Registered Nurse Statistics
FACT SHEET
Registered Nurse Population1
- 2,558,874 Licensed in the USA
- 2,433,277 Females (95.1%)
- 124,630 Males (4.9%)
- 228,289 (9%) under 30 years old
- 711,050 (27.8%) 30 - 39 years old
- 843,757 (33%) 40 - 49 years old
- 464,749 (18.2%) 50 - 59 years old
- 293,800 (11.5%) 60+ years old
- 44.3 average age (up from 43.1 in 1992)
- 90% Caucasian
- 4.2% African/American
- 3.4% Asian/Pacific Islanders
- 1.6% Hispanic
- .5% American Indian/Alaskan Native
| Primary Practice Setting4
- 1,148709 (45%) Hospitals
- 195,581 (17%) Intensive Care bed unit
- 78,269 (6.8%) Telemetry/Step Down/PCU
- 89,300 (7.8%) Emergency Department
- 103,835 (9%) Operating room
- 36,696 (3.2%) Post Operative/Recovery
- 403,139 (35.1%) General/Specialty unit
- 79,258 (6.9%) Labor/Delivery room
|
Registered Nurse Full Time Salary2
- $395 - $1005 weekly range
- $42,071 average annual for all RNs
- $38,567 average annual staff RN
- $41,884 East Coast average annual staff RN
- $37,109 South average annual staff RN
- $35,601 Midwest average annual staff RN
- $44,781 West Coast average annual staff RN
- $41,950 average annual Supervisor
- $42,407 average annual Instructor
- $46,262 average annual Head Nurse
- $51,089 average annual Clinical Nurse Specialist
- $55,014 average annual Nurse Practitioner/Midwife
- $86,319 average annual Nurse Anesthetist
| Registered Nurse Employment5
- 76.6% Licensed RNs Employed in Nursing
- 71.4% Employed Full Time (FT)
- 28.6% Employed Part Time (PT)
- 1,971,000 RNs employed in 1996
- 2,382,000 RN predicted jobs in 2006 (21% increase)
- 1,212,253 RNs employed in hospitals in 1996
- 1,301,609 RN predicted hospital jobs in 2006 (7.4% increase)
- 72% Entry-level bachelor's nursing graduates with jobs waiting
- 85.7% Masters-level nurse practitioner graduates with jobs waiting
- 94% Masters degree nursing graduates with jobs waiting
- <2% Unemployment rate for Registered Nurses
|
Enrollment in Nursing Programs3
- 238,244 All entry level RN programs (8.8% Decline)
- 103,213 Entry level Baccalaureate (5.7% Decline)
- 122,242 Associate Degree (9.6% Decline)
- 12,789 Diploma (22.4% Decline)
- 48,030 Post-RN enrollment (2% Increase)
- 151,243 All Baccalaureate (3.4% Decline)
- 34,352 (1.6% Increase) Master's
- 2,906 (2.3% Decline) Doctoral
| Highest Nursing Education6
- 696,804 (27.2%) Diploma
- 812,438 (31.7%) Associate Degree
- 735,697 (28.8%) Baccalaureate
- 165,510 (6.5%) Master's
- 16,466 (.6%) Doctoral (Nursing/Related)
|
End notes
1. RN Population Survey (1996) estimates
2. RN Population (1996) estimates average annual salaries, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (1997) weekly salary range
3. NLN (1996) data comparison 1995 to 1996 for undergraduate programs, AACN (1997) data comparison 1996 to 1997 for masters/doctoral programs
4. RN Population (1996) primary practice setting estimates
5. RN Population (1996) estimates, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (1998) job rate predictions, AACN (1997) reported job rate upon graduation
6. RN Population Survey (1996) estimates
References
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics (1998) Occupations With the Largest Job Growth, 1996-2006. May 8, 1998. Washington DC: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
2. Alone, B. & Merely, G. (1997). Workforce trends among U.S. registered nurses: A report for the International Council of Nurses Workforce Forum. Stockholm, Sweden; September 29 - October 1, 1997. Washington DC: American Nurses Association.
3. Mezibov D. (1997). Master's degree enrollments rise at nation's nursing schools, AACN survey finds: However, as demand for RNs climbs, Bachelor's degree enrollments see continued decline. Press Release. Washington DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
4. Mezibov D. (1997). Nursing school enrollments some vital perspective. Media Backgrounder. Washington DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
5. Moses, E. B. (1996). The registered nurse population: Findings from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, March, 1996. Washington DC: Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professionals, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
6. Post, D., & Louden D. (1996). Executive summary. Nursing DataSource 1996: Volume I - Trends in contemporary nursing education. New York: National League for Nursing Press.
10/98 American Association of Critical Care Nurses
|