Registered Nurse Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of registered nurses to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035 (about 194,700 more jobs), with about 180,800 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $97,550 a year ranks 151st of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +5.6%
- Openings a year
- 180,800
- Median pay
- $97,550
- Pay rank
- 151st of 825
Is employment of registered nurses growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of registered nurses to rise 5.6% (about 194,700 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +8.0% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 71 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations with a projection. That change ranks 195th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 3,465,400 |
| Employment, 2035 | 3,660,100 |
| Projected change | +5.6% |
| Openings a year | 180,800 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 3,465,400 jobs here differ from the 3,379,720 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 180,800 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 15th most of 830 occupations. About 89% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 19,470 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for registered nurses rank?
The median of $97,550 a year ranks 151st of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse Practitioners | +41.0% | 29,400 | $132,300 |
| Psychiatrists | +7.2% | 900 | $281,870 |
| Psychiatric Technicians | +22.3% | 17,000 | $45,130 |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | +3.0% | 51,800 | $64,400 |
| Nurse Midwives | +11.5% | 400 | $134,040 |
| Respiratory Therapists | +8.5% | 8,600 | $82,280 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | +9.7% | 2,400 | $236,590 |
| Physician Assistants | +21.1% | 11,500 | $135,880 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.