3.47M
registered nurses were employed in the United States in 2025.
This is the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment baseline for its 2025 to 2035 projection period.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 ↗U.S. nursing workforce reference
Nursing statistics for 2026.
Current, source-linked numbers on the U.S. nursing workforce, education pipeline, pay, and workforce projections. Updated October 21, 2026.
10 cited statisticsSources from BLS, HRSA, NCSBN, and AACN
A quick read
The numbers behind a profession that holds so much.
These figures are gathered for anyone writing, reporting, teaching, or celebrating the people who care for others every day. Every number links to its original source, with the reporting year kept close at hand.
Workforce surveys, employment estimates, and projections answer different questions. The notes beneath each statistic make those distinctions clear, so the numbers can be used thoughtfully.
Key figures
At a glance.
180,800
registered-nurse job openings are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035.
The figure includes openings created by growth and by people who leave or transfer out of the occupation.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 ↗+194,700
registered-nurse jobs are projected to be added from 2025 to 2035.
That would bring projected RN employment to 3,660,100, a 5.6% increase from the 2025 baseline.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 ↗$97,550
was the median annual pay for registered nurses in May 2025.
Median pay marks the midpoint, meaning half of RNs earned more and half earned less.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 ↗40%
of registered nurses said they planned to leave the profession within five years.
This is survey-reported intention, not a prediction that exactly four in ten nurses will leave.
NCSBN National Nursing Workforce Study, 2025 ↗53%
of registered nurses worked in hospitals in 2024.
NCSBN reported this was down 4.2 percentage points from 2022, reflecting continued movement across care settings.
NCSBN National Nursing Workforce Study, 2025 ↗73%
of registered nurses reported a baccalaureate degree or higher in 2024.
The statistic describes the educational attainment reported in the national nursing workforce study.
NCSBN Workforce Survey Infographic, 2025 ↗11%
is the projected RN shortage in nonmetro areas in 2038.
HRSA projects a 2% shortage in metro areas that year. These are modeled supply and demand estimates, not a count of individual vacancies.
HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, December 2025 ↗108,960
full-time-equivalent RN shortage is projected nationally in 2038.
HRSA estimates this as a 3% national shortage, assuming historical patterns of attrition, graduation, and labor-force participation continue.
HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, December 2025 ↗93,176
qualified applications to nursing programs were not accepted in 2025.
AACN attributes the shortfall to insufficient faculty, clinical placements, classroom space, and related resources at reporting schools.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025 ↗How to read the figures
A little context changes the meaning.
Employment and pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment, projected openings, growth, and median pay. Its annual-opening figure includes workers entering, leaving, and moving through the occupation, not just newly created jobs.
Workforce survey results
NCSBN's 2024 national workforce study captures what licensed nurses reported about their work, education, and plans. Intent to leave is a valuable signal, but it is not a forecast of who will leave.
Future supply and demand
HRSA's shortage figures are modeled projections through 2038. They depend on stated assumptions, including that historical patterns of graduation, attrition, and workforce participation continue.
Methodology and sources
Where these numbers come from.
Last reviewed October 21, 2026. This page uses public data and research from primary workforce and education sources. Statistics are shown as reported, with their source year noted on each card.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurses Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 ↗
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics, 2026 ↗
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2024 National Nursing Workforce Study, published 2025 ↗
- NCSBN, 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey infographic, published 2025 ↗
- Health Resources and Services Administration, Nurse Workforce Projections, 2023 to 2038, December 2025 ↗
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2025 enrollment and applications report ↗
Cite this page
PrintedNicely. “U.S. Nursing Workforce Statistics: 2026.” Updated October 21, 2026. https://printednicely.com/nursing-statistics
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