Employment

As the largest healthcare occupation, registered nurses held about 2.6 million jobs nationally in 2012. Hospitals employed the majority of RNs, with 60 percent of such jobs. About 8 percent of jobs were in offices of physicians, 5 percent in home healthcare services, 5 percent in nursing care facilities, and 3 percent in employment services. The remainder worked mostly in government agencies, social assistance agencies, and educational services. Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow by 26 percent from 2010 to 2020.