Midwives: Job Description
Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
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The Daily Work of Midwives Perform?
The core tasks performed by midwives include:
- Monitor maternal condition during labor by checking vital signs, monitoring uterine contractions, or performing physical examinations.
- Identify tubal and ectopic pregnancies and refer patients for treatments.
- Provide necessary medical care for infants at birth, including emergency care such as resuscitation.
- Conduct ongoing prenatal health assessments, tracking changes in physical and emotional health.
- Monitor fetal growth and well-being through heartbeat detection, body measurement, and palpation.
- Establish and follow emergency or contingency plans for mothers and newborns.
- Identify, monitor, or treat pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, or retarded fetal growth.
- Obtain complete health and medical histories from patients including medical, surgical, reproductive, or mental health histories.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful midwives draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Midwives Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- APC (Advanced Practice Clinician)
- APP (Advanced Practice Provider)
- Birth Center Midwife
- Birth Doula
- Certified Direct-Entry Midwife
- Certified Midwife
- Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
- Direct-Entry Midwife
Job Outlook
There are roughly 3,219,221 midwives working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +7.7% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Midwives
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $109,643 |
| Hourly median | $52.71 |
| 10th percentile | $79,618 |
| 25th percentile | $94,630 |
| 75th percentile | $124,655 |
| 90th percentile | $139,668 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $107,490 |
| Puerto Rico | $107,240 |
| Indiana | $87,870 |
| New York | $84,050 |
| Wisconsin | $78,790 |
| Kentucky | $78,610 |
| Minnesota | $78,300 |
| New Hampshire | $77,310 |
| Michigan | $76,530 |
| Virginia | $76,450 |
| California | $75,070 |
| Maryland | $74,010 |
| Oregon | $73,850 |
| New Jersey | $73,640 |
| Maine | $72,200 |
| Alaska | $72,030 |
| New Mexico | $71,920 |
| Washington | $69,440 |
| North Carolina | $68,880 |
| Missouri | $67,440 |
| Massachusetts | $67,000 |
| Louisiana | $66,190 |
| Arizona | $65,830 |
| Vermont | $65,450 |
| Oklahoma | $63,960 |
| Georgia | $63,900 |
| South Carolina | $63,890 |
| Montana | $62,920 |
| Ohio | $62,530 |
| Utah | $62,110 |
| Idaho | $60,370 |
| Colorado | $60,360 |
| Wyoming | $58,110 |
| Florida | $57,190 |
| Illinois | $57,020 |
| Tennessee | $54,990 |
| Hawaii | $53,520 |
| West Virginia | $51,440 |
| Nebraska | $51,350 |
| Nevada | $51,170 |
| Alabama | $51,060 |
| North Dakota | $50,760 |
| Texas | $50,290 |
| Connecticut | $49,200 |
| Rhode Island | $48,650 |
| Delaware | $47,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,840 |
| Kansas | $42,760 |
| Arkansas | $39,390 |
| Iowa | $36,670 |
| Mississippi | $36,480 |
Where Midwives Earn the Most
Earnings for midwives vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other U.S. Territories | $107,240 | 0.1% | 0.24 |
| Great Lakes | $73,180 | 9.4% | 0.75 |
| Far Western US | $68,403 | 19.2% | 1.72 |
| Middle Atlantic | $65,415 | 21.1% | 2.25 |
| Southeast | $61,456 | 32.0% | 3.61 |
| Plains States | $61,027 | 4.9% | 0.77 |
| Rocky Mountains | $60,898 | 1.9% | 0.53 |
| New England | $59,346 | 5.1% | 1.85 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $118,470 | 280 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | PR | $107,240 | 40 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | MI | $99,360 | 90 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $97,850 | 1,310 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | KY | $95,640 | 60 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | NE | $91,830 | 90 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $90,210 | 510 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | WA | $86,960 | 30 |
Industry Breakdown
Most midwives are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 22,440 | $59,740 |
| Educational Services | 4,020 | $64,910 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,180 | n/a |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 870 | $62,750 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 840 | $80,520 |
| Finance and Insurance | 750 | $77,450 |
| Wholesale Trade | 710 | $130,410 |
| Retail Trade | 430 | $41,640 |
Below are examples of industries where midwives work:
Tools and Technology
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for midwives tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Physical Proximity
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How to Become Midwives
Entry-level midwives positions require some college, no degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Physician Assistants (Supplemental)
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (Supplemental)
- Critical Care Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Midwives (Primary-Short)
Where to Study
Aspiring midwives typically earn programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
4 programs across 4 majors
- Health/Medical Admin Services
- Bioethics/Medical Ethics
- Alternative Medicine & Systems
- Energy & Bio-Based Therapies
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-9099.01 (Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other).
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