It’s been more than 70 years since the first National Nurses Week, which occurred in 1954 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. Nightingale is also prominent for International Nursing Day, which is celebrated every year on her birthday, May 12.
National Nurses Week 2026 runs from May 6 through May 12 and is part of the broader National Nurses Month, celebrated throughout May. This year’s theme is “The Power of Nurses™, which highlights the essential role nurses play in advancing health, strengthening communities and shaping the future of healthcare.
To celebrate National Nurses Week 2026, we’ve compiled a list of interesting statistics about these respected and hard-working professionals:
A Trusted Profession
- Nursing is consistently rated as one of the most trusted professions.
- Nurses top Gallup’s list of most trusted professionals for the 25th consecutive year, with 73 percent of U.S. adults believing these hard-working healthcare professionals have high honesty and ethical standards.
A Big Piece of the Healthcare Pie
- Nurses account for 59 percent of healthcare professionals worldwide.
- About 208,760 RNs in the United States are employed at physician offices.
- The nursing profession is the largest sector of the U.S. healthcare industry, with more than 4.7 million registered nurses (RNs), 651,400 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and 375,650 nurse practitioners (NPs). There are more than four times as many RNs in the U.S. as physicians.
- Five out of the 20 fastest-growing occupations are in the nursing industry.
- Registered Nurses comprise one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce as a whole and are among the highest-paying large occupations.
- Roughly 85 percent of medical group leaders report budgeting a larger increase or the same increase in nurse pay for 2025 as compared to compensation gains budgeted for 2024.
A Lot of Administration
- Nurses walk an average of four to five miles on every 12-hour shift.
- Nurses spend up to one-third of their shifts performing routine and repetitive administrative tasks.
- Approximately 15 percent of the average nurse’s workday is spent on administrative work.
A Tough Turnover Rate
- According to the updated Healthcare Workforce Projections issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the U.S. is projected to experience shortages of licensed practical nurses and registered nurses between 2026 and 2038.
- In 2026, the projected nursing shortage in non-metro areas is projected to be 25 percent, compared with only five percent in metro areas.
- Roughly 40 percent of nurses intend to leave the workforce by 2029.
- The U.S. is facing an estimated deficit of more than 250,000 registered nurses by 2028.
- In 2025, 324,090 acute care registered nurses left their positions.
- Nurses consistently cite stress and burnout as a core reason for leaving the workforce.
- Across health systems, nursing turnover costs an average of $60,090.
Nursing Workforce Demographics
- The median age of RNs is 46 years.
- Gen Z is now the second-largest cohort of nurses in hospitals.
- About 7.2 percent of nurses are Latino/Hispanic, double the percentage in 2015.
- The nurse population is comprised of 14 percent men and 86 percent women.
- California has the most nurses in the U.S., and Utah has the fewest.
- Delaware has the most nurses per segment of the population.
Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
- There are an average of nine registered nurses for every 1,000 people.
- A total of 42 states have enacted nurse staffing laws mandating minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.
- A survey from the American Nurses Association (ANA) reported that more than half of its nurse respondents said they didn’t have sufficient time to spend on each patient.
- Nurses with greater than a 1:4 nurse-to-patient ratio have a higher risk of burnout, with each additional patient raising the risk by 23 percent.
- A lower nurse-to-patient ratio typically results in greater job satisfaction, decreased turnover, lower costs of care and higher patient satisfaction.
New Nursing Roles
- Several nursing roles top the list of occupations projected to see the highest net increase in new jobs by 2034, including registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
- Enrollment in graduate nursing programs from 2023 to 2024 climbed 4.8 percent, the first increase since 2021, with more than 136,000 students preparing for leadership and advanced roles. Enrollment in BSN programs rose 4.9 percent.
- The number of nurse practitioners is projected to grow by 40 percent by 2031.
Optimized Patient Outcomes
- Nurse-led rounds reduce hospital-acquired infections by 18 percent.
- Nurse-led care for chronic conditions reduces patient ER visits by 25 percent.
- Nurse satisfaction scores correlate with a 10 percent increase in patient satisfaction.
The Technology Factor
- McKinsey and the American Nurses Foundation evaluated how nurses were spending their time and estimated that roughly 20 percent of a nurse’s shift could be freed up through technology.
- Almost 65 percent of 7,200 nurses surveyed would like to see more AI tools incorporated into their work.
We at Providertech thank all nurses for their contributions to the healthcare industry. Your care makes a difference in the lives of patients every day.
Connect on LinkedIn with nurse executive Lisa Tejada, our beloved Chief Clinical Officer.
