Nursing by the numbers

• The US has 3.1 million licensed RNs, of whom 2.6 million are actively employed in nursing.

• The profession has grown by 5.3 percent since 2004, a net growth of more than 150,000 RNs.

• Nearly 450,000 RNs, 14.5 percent of the RN population, received their first US license after 2003.

• The average age of employed RNs is 45.5.

• The proportion of RNs under age 40 increased for the first time since 1980, to 29.5 percent.