Larger states such as California and Texas employ the highest number of registered nurses nationwide. But when measured by concentration — the number of RNs employed per 1,000 jobs in a state’s economy — both states rank much lower, according to May 2025 data released May 15 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
West Virginia had the nation’s highest RN concentration at 33.4 nurses per 1,000 jobs, while Utah ranked last at 15.8.
Nationwide, general medical and surgical hospitals employed the largest share of registered nurses, accounting for about 56% of RN employment, or roughly 1.9 million jobs. Physicians’ offices and home healthcare services employed the next-largest shares of RNs.
Below are the employment-per-1,000-job figures for registered nurses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to BLS data.
1. West Virginia — 33.391
2. South Dakota — 32.170
3. Delaware — 29.478
4. North Dakota — 26.403
5. Missouri — 25.992
6. Ohio — 25.897
7. Maine — 25.827
8. Alabama — 25.707
9. Louisiana — 25.311
10. Kentucky — 25.144
11. Mississippi — 24.988
12. Vermont — 24.392
13. Massachusetts — 24.247
14. Pennsylvania — 24.161
15. Nebraska — 24.136
16. Michigan — 23.831
17. Minnesota — 23.766
18. Connecticut — 23.648
19. Kansas — 23.514
20. Florida — 23.156
21. Wisconsin — 23.138
22. Alaska — 23.057
23. Illinois — 22.780
24. Arizona — 22.581
25. Arkansas — 22.554
26. New Hampshire — 22.517
27. North Carolina — 22.486
28. Oklahoma — 22.409
29. Iowa — 22.077
30. Tennessee — 22.021
31. New Jersey — 21.624
32. South Carolina — 21.583
33. Indiana — 21.550
34. Montana — 21.410
35. New York — 21.244
36. Georgia — 20.648
37. New Mexico — 20.648
38. Hawaii — 20.622
39. Oregon — 20.198
40. Rhode Island — 20.132
41. Idaho — 19.690
42. Washington — 19.506
43. Texas — 19.287
44. Maryland — 19.149
45. Wyoming — 19.000
46. Colorado — 18.959
47. Virginia — 18.856
48. California — 18.609
49. Nevada — 17.447
50. District of Columbia — 16.305
51. Utah — 15.797
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