Every two years, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers (Forum) conduct the
largest national survey of the U.S. nursing workforce. The survey generates data on the supply of registered nurses (RNs), including advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and licensed practical nurses/licensed vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs).
The survey included that the total number of active RN and LPN/LVN licenses in the United States at the start of 2024 was 5,641,311 and 968,948, respectively. The median age of both RNs and LPNs/LVNs was 50 years, which reflects pre-pandemic trends - suggesting some older nurses who departed the workforce during the pandemic returned in the ensuing two-year period.
The survey went on to note that amid the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursing workforce underwent a dramatic shift characterized by heightened workplace burnout, increased workloads, and the departure of hundreds of thousands of experienced RNs and LPNs/LVNs.
Since 2022, the workforce has exhibited greater stability, marked by the return of many experienced nurses. The survey also concludes that continued efforts to retain more experienced nurses and to otherwise address longstanding factors associated with nurses’ premature intent to leave are necessary to ensure sustainable workforce planning moving forward.
You can find more information in the survey
here.