Here is the shortage by the numbers, including employment data by state.
Nurses Per 1,000 Population
| Location | Employed Registered Nurses (2024) | State Population (2024) | Nurses Per 1,000 Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,282,010 | 340,110,988 | 9.65 |
| Alabama | 53,340 | 5,157,699 | 10.34 |
| Alaska | 7,040 | 740,133 | 9.51 |
| Arizona | 64,430 | 7,582,384 | 8.50 |
| Arkansas | 28,320 | 3,088,354 | 9.17 |
| California | 326,720 | 39,431,263 | 8.29 |
| Colorado | 54,510 | 5,957,493 | 9.15 |
| Connecticut | 39,020 | 3,675,069 | 10.62 |
| Delaware | 13,260 | 1,051,917 | 12.61 |
| District of Columbia | 9,790 | 702,250 | 13.94 |
Sources: Census.gov, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Local vs. National Nurse Employment
The BLS uses a location quotient to measure how a state or metro area compares to the national average for nurse employment. It is the ratio of local concentration to national concentration. Above one means nurses are more concentrated there than the national average; below one means less.
Big, dense cities tend to need more nurses, and their hospitals usually carry plenty of open positions. By BLS data, 14 states and the District of Columbia have concentrations below one:
- District of Columbia (0.6)
- Utah (0.7)
- Idaho (0.8)
- Maryland (0.8)
- California (0.9)
- Nevada (0.9)
- Washington (0.9)
- Wyoming (0.9)
- Colorado (0.9)
- Texas (0.9)
- Virginia (0.9)
- Oklahoma (0.9)
- Georgia (0.9)
- Arizona (0.9)
- Oregon (0.9)
The metro areas with the highest concentrations run the other way:
- Bloomsburg-Berwick, Pennsylvania (3.2)
- Morgantown, West Virginia (2.4)
- Greenville, North Carolina (2.3)
- Ann Arbor, Michigan (2.1)
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2.0)
Larger cities tend to feel the shortage harder because of population density. There simply are not enough new nurses entering the field to cover the volume of people who need care.
What Is Driving the Shortage
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing points to several forces feeding the national shortage.
School capacity. In 2023, nursing schools turned away more than 65,000 qualified applications, largely because they did not have the faculty to teach them. That same year there were nearly 2,000 full-time nursing faculty vacancies.
Turnover. Nurse turnover has climbed steadily for years. The American Nurses Association ties the exits to burnout, bullying and incivility, high nurse-to-patient ratios, and first-year burnout among new grads.
Retirements. More than 1 million RNs are projected to retire by 2030. As of 2022, 23% of RNs in outpatient settings had already retired or were set to within five years.
An aging population. The older adult population is projected to grow 23% by 2050, which pushes up demand for geriatric nurses caring for patients with chronic conditions.
State legislators, hospitals, and schools are all working the problem, but it is not going away soon. Track your own state's workforce picture, because that is where demand will decide how sought-after you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many nursing jobs will open each year? The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 189,100 registered nurse openings per year, on average, through 2034. Most come from replacing nurses who retire or leave the field rather than from brand-new positions.
Which states have the worst nursing shortages? It varies by how you measure it. States with low nurses-per-population and below-average employment concentration tend to feel the strain most, and big metro areas often feel it harder because of population density. Check your state board and BLS data for the current local picture.
Why are nursing schools turning away qualified applicants? Capacity, mostly. During the 2023 to 2024 cycle, schools turned away more than 65,000 qualified applications, largely for lack of faculty, clinical placement sites, and classroom space. The AACN counted nearly 2,000 full-time faculty vacancies that year.
Is the nursing shortage getting better or worse? It is still deepening in most projections. Retirements, an aging population that needs more care, and turnover keep outpacing the supply of new nurses, even as enrollment shifts year to year.
What is driving the shortage? Four main forces: nursing schools that cannot graduate enough new nurses, steady turnover tied to burnout, a wave of retirements (more than 1 million RNs are projected to retire by 2030), and an aging population that raises demand for care.