What is the largest healthcare profession in the US?

Asked by: Leslie Cummings  |  Last update: June 29, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (15 votes)

Nursing is the nation's largest healthcare profession, with nearly 5.2 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide.

What is the largest healthcare occupation in the US?

Nursing is the nation's largest health care profession, with more than four million registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the workforce in 2023.

What are the largest health care professions?

Nursing is the nation's largest healthcare profession, with nearly 4.7 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide. Of all licensed RNs, 89% are employed in nursing. The median age of RNs is 46 years.

What is the largest healthcare group in the US?

10 of the largest US healthcare companies by revenue | 2024
  • UnitedHealth Group: $371.6 billion.
  • CVS Health: $357.8 billion.
  • McKesson: $301.5 billion.
  • Cencora: $271.6 billion.
  • Cardinal Health: $216.2 billion.
  • Cigna: $195.3 billion.
  • Elevance Health: $170 billion.
  • Centene: $154 billion.

What percentage of the healthcare workforce are nurses?

​ Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2022, 14.7 million people age 16 and older were employed in healthcare occupations, accounting for 9.3 percent of total employment. The largest of these occupations was registered nurses, who numbered 3.4 million in 2022, or more than 1 out of every 5 healthcare workers.

High Paying Healthcare Jobs (Other Than Medical Doctor)

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Why is there a nursing shortage in 2024?

The U.S. healthcare system is grappling with a significant nursing shortage in 2024, exacerbated by the U.S. State Department's decision to freeze new visas for international nurses. This policy affects nurse availability, patient care quality, and risk management strategies within healthcare organizations.

What is the richest hospital in the United States?

The top U.S. hospital by net patient revenue is St. Luke's University Hospital – Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with a total revenue of $8.9 billion. As the headquarters of the nonprofit St.

What is the biggest payer of healthcare services in the US?

Medicare is the single largest payer for health care services in the United States.

What is the most underpaid healthcare profession?

According to this 2021 survey, nurses and health care aides were considered to be underpaid in the United States. During that year, 59 percent of respondents believed nurses were underpaid in the U.S. and 60 percent of respondents stated that health care aides were underpaid.

What is the hardest healthcare profession?

Top Five Hardest Medical Professions
  • Neurosurgeon. Average Annual Salary: $271,470. Years Of Education: 14-16 years. ...
  • Cardiothoracic Surgeon. Average Annual Salary: $423,250. ...
  • Anesthesiologist. Average Annual Salary: $339,470. ...
  • Orthopedic Surgeons. Average Annual Salary: $378,250. ...
  • Trauma Surgeon. Average Annual Salary: $343,990.

What is the least stressful healthcare job?

13 high-paying low-stress medical careers
  • Biomedical engineer. ...
  • Dental hygienist. ...
  • Radiation therapist. ...
  • Speech-language pathologist. ...
  • Pediatric nurse practitioner. ...
  • Pharmacist. ...
  • Ultrasound technician. ...
  • Optometrist.

What is the average age nurses retire?

What's the Average Age of Nurses? The average nurse age is 46 years, according to the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey. On average, Americans retire around 62, although some nurses manage to retire in their fifties, and others extend their work life well into their seventies.

Which healthcare field is most in demand?

Nurse practitioners are at the top of the best healthcare careers list. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are ranked by U.S. News as the #1 Best Job of 2024. Jobs for nurse practitioners are expected to increase by a whopping 45 percent between 2022 and 2032.

Is the U.S. number 1 in healthcare?

U.S. ranks last in health care compared with nine other high-income countries, report finds. People in the U.S. die the youngest and experience the most avoidable deaths, despite spending much more on health care. By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. The health system in the U.S. is failing, a startling new report finds.

What is the largest group of healthcare professionals in the US?

The nursing workforce is the largest among all the health care professions and is nearly four times the size of the physician workforce.

Who is the number 1 healthcare company in USA?

1. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) UnitedHealth Group holds its position at the forefront of the healthcare sector, pushing the boundaries of digital and personalized care.

What is the largest healthcare program in the US?

Program: Overview

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is the single largest payer for health care in the United States. Nearly 90 million Americans rely on health care benefits through Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

What hospital is ranked 1 in the US?

Mayo Clinic is top-ranked in more specialties than any other hospital and has been recognized as an Honor Roll member according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 "Best Hospitals" rankings.

Who is the billionaire hospital owner?

Top 6 billionaires in US healthcare
  • Thomas Frist Jr., MD.
  • Carl Cook.
  • Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD.
  • Ronda Stryker.
  • Pat Stryker.
  • Reinhold Schmieding.

Who is United healthcare's biggest competitor?

The main competitors of UnitedHealth Group include Elevance Health (ELV), The Cigna Group (CI), Humana (HUM), Centene (CNC), Molina Healthcare (MOH), Oscar Health (OSCR), Alignment Healthcare (ALHC), Clover Health Investments (CLOV), Trupanion (TRUP), and NeueHealth (NEUE).

What state needs RN the most?

The most severe shortages in 2025 and on are projected in states like California, Georgia, and Washington, while North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah have a surplus of nursing staff compared to demand, making them states with the highest demand for registered nurses.

Are nurses underpaid?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for registered nurses was $77,600 in 2021. Physicians and surgeons had a median annual wage of $208,000. These figures are substantially lower than the ideal salary of $270,000, as identified in the survey.

Why is nursing declining?

Various factors, ranging from an aging population to a plethora of new procedures and treatments, the complication of compounding diseases, and nurse burnout in the wake of COVID-19, have contributed to an ongoing nursing shortage that has caused a substantial need for nurses — particularly advanced practice registered ...