Employment

As the largest healthcare occupation, registered nurses held about 2.7 million jobs in 2012. The industries that employed the most registered nurses in 2012 were as follows:

• Hospitals (61 percent)
  
• Nursing and residential care facilities (7 percent)
  
• Offices of physicians (7 percent)
  
• Home health care services (6 percent)
  
• Government (6 percent)

Employment opportunities are expected to increase by approximately 19 percent from 2012 through 2022.

Source:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-2015 edition, Registered Nurses.