-by-step version, open the full How to Become a Midwive guide.

Practical shortcutThe strongest early candidates for Midwive jobs usually show job-relevant work samples, clear fundamentals, and evidence that they can contribute with limited supervision.
Knowledge areas employers associate with this roleCustomer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology, and Therapy and Counseling.

Midwive Work Environment

Work environment can shape job fit just as much as salary. For Midwive, the day-to-day experience may vary based on employer type, digital vs on-site workflows, collaboration intensity, schedule predictability, and how much independent judgment the role requires.

Common work-style signalsO*NET highlights Attention to Detail, Empathy, Dependability, and Stress Tolerance for Midwive work.
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
Telephone Conversations
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
E-Mail
How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

Entry-Level Midwive Salary Expectations

Entry-level Midwive salary expectations should be viewed as a starting range, not a ceiling. New workers in this role often earn around $47,302.0, with pay rising as they build practical experience, stronger judgment, better tools, and a clearer track record of delivering work without close supervision.

Internship / Trainee
$23/hr
$35.5K - $54.4K annualized
Early practical exposure, supervised assignments, portfolio building, and conversion into a first full-time role.
New Grad / Junior
$47.3K
$47.3K - $57.6K base
First full-time Midwive roles reward candidates who can show useful work, reliable fundamentals, and coachability.

Typical Promotion Timeline

Promotions usually follow the move from supervised work to independent delivery, then to broader ownership. Switching employers can sometimes accelerate salary growth when the current role has a narrow pay band.

StageTypical TimelineSalary JumpKey Milestone
Intern → JuniorInternship → first role$8.5K - $15.1KFirst full-time offer
Junior → Mid18-30 months$9.8K - $17.9KDeliver work independently
Mid → Senior2-4 years$13.9K - $25.5KOwn larger outcomes
Senior → Lead3-6 years$19.4K - $40.5KInfluence teams or strategy

Midwive Career Progression & Salary Path

This step is useful because experience level and career progression are related, but not identical. The pay path below shows how compensation tends to widen as the work moves from narrower execution into broader ownership and leadership scope.

1
Intern / Trainee
$37.1K$49.9K
Midwive compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
2
Junior
$46.1K$60.8K
Midwive compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
3
Mid Level
$57.6K$71.7K
Midwive compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
4
Senior
$69.2K$89.6K
Midwive compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
5
Lead
$82.0K$104K
Midwive compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
6
Principal / Architect
$96.0K$131K
Midwive compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.

Factors That Affect a Midwive's Salary

A Midwive salary is rarely determined by job title alone. Employers also price the role based on education, certifications, tools used, industry setting, workplace responsibility, and how difficult it is to find qualified candidates with the same mix of skills.

Years of Experience
Salary usually rises as the role moves from entry-level execution to independent ownership, mentoring, and broader decision-making.
Location and Cost of Living
Local salary ranges vary by labor market, employer density, and household-income context.
Industry
Industry pay can vary when employers in higher-margin or harder-to-staff sectors compete for the same occupation.
Specialized Skills
O*NET marks high-demand role-specific skills as relevant skills for this role, making them useful anchors for specialization and salary-growth content.

Midwive Job Demand & Market Outlook

The Midwive job outlook matters because demand affects hiring, salary growth, and how much leverage qualified workers have. The current projection points to 3.6% employment change from 2024 to 2034, which helps explain whether employers are likely to keep competing for qualified talent.

Salary is easier to interpret when it sits next to a demand signal. Strong wages in a shrinking field can tell a very different story from strong wages in a role where openings, replacement demand, and market expansion are all still active.

BLS Employment ProjectionEmployment is projected to change by 3.6% from 2024 to 2034.
About averageAnnual openings: 2.6 thousand.
Metric2026 Status
Projected employment41.7k → 43.1k
Typical educationMost of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related experienceExtensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Remote job availabilityMeaningful for roles with portable work and digital workflows
Salary market signalMedian pay of $81,418.0 suggests a solid compensation track.

How to Increase Your Midwive Salary

The most reliable way to increase a Midwive salary is to make your value easier for employers to measure. That usually means building stronger evidence around outcomes, expanding into higher-value skills, moving toward better-paying industries, and negotiating with current market salary data in hand.

StrategyAvg. Salary ImpactTimelineEffort Level
Benchmark against stronger markets+15-30%1-3 monthsHigh ROI
Build a visible specialization$9.8K - $22.8K3-9 monthsMedium
Target higher-paying industries$6.5K - $14.7K2-6 monthsMedium
The fastest salary liftFor many Midwive professionals, the fastest path is a focused mix of stronger proof, higher-value skills, and better market selection. Salary gains usually come faster when candidates combine a clear portfolio with targeted applications and negotiation.

Midwive vs Similar Career Salaries

Comparing Midwive salary with Family Medicine Physician and other nearby careers helps show whether this job title is underpaid, fairly priced, or part of a stronger salary path. These comparisons are useful when choosing between roles, planning a career move, or deciding which skills to build next.

Family Medicine Physician
$238K
Related role
Above baseline
General Internal Medicine Physician
$236K
Related role
Above baseline
Urologist
$236K
Related role
Above baseline
Prosthodontist
$234K
Related role
Above baseline
Psychiatrist
$227K
Related role
Above baseline
Neurologist
$224K
Related role
Above baseline
Nurse Anesthetist
$223K
Related role
Above baseline
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Frequently Asked Questions

These questions usually come up after readers compare the national salary, experience bands, and city differences. Together they clarify how to read the salary data and what to pay attention to when you compare this role with nearby careers.

What is the average Midwives salary?
The latest national baseline for Midwives is about $64,000 per year, based on the current BLS-derived salary facts in CareerClev.
What is the entry-level Midwives salary?
Entry-level estimates for Midwives are modeled around the lower BLS percentile range, currently about $37,200 per year nationally.
How much can senior Midwives professionals earn?
Senior Midwives estimates are modeled from upper percentile wage bands and currently sit around $91,000 per year nationally.
Does location affect Midwives salary?
Yes. CareerClev stores salary facts by national, state, and metro locations, so location-specific pages should use the closest available geography instead of a single national number.
Which skills matter for Midwives salary growth?
CareerClev uses O*NET skill importance and level scores to identify role-relevant skills. These are useful for recommendations, but should not be presented as measured salary premiums unless enriched compensation data exists.
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Data Sources & Methodology
Updated using 2024 BLS OEWS salary facts, O*NET occupation-skill data, Census location context where available, ILOSTAT country benchmarks where mapped, BLS Employment Projections where imported, and Stack Overflow Developer Survey enrichment for mapped tech roles.
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