What share of nurses are men?
In the 2024 National Nursing Workforce Study, 10% of registered nurses were men. Nursing remains a mostly female profession, but men are a steady and growing minority.
The numbers
The study, by NCSBN and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, reports a median RN age of 50 and 73% of RNs holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. The share of men among LPNs was lower than among RNs. It is a profile of today’s workforce, so it also reflects who entered the field decades ago.
What it means for you
The license, exam and pay do not depend on gender: the same NCLEX, the same state rules and the same wage data apply, with a median RN pay of $97,550 in May 2025. Some specialties, such as nurse anesthesia and emergency or critical care, have a higher share of men than nursing overall, but we do not have a federal figure to cite by specialty, so check with a program or association.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.