Nursing is a field full of opportunity, with impressive projected job growth combined with a need for skilled professionals to address an ongoing staffing shortage. From registered nurses (RNs) to licensed practical or vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs), and from nurse practitioners (NPs) to nurse anesthetists, nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry. We’ve gathered 60 statistics that reveal surprising truths about the demographics of nurses, job satisfaction, average salaries, the nursing shortage, COVID’s impact on the profession, and nursing education. These key nursing stats and trends—detailed in eye-catching infographics—reveal the realities of American nursing in 2021.
Section 2 Nursing Satisfaction Statistics
Section 3 Nursing Salary Statistics
Section 4 Nursing Shortage Statistics
Section 5 Nursing Injury Statistics
Section 6 Nurses and COVID-19 Statistics
Section 7 Current Trends in Nursing
Section 8 Statistics on Nursing Students
Section 9 Trends in Nursing Education
Nursing Demographics in 2021
Let’s start with a statistical look at the people who work in nursing, one of the country’s most populous professions.
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There are almost 4.2 million RNs and 950,000 LPNs/LVNs in the United States.
2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey
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Over 325,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) are licensed in the United States.
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There are 4x as many nurses in the United States as there are physicians.
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Nursing careers make up the largest portion of America’s healthcare professions.
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The median age of a registered nurse is 52 years old.
2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey
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The RN workforce is:
81% Caucasian7.2% Asian6% Black5.6% Hispanic
2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey
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9.4% of the RN and 8.1% of the LPN/LVN workforce are men.
2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey
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The LPN/LVN workforce is:
69.5% Caucasian5% Asian17.2% Black10% Hispanic
2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey
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The number of male nurses has tripled over the past 50 years.
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In the Pacific region of the U.S., 30.5% of nurses are people of color, the largest percentage in the country.
Nursing Satisfaction Statistics
Nursing is a well-respected profession that requires dedication, ethics, and compassion. Here, we examine how nurses feel about their profession, as well as how American society perceives nurses.
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In Gallup polls, nurses have been identified as the most honest and ethical professionals for the past 19 years.
They won 89% of the vote in 2020.
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The job of nurse practitioner is ranked #3 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Jobs list.
U.S. News and World Report, Jan. 2021
