Career profile · 29-9099
Midwives
Provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
What the work can involve
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This O*NET group commonly calls for extensive preparation, often including advanced education and significant experience. A related certificate or associate program should not be treated as sufficient qualification.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- English Language
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 53.7%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a week or more but not every day | 38.8%08/2021 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Once a week or more but not every day | 47.5%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 76.7%08/2021 · sample 21 |
| Spend Time Sitting | More than half the time | 42.5%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Standing | About half the time | 51.4%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Less than half the time | 54.8%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Time Pressure | Once a year or more but not every month | 36.0%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 46.6%08/2021 · sample 22 |
| Work Schedules | Irregular (changes with weather conditions, production demands, or contract duration) | 61.3%08/2021 · sample 22 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Data base user interface and query software: AS/400 Database
- Electronic mail software: Email software
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML
- Internet browser software: Web browser software
- Medical software: Epic Systems, MEDITECH software, Patient electronic medical record EMR software, Private Practice
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for midwives
This O*NET specialty shares the BLS 29-9099 occupation series. Pay is measured for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other, not separately for this specialty.
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 49 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $69,520 | $33.43 | 80 |
| Alaska | $68,610 | $32.99 | 70 |
| Arizona | $62,860 | $30.22 | 690 |
| Arkansas | $37,660 | $18.11 | 610 |
| California | $75,800 | $36.44 | 4,180 |
| Colorado | $74,480 | $35.81 | 200 |
| Connecticut | $78,980 | $37.97 | 420 |
| Delaware | $49,990 | $24.04 | 90 |
| District of Columbia | $113,640 | $54.64 | 130 |
| Florida | $75,900 | $36.49 | 1,070 |
| Georgia | $63,230 | $30.40 | 1,770 |
| Hawaii | $57,330 | $27.56 | 720 |
| Idaho | $62,490 | $30.04 | 110 |
| Illinois | $72,610 | $34.91 | 970 |
| Indiana | $81,290 | $39.08 | 500 |
| Iowa | $42,070 | $20.23 | 410 |
| Kansas | $43,430 | $20.88 | 270 |
| Kentucky | $91,560 | $44.02 | 190 |
| Louisiana | $63,240 | $30.41 | 3,900 |
| Maryland | $75,000 | $36.06 | 2,110 |
| Massachusetts | $80,240 | $38.58 | 310 |
| Michigan | $77,130 | $37.08 | 1,160 |
| Minnesota | $79,990 | $38.46 | 410 |
| Mississippi | $37,920 | $18.23 | 230 |
| Missouri | $86,110 | $41.40 | 450 |
| Montana | $79,070 | $38.01 | 190 |
| Nebraska | $49,400 | $23.75 | 200 |
| Nevada | $64,170 | $30.85 | 1,020 |
| New Hampshire | $79,860 | $38.39 | 360 |
| New Jersey | $76,570 | $36.81 | 720 |
| New Mexico | $35,270 | $16.96 | 150 |
| New York | $102,990 | $49.52 | 1,110 |
| North Carolina | $57,390 | $27.59 | 940 |
| North Dakota | $52,240 | $25.11 | 80 |
| Ohio | $60,670 | $29.17 | 350 |
| Oklahoma | $73,320 | $35.25 | 30 |
| Oregon | $67,270 | $32.34 | 210 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,360 | $21.81 | 2,490 |
| Rhode Island | $63,060 | $30.32 | 240 |
| South Carolina | $67,940 | $32.67 | 340 |
| Tennessee | $63,400 | $30.48 | 1,650 |
| Texas | $62,420 | $30.01 | 1,460 |
| Utah | $67,320 | $32.37 | 160 |
| Vermont | $59,300 | $28.51 | 130 |
| Virginia | $63,410 | $30.49 | 530 |
| Washington | $80,730 | $38.81 | 880 |
| West Virginia | $66,080 | $31.77 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $81,580 | $39.22 | 470 |
| Wyoming | $60,410 | $29.04 | 80 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 148 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Administrative Services Managers→
- Endoscopy Technicians→
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers→
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other→
- Healthcare Support Workers, All Other→
- Medical Assistants→
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants→
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 29-9099.01.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.