Registered nurses

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

3.26M

Average Age

43.6

Estimated Job Growth

7.17%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$67,878

Average Male Salary

$79,060

Average Female Salary

$66,430

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 $67,878 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Registered nurses by wage are Surveyors, cartographers, & photogrammetrists, Derrick, rotary drill, & service unit operators, & roustabouts, oil, gas, & mining, and Mining machine operators.

Registered nurses are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Registered nurses are Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, Brazoria County (North)Pearland City PUMA, TX, and Rochester City PUMA, MN. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Registered nurses are Brazoria County (North)Pearland City PUMA, TX, Carr 2 (Sur) PUMA, PR, and Rochester City PUMA, MN.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Registered nurses and on wages and locations 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 Aircraft & parts manufacturing. Registered nurses are paid most in Orlando City (West Downtown) & Pine Hills (Southeast) PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Brazoria County (North)Pearland City PUMA, TX.

Yearly Wage

$67,878

AVERAGE SALARY

± $555

In 2020, Registered nurses earned an average of $67,878, $11,924 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Surveyors, cartographers, & photogrammetrists make somewhat more than Registered nurses while Mining machine operators make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Registered nurses as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.279

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Registered nurses had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.279, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Registered nurses (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Registered nurses.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Registered nurses

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Registered nurses.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Registered nurses, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Nursing Care Facilities, Outpatient care centers, Home health care services, Offices of physicians, Other health care services, Elementary & secondary schools, Insurance carriers, Administration of human resource programs, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, and Employment services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Registered nurses, by average wage, are Aircraft & parts manufacturing, Banking & related activities, and Air transportation.

Industries by Share

3.26M

2020 Workforce

± 43,853

1.3%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.88%

The number of people employed as Registered nurses has been growing at a rate of 1.3%, from 3,220,455 people in 2019 to 3,262,270 people in 2020.

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 63.1%, followed by Nursing Care Facilities with 6.99% and Outpatient care centers with 5.64%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Registered nurses in the US. The average age of male Registered nurses in the workforce is 42.2 and of female Registered nurses is 43.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Registered nurses is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

374k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 14,993

2.89M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 41,317

88.5% of Registered nurses are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Registered nurses.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Registered nurses

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)

69.1% of Registered nurses are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 11.2% of Registered nurses, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Registered nurses.

Age by Sex

42.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.492

43.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.187

The median age of Registered nurses is 43.6, and Male employees are generally 1.64 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Registered nurses hold a major in Health.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Registered nurses need more than the average amount of Science, Operations Analysis, and Service Orientation.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Registered Nurses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Registered Nurses are expected to see a growth of 7.17% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

7.17%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

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 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.