Nurses Over 50 Survival Blog – Tips, Career Advice & Real Talk

Number of New Nurses Graduating and Passing the NCLEX in the U.S. Each Year

In a search that included multiple sources these are the numbers of new Registered Nurses nationwide in the US. The numbers vary slightly between sources.

Between 2017 and 2021, 592,979 new RNs received their first license, averaging about 118,600 new RNs per year over that five-year span.

Each year in the U.S., about 185,000 to 190,000 new RN candidates take the NCLEX, and roughly 160,000 to 170,000 of these pass and become newly licensed registered nurses.

In addition, each year, between 11,000 and 17,000 internationally educated registered nurses pass the NCLEX-RN and become eligible for licensure in the United States, with the Philippines and India being the top source countries.

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Pocket Junk Every Nurse Should Carry

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Annual Nurse Retirements and Workforce Exits in the U.S.

In 2024, the registered nurse (RN) turnover rate in U.S. hospitals averaged between 17.2% and 18.4%¹⁴⁵. This figure includes all reasons for leaving a hospital position-retirement, career change, burnout, or moving to another facility-but not all nurses who leave a specific job exit the workforce entirely.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) reported that more than 138,000 nurses left the workforce between 2022 and 2024⁷. This equates to about 69,000 nurses per year leaving the profession entirely during this period.

Looking ahead, NCSBN data indicate that almost 40% of nurses intend to leave the workforce by 2029, suggesting that annual exits could remain high or even increase.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for approximately 193,100 new RNs each year through 2032 to meet workforce demands, indicating that current graduation and licensure rates are slightly below projected needs.

It’s unclear whether this takes nurses leaving into account.