Every two years, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers team up to provide a snapshot of America’s nursing workforce. Their 2024 survey highlights some notable trends.
The U.S. currently has approximately 5.6 million active RN licenses and nearly 970,000 LPN/LVN licenses. Nurses have a median age of 50, reflecting a return of experienced nurses who previously left during the pandemic. Most nurses (88%) are actively working, primarily full-time, with hospitals employing over half of RNs, while LPNs/LVNs predominantly work in nursing homes or extended care facilities (32%). Although burnout and heavy workloads have improved slightly, about 40% of nurses who responded plan to leave or retire in the next five years. The field has increased investments in mental health and support services for nurses since the pandemic, but structural challenges like short staffing and high workloads remain significant threats to long-term workforce stability. On a more positive note, the survey revealed educational attainment continues to rise, with over 73% of RNs now holding at least a bachelor’s degree, and racial diversity has steadily improved, notably among Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and Asian nurses in both RN and LPN/LVN roles.
