Celebrate National Nurses Week!
US Census Press Releases
May 06, 2009
National Nurses Week coincides with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. Many consider Nightingale the founder of modern nursing. The history of Nurses Week began in 1953 when Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare sent the proposal to President Eisenhower. In 1974, President Nixon proclaimed a “National Nurse Week.” The celebration of National Hospital Week began in 1921 when a magazine editor suggested that more information about hospitals might alleviate public fears about them.
Nurses in the United States by the Numbers
2.4 million
Number of registered nurses
92%
Percentage of registered nurses who are women
623,000
Projected growth in the number of registered nurses between 2002 and 2012. It is expected that registered nurses will experience the largest job growth of any occupation during this time period.
531,000
Number of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
1,181
Number of nurses per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts, the highest rate among states. (The District of Columbia has 1,498.) Nevada, with 517, has the lowest rate.
1.8 million
Number of nursing, psychiatric and home health aides
