Registered nurses

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

3.54M

Average Age

43.1

Estimated Job Growth

4.9%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$82,141

Average Male Salary

$95,342

Average Female Salary

$80,303

About

Registered nurses are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Registered nurses was $82,141 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Registered nurses are Olmsted County--Rochester City PUMA, MN, Houston-Galveston Area Council--Brazoria County (North), Pearland City PUMA, TX, and Cass County--Fargo City PUMA, ND. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Registered nurses are Houston-Galveston Area Council--Brazoria County (North), Pearland City PUMA, TX, Olmsted County--Rochester City PUMA, MN, and Three Rivers Region--Lee, Pontotoc, Union Counties & Tupelo City PUMA, MS.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Registered nurses workforce. Registered nurses workforce in 2024 was 3,535,511 people, of which 87.8% were women and 12.2% were men. Registered nurses are paid most in Orange County (Central)--Orlando City (West Downtown) & Pine Hills (Southeast) PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Houston-Galveston Area Council--Brazoria County (North), Pearland City PUMA, TX.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

432,151

Male Workforce

± 16.1k

3,103,360

Female Workforce

± 42.8k

The Registered nurses workforce in 2024 was 3,535,511 people (87.8% women and 12.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of 23.9% between 2014 (2,853,397) and 2024 (3,535,511).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Registered nurses.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were California ($113,656), Hawaii ($101,863), and Oregon ($95,113).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$82,141

AVERAGE WAGE

#122 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Registered nurses earned an average of $82,141, $12,264 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Registered nurses in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Registered nurses had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.287, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Registered nurses (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Registered nurses compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Registered nurses and on wages for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Registered nurses, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Registered nurses, by average wage, is Banking & related activities ($177,744).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

3.54M

2024 Workforce

± 45,634

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.8%

This graphic shows the share of Registered nurses employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Registered nurses at 78.3%, followed by Outpatient care centers with 8.25% and Nursing Care Facilities with 8.05%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Registered nurses in the US. The workforce of Registered nurses in 2024 was 3,535,511 people, with 87.8% woman, and 12.2% men. The average age of male Registered nurses in the workforce is 41.9 and of female Registered nurses is 43.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Registered nurses is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Registered nurses in 2024 was 3,535,511 people, with 87.8% woman, and 12.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (487,848 people), 35 to 39 years (462,106 people), and 25 to 29 years (446,416 people). Among them they concentrated 39.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 10.2% of Registered nurses workers were Hispanic and 89.8% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (46.5%), Puerto Rican (18.9)%, and Cuban (7.05)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 66.5% of the Registered nurses workforce were White, of which 89.5% were women and 10.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (12%) and Asian (9.84%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Registered nurses from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Registered nurses is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Health.

Among the necessary skills for Registered nurses, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Registered nurses need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Registered nurses in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (1,814,138 people), Business (102,832 people), and Biology (92,491 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Registered nurses workers were Bachelors Degree (1,947,463 people), Associates Degree (899,411 people), and Graduate Degree (481,019 people).

The graphic shows the Registered nurses workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Registered nurses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Registered nurses need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Registered Nurses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Registered Nurses are expected to see a growth of 4.9% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

4.9%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Registered nurses. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.