New data analysis by National Nurses United (NNU) shows nearly 1.15 million Registered Nurses (RNs) with active licenses are not currently working as Nurses - which shows this serves as compelling evidence that there isn’t a labor shortage in the field, but rather there is a widespread retention crisis. NNU developed its fact sheet with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and peer-reviewed medical journals. When taken with the personal stories and lived experiences of Nurses, the numbers paint a troubling picture of how hospitals’ failure to invest in safe staffing levels is pushing qualified Nurses out of the field. “The data is clear that the U.S. Nursing profession has a retention crisis, not a Nurse shortage,” NNU President Jamie Brown said. “We want the public to know our working conditions are so unsafe and unsustainable that they are driving new and experienced Nurses away from hospitals, both large and small. Hospital employers have the power to immediately address the retention crisis by taking concrete steps to improve patient care conditions, including improving RN-to-patient ratios and providing appropriate support to Caregivers.”

To Read The NNU Fact Sheet, Go To: Copy of 2026_0515 Nurse shortage / BLS data fact sheet