Registered Nurses: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1141 · O*NET 29-1141.00
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required.
Registered Nurses fall under the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category in the U.S. occupational classification. Registered Nurses earn a median salary of $93,600 per year, ranking in the top 16% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.9% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires an associate degree or accredited postsecondary certificate, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about registered nurses right now
Registered nursing is one of the largest and most reliable healthcare careers in the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for registered nurses was $93,600 in May 2024, with the top 10 percent earning more than $135,320 and the bottom 10 percent earning less than $66,030. BLS projects employment will grow about 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, and roughly 189,100 RN openings are projected each year through 2034 once retirements and turnover are factored in. The standard entry route is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which most hospitals now prefer, although Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs and diploma programs also qualify graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. All RNs must be licensed in the state where they practice, and many earn additional certifications in specialties such as critical care, oncology, or pediatrics. The defining current trend is a persistent staffing shortage. The 2026 NSI National Health Care Retention Report shows RN turnover running at about 16.4 percent and hospital add rates dropping sharply, while the U.S. is projected to face a shortage of more than 250,000 RNs by 2028. That gap creates strong wage leverage, signing bonuses, and flexible schedules but also real burnout risks. Teens interested in nursing should pursue biology, chemistry, anatomy, and volunteer or shadowing time in a hospital, clinic, or nursing home.
What do registered nurses earn?
The median annual wage for registered nurses is $93,600. That puts registered nurses at #134 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $66,030 |
| 25th percentile | $78,610 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $93,600 |
| 75th percentile | $107,960 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $135,320 |
| Median hourly wage | $45.00/hr |
Is registered nurses a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for registered nurses is +4.9%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 3.4M positions in 2024 to 3.6M in 2034, a net change of 166K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do registered nurses do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working registered nurses, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
- 2.Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
- 3.Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
- 4.Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
- 5.Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
- 6.Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.
- 7.Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.
- 8.Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.
Top skills for registered nurses
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become registered nurse?
Entry into registered nurses typically requires an associate degree or accredited postsecondary certificate, often coupled with state licensing exams or clinical hours. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for registered nurses
Registered Nurses are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about registered nurses
What is the median salary for registered nurses?
The median annual salary for registered nurses is $93,600 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is registered nurses a growing career?
BLS projects +4.9% growth for registered nurses from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become registered nurse?
The typical entry path requires an associate degree or accredited postsecondary certificate, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to registered nurses?
Related occupations within the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.