There were approximately 2.9 million registered nurses in the United States, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here are the five states with the highest employment levels for RNs:
• California: 282,290
• Texas: 212,230
• New York: 180,170
• Florida : 178,330
• Pennsylvania: 143,130
Here are the five metropolitan areas with the highest employment levels for RNs:
• New York-Jersey City-White Plains, N.Y.-N.J., metropolitan division: 122,780
• Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., metropolitan division: 79,420
• Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Ill., metropolitan division: 75,320
• Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas: 51,610
• Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass., NECTA division: 43,150
Note: The most recent BoL data available for this occupation is from May 2017. The above estimates do not include self-employed workers.