With over 193,000 new registered nursing positions opening each year and a projected shortage of nearly 200,000 RNs by 2030, the nursing profession is not just a stable career path but a field pulsing with dynamic opportunity for those ready to step in.
Key Takeaways
- As of May 2023, there were 3,332,460 registered nurses employed in the United States
- The employment of registered nurses is projected to grow by 6% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations
- About 193,100 openings for registered nurses are projected each year on average over the decade from 2023 to 2033
- The mean annual wage for registered nurses was $89,010 in May 2023
- Registered nurses in California earned a mean annual wage of $133,340 in 2023
- In Nevada, RNs had the highest mean hourly wage at $50.99 in May 2023
- 82% of RNs hold a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023
- Associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs graduated 85,000 students in 2022
- BSN programs produced 95,000 new graduates in 2023
- BLS reports 62% of RNs work full-time schedules averaging 40 hours/week
- 19% of RNs work part-time, averaging 24 hours per week in 2023
- Night shift work common for 30% of hospital RNs
- 68% of RNs aged 30 and under are female
- Overall, 87% of registered nurses are women in 2023
- Male RNs make up 13% of the workforce, up from 10% in 2013
Nursing offers strong job growth and high demand across many states and specialties.
Demographics and Diversity
- 68% of RNs aged 30 and under are female
- Overall, 87% of registered nurses are women in 2023
- Male RNs make up 13% of the workforce, up from 10% in 2013
- Average age of employed RNs is 46 years in 2023
- 52% of RNs are age 50 or older
- White non-Hispanic RNs comprise 76% of the workforce
- Black or African American RNs are 9.5% of total
- Hispanic/Latino RNs represent 7% of nurses
- Asian RNs account for 9% of the profession in 2023
- RNs aged 23-26 number 120,000 in the workforce
- Baby boomer RNs (born 1946-1964) total 500,000 still active
- Gen Z nurses (born 1997+) make up 6% of RNs
- 22% of RNs have military background
- LGBTQ+ identification among RNs is 10%
- Foreign-born RNs comprise 17% of workforce
- Rural RNs number 800,000, 25% of total
- Urban area RNs dominate at 70% of total employment
- Married RNs represent 65% of the profession
- RNs with children under 18: 28%
- Diversity in leadership: 85% of CNOs are white females
- Projected RN workforce growth to 4.5 million by 2035
- Increasing millennial RNs now 45% of workforce
Demographics and Diversity Interpretation
While nursing remains a field powered predominantly by women and seasoned veterans, the slow but steady influx of men, Gen Z, and more diverse faces is finally starting to quietly reshape the ward, proving that the future of healthcare depends on more than just bedside manner but on a broader bench.
Education and Certification
- 82% of RNs hold a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023
- Associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs graduated 85,000 students in 2022
- BSN programs produced 95,000 new graduates in 2023
- DNP programs enrolled 8,000 students in 2023
- NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate was 87.9% for US-educated candidates in 2023
- 89% of employers require BSN for new hires by 2023
- Average time to complete ADN program is 2 years
- BSN programs take 4 years on average for full-time students
- MSN programs average 18-24 months for RN-to-MSN tracks
- 45,000 nurses enrolled in bridge programs (ADN to BSN) in 2023
- Critical care RN certification (CCRN) held by 100,000 nurses in 2023
- Certified pediatric nurse (CPN) certifications totaled 25,000 in 2023
- Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) certifications reached 30,000 by 2023
- 65% of RNs have specialty certification
- Cost of ADN program averages $20,000-$40,000
- BSN tuition averages $40,000-$100,000 for four years
- Online RN-to-BSN programs completion rate 75% in 2023
- 92% of nurses report ongoing education improves patient outcomes
- Simulation training used in 95% of nursing schools in 2023
- Clinical hours required for BSN average 800-1,000 hours
- 78% of new RNs participate in residency programs post-graduation
Education and Certification Interpretation
Nursing is clearly leveling up, with the profession responding to the high-stakes demand for expertise by increasingly treating the bachelor's degree as the new baseline and stacking it with specialized certifications, though the journey there is a marathon of time, clinical hours, and tuition that makes the 87.9% NCLEX pass rate feel like a well-earned victory lap.
Employment and Job Outlook
- As of May 2023, there were 3,332,460 registered nurses employed in the United States
- The employment of registered nurses is projected to grow by 6% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations
- About 193,100 openings for registered nurses are projected each year on average over the decade from 2023 to 2033
- In California, registered nurses held 325,620 jobs in 2023, the highest in any state
- Texas employed 222,210 registered nurses as of May 2023
- Florida had 213,400 registered nurse jobs in 2023
- New York state had 188,770 registered nurses employed in May 2023
- Pennsylvania employed 144,970 registered nurses in 2023
- The ambulatory health care services sector employed 1,020,850 registered nurses in May 2023
- General medical and surgical hospitals employed 1,840,210 registered nurses nationally in 2023
- Nursing and residential care facilities had 513,700 registered nurse jobs in 2023
- Home health care services employed 209,160 registered nurses in May 2023
- Outpatient care centers had 187,430 registered nurse positions in 2023
- The job vacancy rate for registered nurses was 10.5% in hospitals during Q4 2022
- Nurse turnover rate in hospitals averaged 27.4% in 2021
- 18.5% of hospitals reported critical staffing shortages for registered nurses in 2023
- Projected shortage of 193,500 registered nurses by 2030 due to retirements and growth
- Travel nursing jobs increased by 50% from 2019 to 2022
- 44% of current registered nurses plan to retire or leave the profession by 2025
- Foreign-educated nurses filled 16% of new RN positions in 2022
- ICU registered nurse jobs grew by 12% from 2020 to 2023
- Emergency department RN employment reached 180,000 in 2023
- Pediatric nursing jobs totaled 62,000 nationwide in 2023
- Oncology RN positions numbered 35,000 in hospitals in 2023
- Operating room RN employment was 250,000 in 2023
- Public health nurse jobs increased 8% post-COVID to 55,000 in 2023
- Telehealth nursing positions grew to 40,000 by 2023
- School nurse employment stood at 72,000 across US schools in 2023
- Hospice and palliative care RN jobs reached 130,000 in 2023
Employment and Job Outlook Interpretation
The nursing field is expanding faster than a hospital parking lot during flu season, but with 44% of nurses eyeing the exit, we’re left wondering if the real growth is in new hires or just our collective anxiety about filling their incredibly large and critically important shoes.
Salary and Wages
- The mean annual wage for registered nurses was $89,010 in May 2023
- Registered nurses in California earned a mean annual wage of $133,340 in 2023
- In Nevada, RNs had the highest mean hourly wage at $50.99 in May 2023
- New York RN mean annual salary was $104,570 in 2023
- RNs in general medical hospitals earned $93,960 annually on average in 2023
- Ambulatory health care services RNs averaged $92,120 per year in 2023
- Home health RN mean wage was $87,090 annually in May 2023
- Nursing care facilities RNs earned $85,020 on average in 2023
- Nurse practitioners earned a mean $126,260 annually in 2023
- CRNAs had the highest RN-related wage at $212,650 mean annual in 2023
- Travel nurses averaged $110,000 annually in 2023
- ICU nurses earned 15% above average RN salary at $102,000 in 2023
- ER nurses mean salary was $85,000 annually in 2023
- OR nurses averaged $92,000 per year in 2023
- Pediatric RNs earned $78,000 mean annual wage in 2023
- Oncology nurses averaged $89,000 yearly in 2023
- Average RN bonus was $5,200 in 2023
- 72% of RNs receive health insurance benefits
- Average RN overtime pay premium was 1.5 times base rate in 2023
- Sign-on bonuses for RNs averaged $10,000 in 2023
- RNs in outpatient centers earned $90,450 annually in 2023
- School nurses mean salary was $62,000 in 2023
- Public health nurses averaged $75,000 yearly in 2023
- Telehealth RNs earned $95,000 on average in 2023
- Hospice RN mean wage was $82,000 in 2023
Salary and Wages Interpretation
While the nationwide nursing paycheck tells a comfortable story, the real plot twist is found in California's golden paychecks, the life-or-death premiums of ICU work, and the sobering trade-off between a school nurse's passion and their pay stub.
Work Environment and Conditions
- BLS reports 62% of RNs work full-time schedules averaging 40 hours/week
- 19% of RNs work part-time, averaging 24 hours per week in 2023
- Night shift work common for 30% of hospital RNs
- Average RN patient load is 5.1 patients per nurse in medical-surgical units
- 56% of RNs report high burnout levels in 2023 surveys
- Workplace violence incidents against RNs totaled 46% reporting in past year
- 75% of RNs experience moral distress weekly
- Average RN commute time is 25 minutes one-way
- Flexible scheduling offered to 60% of RNs in 2023
- 12-hour shifts standard for 70% of hospital RNs
- ICU nurse-to-patient ratio mandated 1:2 in some states
- ER nurse average patients per shift: 8-10
- OR nurses average 4-6 surgeries per day
- Home health RNs average 6-8 visits daily
- 41% of RNs consider leaving due to workload in 2023
- PPE availability issues affected 25% of RNs during peaks
- Teamwork satisfaction rated 7.2/10 by RNs in 2023
- On-call duties required for 55% of hospital RNs weekly
- Documentation time averages 2.5 hours per 12-hour shift
Work Environment and Conditions Interpretation
American nursing is a noble paradox where the majority work full-time yet feel morally depleted, manage patient loads with clockwork precision while dodging violence and burnout, and somehow still find a seven out of ten in teamwork on the drive home from their twelve-hour shift that included two and a half hours of paperwork.
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